Pruszcz Gdański
The official twinning with the Polish town of Pruszcz Gdański took place on April 25, 2012. The twinning certificate was signed on this day.
When Hofheim entered into a partnership with the Italian town of Buccino on October 31, 2008, the idea of twinning with an Eastern European town was born at around the same time. The eventful German-Polish history prompted the Hofheim Town Twinning Association to seek friendly contacts with a Polish town. The European Union sent a list of around 50 cities that were looking for partners.
Hofheim sought closer contact with eight interested cities and Pruszcz Gdański emerged from the two remaining partners.
Pruszcz Gdański is located in the south of the so-called Tricity with the centers Gdańsk (Danzig), Sopot (Zoppot) and Gdynia (Gdingen). The Bay of Gdańsk is located around 14 kilometers northeast of the city.
The first traces of settlement appeared as early as the 6th century BC and continued uninterrupted until the 9th century. This fact has a unique historical value for Pruszcz Gdański. In 1367, Pruszcz becomes a village with all the rights that go with it, which is associated with several privileges, but also additional obligations such as a tax levy. In 1951, Pruszcz was given the name "Gdański" as a reminder of its strong affiliation to Gdańsk.
The post-war history of Pruszcz Gdański was closely linked to the industrial development of Gdańsk. Companies that produced equipment and elements for shipbuilding were based here. Many new apartments and service companies were built in the city. Agriculture - sugar factory, dairy, production of agricultural machinery - also played an important role.
Today, Pruszcz Gdański has over 26,000 inhabitants and has developed into an important automobile and rail transportation hub. This location, administrative bodies, agricultural processing industry, health care, cultural facilities - these are elements that made Pruszcz Gdański an agricultural center and the seat of many companies in the Gdańsk agglomeration.
Further information can be found on the homepage of the Hofheim Town Twinning Association (FHS):
Pruszcz Gdański - Citizens' meetings
People from Hofheim tell their stories about their experiences in Pruszcz Gdański.
The Polish guests arrived with two flights on Thursday, 11.09.2025. In the afternoon, they had the opportunity to take part in a guided tour of Hofheim. The guests were able to learn about the history and development of the town and see historical and currently important buildings. The guests were very interested in all the things that were explained.
In the evening, there was a working dinner with representatives from both cities and the Förderkreis, during which the current changes in Hofheim were discussed.
On Friday morning, the official welcome took place in Hofheim's town hall with speeches from the respective mayors and the speakers from the Förderkreis. This was followed by the ceremonial naming of meeting room no. 4. This meeting room in the town hall will now officially bear the name: PRUSZCZ GDAŃSKI.
In the afternoon, the first excursion to the Bahaí Temple in Langenhain was undertaken. There we heard an introduction to the "Bahaí philosophy" and were able to experience the fabulous acoustics of the temple building. Afterwards, the gardener explained the type of soil cultivation used there, namely permaculture. Finally, we had a snack in the cafeteria of the visitor center.
On Saturday morning, we went on a day trip by train to Limburg. The guide took us on a tour of the town and told us all about its history. We arrived at the "Zum Braustübel" restaurant in good time, where we enjoyed a delicious meal and drink. Freshly fortified, we then explored Limburg city center individually and then took the train back to Hofheim.
There was no jointly organized programme on Sunday, but there were many individual excursions.
On Monday, we went on the "skyscraper tour" in Frankfurt. We took the S-Bahn to the Taunusanlage. From there, we took a walk towards the Alte Oper and explained the history of the building to the guests. The guided tour then began. First we went to the Commerzbank Tower, where we were able to see the spacious cafeteria/canteen of this building complex. The guide talked about the skyscrapers and explained a number of figures, which amazed many of us. Finally, we took the elevator to the viewing platform of the "Main Tower". The crowning glory was a rainbow that you could look down on from up there. After leaving the lofty heights, we made our way to the Hauptwache. From there, we took the S2 back to Hofheim.
In the late afternoon, we drove to Flörsheim, where a farewell dinner awaited us at the "Zum Hirsch" restaurant. After solemn speeches and expressions of thanks, gifts were presented on both sides. The delicious buffet was then opened. To round off the evening, the Polish guests and some local connoisseurs took the opportunity to sing the song "Sto lat", followed by another song, before saying goodbye to each other for the time being.
