Outline of Rosenheim City

Rosenheim lies southern eastern suburb of Munich, the capital of Bayern province which is located southern part of Germany.  The city has a population of 60,000 and its land area is about 37 square kilometers.  Since the city is junctions of a railroads and an expressway called “Autobahn”, it is an important traffic point.  Railroads and the Autobahn, which run through the northern part of the city, lead to whole area in Germany.  The southern part leads to Switzerland and Italy through Innsbruck in Austria.  The eastern part leads to Vienna and Hungary through Salzburg in Austria.

In the city, buildings painted yellow, pink, blue or green stand in an orderly line and flowers like geraniums decorate them.  Each building is well preserved and it tells how much good care the citizens take of their own city.  The presence of the Alps in the south provides a magnificent sight.

　As for industry, timber processing for windows, doors and front doors etc has flourished.  The high quality skill makes the city well known as “timber city” in the world.  Recently the city has emphasized the information and communications technology.  A cable television network was established to connect sixteen thousand households with cables and their total length is 300 kilometers.  The presence of major company of a parabolic antennas makes the city and its neighboring towns the center of the economic zone in the area.

Partner city

Partner city means mainly the exchange of citizens and citizen’s organization and promotes particular fields of exchange.  Unlike sister and friend city relationships which exchange in every field, Ichikawa and Rosenheim concluded a partner city exchange.  It supports the exchange of the youth in the fields of education, sports and culture and deepens the mutual understanding of citizens of both cities. 

Sequence of the conclusion

Ichikawa municipal office staff headed by City Mayor Mitsuyuki Chiba visited cities in the southern part of Germany including Rosenheim, to find a city which can share a problems and values with Ichikawa and exchange them with Ichikawa.  The delegation inspected advanced cities in the fields of city planning which is the administrative policy of Ichikawa, environment, culture and art.   Rosenheim City Mayor Gabriele Bauer made a proposal for exchange with Ichikawa.  Germany has many advanced cities in the fields of economy, culture, art, city planning and environmental problem.  Higashiyama Kaii, the painter and the honorable citizen of Ichikawa, visited Germany several times to study and exhibit his work.  The boys’ soccer team of Ichikawa has visited Bayern every August since 1994.  Since 1994, Bayern soccer association has invited the boys’ soccer team of Ichikawa in August and has gone into camp with boys there.  This exchange is held during the summer vacation. 

City office staff, headed by the mayor of Ichikawa, visited Rosenheim in May 2003 to confirm the intention of exchange between the two cities.  The two mayors made an agreement to go ahead with the partner city exchange. Partner cities limit the fields of exchange to lighten the economical and psychological burden, unlike sister city relationships which covers every fields.  Ichikawa Juvenile Education International Exchange Association cosponsored by Ichikawa sent sixteen public junior high school students of Ichikawa to Rosenheim in July and August.  The students stayed in a local home, studied in a local school and lived with local students in a mountain hut.  At the local school, students held “Japanese Day” to introduce Japanese culture such as tea ceremony, calligraphy and origami.  It gained  enormous popularity.  Public junior high school students of Ichikawa are sent to Rosenheim during every summer vacation and the acceptance of students from Rosenheim starts in 2005. 

Ichikawa city office staff and the secretary-general of the Ichikawa International Exchange Association, a private organization, were sent to Rosenheim to discuss the details of the exchange in October 2003.  The agreement was made as follows.

The exchanges of boys’ soccer team and of junior high school students are main activity.  The two cities will cooperate in introducing the culture of both cities and countries to promote future exchange.   

A “German Festa” was held on November 3, 2003 at the citizens festival to introduce Germany, Rosenheim and details exchanging activities with panels.  Booths of German beer, wine and sausage were made to deepen the understanding about the exchange with Rosenheim. 

In November 2003, Ichikawa city proposed the exchange of a memorandum of partner cities exchange to the Mayor of Rosenheim  and the agreement was made in December 19.

The delegates of the Ichikawa Municipal Assembly headed by (Mr. Seiro Iwai the chairperson of the assembly, made a prior inspection in Rosenheim for the conclusion of partner cities in May 2004. 

The bill of the conclusion of partner cities was passed at a regular meeting of the Ichikawa Municipal Assembly on June 15, 2004.  The official goodwill delegates, headed by the mayor of Ichikawa, visited Rosenheim and signed a pledge for the conclusion of partnership on July 14 2004.  Ichikawa Mayor and Rosenheim Mayor signed the pledge and shook hands while thirty people in charge watched.  Along with the signing ceremony, ninety citizens of Ichikawa visited Rosenheim and held “Japan Day” on July 14 and 15 at the citizen’s hall to introduce Japanese culture.  Cultural exchange with people in Rosenheim was held through the demonstration of Japanese culture such as tea ceremony, flower arrangement and calligraphy, the performance of a cup and ball called Kendama in Japanese, a top, origami and beanbag and the experience of wearing a cotton kimono.  

Sixteen members of official goodwill delegates headed by the mayor of Rosenheim visited Ichikawa in November 2004. Two mayors exchanged a pledge and informed the citizens of the conclusion of partner cities at the ceremony commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the establishment of Ichikawa city at the culture hall on November 3^rd.   After the ceremony, the introduction of Germany music and industry, a sale of Germany beer and sausage were held by  the Ichikawa International Exchange Association and many citizens visited the event.  The delegates deepened the exchange with Ichikawa by a rose planting ceremony at Satomi park.  They presented roses to Ichikawa.  They also inspected facilities such as the media park, visited the Wayo Women’s University, the seventh junior high school, Ichikawa Chamber of commerce and industry and citizens’ festival.  

That is the process of conclusion of partner cities.  The conclusion is an opportunity to strive for the expansion of exchange between the citizens of two cities through promoting the exchange of the youth.