Gesellschaft für Internationale Städtepartnerschaften und Begegnungen Minden e.V.
We create common ground
Wir treffen uns am Sonntag, dem 13.08.2026, wie immer.
EIN NEUER GESPRÄCHSKREIS?
Der Vorstand plant auf Initiative von Kriemi Wehmann, einen Debattierclub ins Leben zu rufen. Wer hätte Lust?
Our credo
For almost 50 years, we have stood up for friendships across borders and understanding between peoples. In doing so, we follow our vision of a strong and united Europe in peace and freedom.
Our twin towns
Become a member!
GeFIS-Minden@gmx.de
Our board
Ulrich Hartmann
1st Chairman
Born in East Germany, shaped by the Ruhr region, now settled in Minden. Once a school headmaster, now enjoying an active retirement. An anglophile initiator and facilitator of processes and decisions. A shrewd diplomat. A second home in Sutton would be quite natural. "A united Europe is a blessing. For me personally, because long-standing, deep friendships are so precious and fulfilling. For the people in the EU, because we have been able to live in peace and freedom for over 80 years. And that's what I'm committed to!"
Heinrich Wiese
2nd Chairman
Proud to be from Minden and a citizen of Europe. He has been actively involved in GeFIS since his school days. Aa an economist and banker, he is interested in all things related to trade and finance, as well as music and culture. He enjoys planning and organizing projects, including the installation of the European Peace Clock at Minden Town Hall. He loves holidays by the water, such as the North Sea, Brittany, and the Mediterranean.
Marita Felsch
treasurer
A native of the Ruhr region. Studied English and philosophy. A free spirit, language-loving, experienced traveler, and interested in culture. "Every encounter can contribute to understanding. Listen and learn."
Irene Hartmann
Secretary
Also from the Ruhr region, but with roots in Berlin and Ukraine. Varied interests, with a passion for languages, music, and theater. Politics is also not a foreign concept to her. Her temperament is rather un-Westphalian. "Let Europe arise!" (W. Churchill)
Juliane Kampshoff
assessor
A long-time resident of Minden with Swabian roots. Usually energetic and fit, for example through playing tennis with one of my six grandchildren. Active in GeFIS for many years. I organize trips and lectures.
Our advisory board
Heinrich Wiese
Advisory board member for Apeldoorn
A native of Minden with roots in the East. Economist and financial expert. A driving force. A calming influence amidst passionate efforts to achieve results. Despite the challenges, Apeldoorn is a matter close to his heart. "The peace work of GeFIS is particularly important to me and a constant source of motivation."
Heidi Kröncke
Advisory board member for Gagny
Multilingual and multi-talented. A certified simultaneous interpreter, she has studied at the Sorbonne, in England, and in Catalonia. An experienced organizer of trips and language exchange groups, she now feels almost at home in Gagny. "I want to strengthen European unity and understanding. For me, this means learning the local language and culture through personal contacts and encounters."
Irene Hartmann
Advisory board member for Gladsaxe
A woman from the Ruhr region. Multilingual. Anglo- and Slavophile. Versatile and practical. Former teacher. Impulsive, yet organized. Combines Slavic temperament with Western irony and self-awareness. Gladsaxe is a late-blooming love. "I say to you: Let Europe arise" (Winston Churchill, 1946)
NN
Advisory board member for Grodno / Hrodna
No one at the moment. Unfortunately. The global situation doesn't allow it. "Only those who imagine that Europe could be created by an 'Open Sesame!' or by a huge wave of enthusiasm can be discouraged." (Paul-Henry Spaak)
Ulrich Hartmann
Advisory board member for Sutton
Born in the East, later a resident of the Ruhr region. Formerly in school administration. An Anglophile initiator and facilitator of processes and decisions. A shrewd diplomat. Could register a second home in Sutton.
Kriemi Wehmann
Advisory board member for Tangermünde
A driving force. A networker. A valuable asset from Lower Saxony. Passionate about culture and travel. A former freelancer with extensive organizational experience. Single-handedly revitalized our relationship with Tangermünde. "I cannot do this" isn't part of her vocabulary.
Marianne Bath
Advisory board member for Tavarnelle VdP
A global citizen. A versatile lawyer, formerly in the diplomatic service. She laments the fact that Tavarnelle VdP is so far away. "Encounters between people of all ages and from different nations are extremely important for peace. Friends don't shoot at friends. International encounters provide immunity against totalitarian 'ethnic' ideologies, and personal contact with others also allows one to get to know oneself better. A well-understood patriotism (not nationalism) values one's own heritage but doesn't require the denigration of those who think or feel differently."