On Tuesday, the visiting group was accompanied to the airport and bid farewell until we met again. Do zobaczenia.
by Helmut Wielpütz
Gleich am Donnerstag, 13.Juni um 17:00 Uhr fand die offizielle Begrüßung im Haus Wiedemann statt. Davor hatten wir Zeit uns etwas in der Stadt umzusehen, Geld zu wechseln und in dem beliebten Restaurant Chamäleon Mittag zu essen.
Im Haus Wiedemann begrüßten uns Bürgermeister Janusz Wróbel und andere Vertreter der Stadt, und wir freuten uns neue und alte Bekannte wieder zu sehen. Das Treffen fand im Ausstellungsraum statt und wir durften die laufende Ausstellung unter dem Titel „Danziger Maler“ besichtigen - schöne Bilder von bekannten Malern aus der Umgebung. Nebenbei gab es zu trinken und köstlich belegte Häppchen.
Am nächsten Tag fuhren wir mit dem Bus Richtung Kaschubei nach Bytów. Dort gibt es eine Mittelalterliche Burg des deutschen Ritterordens. Wir bekamen eine Führung durch die Räume. Heute wird die Burg als Kulturzentrum genutzt. Wir sahen dort eine Ausstellung mit naiver Malerei eines bekannten kaschubischen Künstlers und eine Abteilung mit Kaschubischem Kunstgewerbe: Spielsachen, Trachtenkleidung, Heiligenbilder und mehr.
Anschließend besuchten wir ein Freilichtmuseum in dem wir alte Handwerkskunst sahen und uns das Leben in den alten Zeiten vorstellen konnten. In einer ausgebauten Scheune durften wir ein köstliches Mittagessen genießen. Nach einer Kaffeepause ging es zurück zum Hotel.
Die Zeit, die wir in den nächsten Tagen zur Verfügung hatten, wurde von unserer Gruppe unterschiedlich genutzt. Einige besuchten Danzig, schlenderten durch die Gassen und bewunderten die Architektur der Altstadt, andere fuhren mit einem Schiff zur Danziger Werft, besuchten Museen oder ließen sich am Ufer der Mottlau in einem Restaurant nieder. Die Zuhausegebliebenen konnten das Stadtfest von Pruszcz Gdański besuchen und an der Enthüllung einer Gedenkbank teilnehmen.
Am Abend des 15. Juni fand in der Faktoria (Ein nachgebauter Handelsposten, in dem Römer und Wikinger Handelsgeschäfte, hauptsächlich mit Bernstein betrieben) ein feierliches Festessen statt. Es war eine Jubiläumsfeier zum 20-jährigen Bestehen der Zusammenarbeit von Pruszcz Gdański mit Silute in Litauen. Auch Gäste aus Belgien und der Ukraine waren geladen.
Die nächste freie Zeit wurde wieder unterschiedlich genutzt und am Abend waren wir eingeladen zu einem Imbiss im Sport - und Kulturzentrum. Es gab auch diverse Musikkonzerte in der Faktoria, aber die meisten unserer Truppe bevorzugten es, in der Bar „Seven Sports“ das Fußballspiel Deutschland gegen Schottland zu sehen. Dort konnten sie einen Sieg Deutschlands bejubeln.
Am nächsten Tag (Montag) trafen wir uns alle zu einer Fahrt nach Frombork „Frauenburg“ und Elbląg „Elbing“.In Frombork steht eine Kathedrale mit prachtvoller Ausstattung. In diesem Gotteshaus hörten wir ein Orgelkonzert. Anschließend konnte man sich im Ort umsehen, oder den Aussichtsturm besteigen. Man hat von dort einen wunderschönen Blick auf das Frische Haft bis nach Russland hinein.
Das Besondere in diesem Turm aber ist das Foucaultsche Pendel. Eine Kugel hängt an einem 28 m langen Seil. Ihre Schwingung dokumentiert, dass die Erde sich dreht. Nikolaus Kopernikus wirkte in der ersten Hälfte des 16. Jhd. in Frombork als Domherr und betrieb privat astronomische Studien.
In dem hübschen Städtchen Elbląg hatten wir dann noch Zeit für eine Stadtbesichtigung und einen Besuch im Café. Die Stadt wurde im Zweiten Weltkrieg fast ganz zerstört, aber wieder getreu aufgebaut.
Der 18.Juni war dann der Tag unserer Rückreise. Wir verließen Polen mit einer Menge bleibender Eindrücke und einer Erinnerung an wunderbare Gastgeber.
Bardzo dziękujemy/ Vielen Dank
Do widzenia/ Auf Wiedersehen
von Heidi Henningsen
11 years of friendship with Pruszcz Gdański
On Thursday evening, we welcomed 35 guests from our twin town Pruszcz Gdański.
Friday started with a reception by Mayor Christian Vogt, accompanied by city councillors Wolfgang Exner, Bernhard Köppler and Matthias Hees at the "Birkenhof" in Hofheim. Mayor Vogt emphasized the proximity to the city, but also the rural connection with a lot of agriculture around Hofheim. Gregor Betzel, who runs the Birkenhof, explained how fruit is grown and talked about the production of apple juice, sweeteners and cider. Strengthened by a delicious buffet, the tour group set off on a tour of Hofheim and its districts. At the first stop, the fire station in Hofheim, they were able to marvel at the fleet of vehicles. In Wallau, it was the new Ländcheshalle, the old Protestant church and the old courtyards, which could be explored even better with a donated round of ice cream. The final stop was the Bahá'i temple in Langenhain. The sacred building, also known as the House of Worship, is the only one of its kind in Germany. Some members of the FHS welcomed the group with tea, coffee, water and a small picnic.
A longer excursion was planned for Saturday. The destination was the cathedral city of Speyer, one of the oldest cities in Germany. The tour of the Imperial and St. Mary's Cathedral showed the world's largest surviving Romanesque church and the tour of the old town took place on historic cobblestones.
The day was rounded off with a stop at the "Preis" tavern in Hochheim for a traditional Hessian meal.
Sunday began with a concert by a member of the Polish group as part of the "50 Years" music school event in Hofheim. Paweł Zagańczyk on the accordion and his son Antoni on the clarinet played in the park by the hospital. Our guests enjoyed the successful event in the shade of the trees. The rest of Sunday was at leisure and was organized in a very varied way by the hosts.
Monday is the "free" day without a program. Some excursions, including to Frankfurt and Bad Homburg, were organized independently before the farewell evening at the Bürgerhaus in Marxheim.
Accompanied by music from Beate Kletti and hosted by 2nd Chairman Hans Jürgen Koblitz, speeches of thanks were given by the mayors of both towns and the Chairwoman of the Hofheim Town Twinning Association Ingrid Bender, gifts were exchanged and a warm invitation to come to Pruszcz Gdański next year was extended. There was exuberant singing and dancing and a successful buffet rounded off the visit.
On Tuesday morning, it was time to say goodbye and everyone hoped to see everyone again next year in Pruszcz Gdański in June.
by Ingrid Bender
On September 13, 2022, a group from Hofheim (adults and young people) flew to Gdansk. The program for the special visit (10th anniversary between our cities Pruszcz Gdański - Hofheim) was very varied and interesting.
On the very first day, an epitaph exhibition was visited in the Wiedemann House, where the official welcome by Mayor Wróbel also took place.
The following day, the hosts organized a concert at Lyceum No. 1, where students from the music school in Hofheim played some well-known rock songs. Surprisingly, the director of the school picked up his guitar and got up on stage for the first song. The atmosphere was great! After the music event, there was a 3-hour tour of the town. Mayor Wróbel took the time to show us his city in detail.
An important special feature was the unveiling of the information board about Hofheim, which the town of Hofheim had ceremoniously presented to mark the 10th anniversary of the partnership. Strangely enough, no residents attended the event, which was quite sobering.
The hosts had organized an excursion to Pelplin (a well-known pilgrimage town in Poland), where they visited a monastery, a museum and an important basilica.
In the evening, everyone celebrated the important feast day together at a festive barbecue dinner. There were a few speeches in a family atmosphere, several gifts were exchanged and a lovely surprise cake, a gift from Mayor Vogt, rounded off the special evening.
The next day, everyone drove to the Danziger Werder in beautiful weather. There they visited an old mill, a small church and two so-called "Vorlaubhäuser", which are typical of this landscape. That evening there was a big surprise - an exclusive concert by the well-known Polish jazz singer Krystyna Duras. The enthusiasm of the audience knew no bounds.
On the last day, many Hofheimers went to Gdansk on their own. It was a beautiful sunny day, which some spent outside in numerous cafés. In the evening, a traditional seniors' ball was held with the participation of Hofheim guests, organized by Mayor Wróbel. With wonderful impressions and landscapes in their minds and hearts, all the Hofheimers flew back to Germany.
It was a great meeting in Pruszcz Gdański.
by Helena Taranczewski
For older reports, please contact the "Town Twinning" team or visit www.fhs-online.de.