Thomas Felsch
Advisory board member for Berlin-Wilmersdorf
A native of the Ruhr region. A logistics expert with a dormant professorship. Combines structured thinking with insightful ideas. Enjoys traveling the world. Currently concentrating on Berlin-Wilmersdorf. "Personal contacts across borders foster mutual understanding and facilitate communication."
The board thanks Gudrun Wöpkemeier for the photos.
Our previous chairpersons
Eva Kutschera
Founding president of GeFIS from Porta Westfalica, chairwoman from 1979 to 2005. Extensive international experience in France, Italy, and the USA, and a school principal. Charismatic and energetic, passionate, charming, and irresistible, she remains the center of attention even in her later years. She initiated and spearheaded the GeFIS projects of the early years, the manifold travels, initiatives, and friendships in her inimitable way, her interests and commitment ranging from language courses to visits to wineries and distilleries, from theatre and opera performances to picnics by the river. Friendships in Europe remain her passion to this day. She was the right person in the right place at the right time.
Ilse Rathert
Chairwoman of GeFIS from 2005 to 2017, having previously served for many years in various functions on the GeFIS board, including that of an advisory board member for Gagny. She was employed at Fachwerk, a vocational training center for young people without sufficient school qualifications. She combined being the elected guardian of local heritage in the village she lived in with a broader perspective of the world. She was gentle yet persistent, calm yet tenacious, and thus managed to leave her mark and set her own accents. Connecting people always was and remained paramount to her. Organizing and leading extended trips to various places was one way she used to immerse herself in the culture and lives of the people, forging and strengthening friendships. She was particularly focused on reaching out to and supporting young people. She died far too young at the age of 65.
Ute Hannemann
A long-standing member of GeFIS. A native of Minden with several years of experience living abroad in Georgia, USA, and Paris. Chairperson of GeFIS from 2017 to 2026. Formerly head of the city of Minden's audit office. A deeply committed and passionate advocate for town twinning. She combines mathematical precision with a love of music, playing the flute and trombone. Balanced and conciliatory. Self-controlled, yet empathetic and humorous. She can differentiate, unite, but also make a point. She connects with people and helps them reach their full potential. She was entrusted with the demanding task of initiating and guiding GeFIS's transformation in view of a changing world. A process she set on a successful path with intelligence and dedication.
Our project "Monuments"
Monuments
Together with its twin towns, GeFIS has developed a project for young people. It explores the meaning and function of monuments and the emotions they evoke in us. Two options are available: describing and analyzing a monument or creating one. You can participate as a group, either as a class or in another group format. Groups are also participating in Gladsaxe, Berlin-Wilmersdorf, and Tangermünde. If you're curious about the other groups, we can put you in touch through GeFIS.
Which monuments are suitable for description?
Very important: You have to like the monument – or not. You can also dedicate yourself to a monument that you consider superfluous or outdated by history. However, this must be explained in detail. The only important thing is that it must be located in Minden or the immediate vicinity. Basically, all monuments that were created specifically for a person or an occasion are suitable. For example, the monument to the Great Elector or the memorial to the fallen of the First World War. The city of Minden's list of monuments contains many landscape and architectural monuments that are essentially only there for preservation reasons. These are not what we are referring to.
Who wants to design one themselves?
What do you find important in your life? Is there a person or group of people who have impressed you or serve as a role model? (For example, Friederike Nadig from Herford or Josef Lemke from Obernbeck) Or is there an event that you consider so significant, that has so inspired or shocked you, that you want to pass on the memory to future generations? In the past, people used to say, "The world held its breath." However, since the world's breaths are becoming shorter by the month, it is all the more important to know whether, in your opinion, something is and will remain important.
Conditions
The form and content of both the analysis and the presentation remain entirely up to you (subject to the fundamental assumption of adherence to the constitution). Whether as a PowerPoint presentation, blog, podcast, or film – you are asked to present and document the results of your work and perhaps key steps of the process in such a way that we can understand them.
Timeframe
The starting date for the project is flexible. You can begin when you're ready. The project deadline is November 20, 2026, and can be submitted here on the website or to GeFIS-Minden@gmx.de.
Completion ceremony
The final meeting for delegates from the participating groups will take place in Minden on the weekend of December 11-13, 2026. Together you will see and hear the presentations and get to know each other better. The group(s) from Minden will have the opportunity to send delegates to a participating partner city in spring 2027. Congratulations!
Our project "The European Peace Clock"
The place
Our European Peace Clock documents and celebrates a peace that has never before existed in Europe for so long and so reliably. Relatively inconspicuously mounted on the western facade of Minden's town hall, our European Peace Clock counts the years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds since the liberation from National Socialism on May 8, 1945. It reminds us that the courage and foresight of some people in the past continue to bear magnificent fruit. It also reminds us of our obligation to actively defend this legacy.
How it all began
In November 2018, representatives from Minden's twin towns met in Gagny for a commemorative event marking the end of World War I. They also visited the battlefields of the Somme. In a French trench, representatives from the twin towns of Apeldoorn, Sutton, and Minden conceived the idea of creating a counterpoint to the many memorials of war and bloodshed: a culture of remembrance celebrating 75 years of peace. From this idea and on the initiative of GeFIS, a joint effort of various organizations and the city of Minden quickly developed. Our board members Ute Hannemann and especially Heinrich Wiese spearheaded this project with unparalleled tenacity and considerable negotiating skill. We thank the city of Minden and the Lions Clubs of Minden, Porta Westfalica, and Porta Westfalica Judica for their invaluable support, both in terms of ideas, organization, and finances, without which the realization of our project would have been impossible. Our clock originates from the heart of German civic society.
Grand Inauguration
Our European Peace Clock is unique in Germany and Europe. It was inaugurated during a European ceremony attended by David McAllister, MEP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. In his speech, David McAllister, drawing on social and political developments in Europe and the world, as well as his own biography and personal experiences, emphasized that European integration means freedom of thought and cooperation for each and every one of us, a living democracy based on the values of tolerance and acceptance, but also serene, confident strength and the willingness to stand up for and defend all of this.
The memorial plaque
The European Peace Clock is complemented by a commemorative plaque mounted below it, featuring a printed QR code. This leads to a website that recounts the history and individual stories of peace and integration in Minden and the surrounding area since World War II. Witnesses of the period share their experiences, painting the picture of a city that has always been open and willing to embrace new ideas.
What happened after the invasion of Ukraine?
Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 was contrary to international law.Initially, it led to the clock being draped with the Ukrainian flag, and later, by decision of the Minden City Council, to the clock being switched off and covered with a waterproof and windproof covering in the colors of Ukraine, crisscrossed by symbolic ropes. Like the Sleeping Beauty, our clock is in a deep sleep, waiting to be awakened by the Prince of peace.
Our smaller projects
Our Friendship Cookbook
"The way to a person's heart is through their stomach. And the way to become friends as well." After 40 years, we've compiled a cookbook with favorite recipes from friends for friends, from twin towns for twin towns. In German and English, the selection ranges from Königsberger Klopse (meatballs) to Dutch Stamppot and wild boar prepared Italian style.
Cooperation with SVKT in Minden
Thanks to the initiative and, in part, financial support of GeFIS, and through contact with our twin town of Gagny, youth teams from the Kutenhausen-Todtenhausen sports club have been participating in the international youth football tournament in Gagny every April for the past two years. Football in Germany has nothing to fear for the future, as our boys performed well against powerhouses like Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille, achieving 11th and 13th place out of 28 participating teams.
Our European Art Salon
GeFIS celebrated its 40th anniversary. To mark this occasion, we opened a European Art Salon at the TIC (Theater im Café) in Minden. Artists from six twin towns exhibited their works. At the end of the event, we acquired a painting by Karla Kassenaar from Apeldoorn (https://www.ateliersapeldoorn.nl/onze-kunstenaars/kunstenaar/karla-kassenaar/) and presented it to the city of Minden. It now hangs on the wall in the theatre's stairwell between the first and second floors.
What else is there to define us?
Recognition for Civic Engagement July 3, 2024 Page 1 of 2 State Secretary for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Representative of the State to the Federal Government Ms. Ute Hannemann Invitation to Berlin on the occasion of your award within the framework of the European-Active Civil Society Dear Ms. Hannemann, as Representative of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, I would like to congratulate you most sincerely on your award within the framework of the European-Active Civil Society. Voluntary engagement holds us together as a society and is of great importance to the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia, especially in challenging times like these. As a token of my appreciation and the appreciation of the State Government, I would like to invite you to a four-day visit to Berlin as part of the Representatives' Visitor Program. From October 21 to 24, 2024, we can welcome up to 50 outstanding volunteers from North Rhine-Westphalia to Berlin. ... I look forward to welcoming you to Berlin. Sincerely, Dr. Mark Speich
The history of the GeFIS
Everything began with Ernst Bayreuther (Minden) and Richard James (Sutton). At the official municipal level, the so-called Wilmersdorf Circle (Berlin-Wilmersdorf/Germany, Apeldoorn/Netherlands, Gagny/France, Gladsaxe/Denmark, Minden/Germany, and Sutton/Great Britain) was formed in 1968, and shortly thereafter, the puppeteer Richard James set off to explore the new twin town of Minden. There he met the arts teacher Ernst Bayreuther, who immediately welcomed him warmly and introduced him to the town on the Weser River. A return invitation to Sutton quickly followed, which Ernst Bayreuther and Eva Kutschera gladly accepted. Both received a warm welcome from the people of Sutton. A town twinning association (STTA) had already been established in Sutton, dedicated to cultivating friendly relations with the new twin towns. "Why doesn't Minden have a twinning association yet?" – this was the question Bayreuther and Kutschera were confronted with. They both took this to heart and, upon returning to Minden, began looking for like-minded individuals. At that time, it took seven people to found an association in Germany. These were soon found: Ernst Bayreuther, Wilhelm Gribow, Wilhelm Hucke, Ingrid Hucke, Eva Kutschera, Erich Watermann, and Monika Watermann. And so, on September 14, 1979, the GeFIS (Gesellschaft zur Förderung Internationaler Städtepartnerschaften) was officially established with the aim of fostering and developing existing and new friendly relations with Minden's twin towns, initially focusing on educational, sports, and artistic endeavors.
Our friendships. Our friendship with "The Suttoners" has existed almost as long as GeFIS itself. The troupe, led by Robert Hamilton and Shaun Hughes, makes English musicals, lighthearted and serious plays understandable and accessible to German audiences. From "Camelot" and "Oliver!" to "The Crucible", "King Lear", "The Beggars' Opera" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream", the actors have made us laugh and cry over the years. This year, they were joined by DRACULA.
Unsere Partner. Nach 28 Jahren "nix als Theater" nahm die Tucholsky-Bühne Minden die Suttoners mit offenen Armen auf, als wir einen Spielort suchten. Jetzt, zum dreißigjährigen Jubiläum, durften wir wieder dabei sein. Es ist ein sehr spezieller Ort mit einer offenen, warmen Atmosphäre (wenn es nicht gerade schüttet). Unsere englischen Freunde haben sich trotz himmlischer Dusche sehr wohlgefühlt und wir uns auch. www.tucholsky-buehne.de
GeFIS-Minden@gmx.de
Our honorary members
Mario Ramerini, Tavarnelle VdP
Our first honorary member. Mario Ramerini was vice-president of the Gemellaggio di Tavarnelle V.d.P. and director of the Museo di Arte Sacra in the same town. For us, he was a charming and tireless contact person, guide, host, and helper in all situations. Sadly, he passed away far too soon.
Eileen Noble, Sutton
She was a true Briton with a deep commitment to voluntary commitment. First a member of the Sutton Arts Council, then for 40 years a member of the Sutton Town Twinning Association, serving on its board for many years. As a long-time hostess, she extended the hand of peace with warmth and charm. She died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 93.
Graham Reed, Sutton
A conservative in the best sense of the word. A British patriot and a passionate, full-blooded European. A loyal friend. The Sutton Twin Town Association was passion and lifelong, self-imposed commitment. Despite its dissolution and his declining health, he remains involved with it heart and soul.
Eva Kutschera, Minden
Well-deserved recognition upon her retirement as founding member and chairperson of GeFIS.
Where our members meet
Still: We are looking forward towards the future with curiosity, realism (we hope) and optimism. Town twinning is the encounter of people, and it becomes tangible in people-to-people projects, but also increasingly in the cooperation of institutions.
In the course of changing social, political and economic conditions requirements for us are changing as well. How? No one can tell. But we can try to react flexibly, to look for paths and possibilities and face the challenges awaiting us as long as we remain true to our conviction that a unified, strong and democratic Europe is worth fighting for.
Contact data
- Zwischen den Wegen 11, 32427 Minden-Hahlen, Germany
Gesellschaft für Internationale Städtepartnerschaften und Begegnungen Minden e.V. z.H. Ulrich Hartmann
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