The name connects the towns of Lüderitz in the Altmark and Lüderitz in Namibia – soon there will be significantly more. Altmarkers set out for a meeting in the African country.
Lüderitz/Lüderitz (dpa/sa) – The friendly connection between the village of Lüderitz in the district of Stendal and the town of the same name in Namibia should become closer. From November 4th to 11th, an official delegation from the Altmark will travel to the southwest African country for the first time to take part in a networking meeting for German-Namibian municipal partnerships in the capital Windhoek.
There are also representatives from Berlin, Giessen and Mannheim, who also have contacts in Namibia. The event is organized and financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development as part of the “Agenda 2030 – municipal specialist exchange with African partners” project.
Around 13,000 kilometers separate the only two places in the world with the name Lüderitz. The port city in Namibia, named after the German merchant Adolf Lüderitz, has almost 12,000 inhabitants, roughly the same number of inhabitants as the unitary municipality of Tangerhütte. In addition to fishing, tourism is one of the most important sources of income for the city in Namibia.
Although only about 50 German speakers still live there, German culture still characterizes the place today. The name and the architecture are unique in Namibia. The German colonial power also committed terrible crimes in Lüderitz. Nevertheless, the inhabitants stand by their roots. When the government wanted to change the place name, they took to the streets, whites and blacks together. With success – the place kept its name.
For the Tangerhütte community, to which Lüderitz belongs, the mayor Edith Braun, the head teacher of the local elementary school, Sarah Giese and the mayor of the community, Andreas Brohm (independent) will be present at the meeting in Namibia. Before the conference in Windhoek, the group will first visit Lüderitz in the south of the country. It’s about getting to know each other personally and exchanging ideas with local actors, says Mayor Brohm. Among other things, a visit to a school is on the program.
The students from Lüderitz in Altmark gave their teacher photos and other material to take with them. “We want to promote intercultural exchange and see how regular contact between the schools could be implemented,” says teacher Sarah Giese.
For around five years, the two municipalities have maintained what was previously a loose, friendly relationship. The city council of Tangerhütte and the Town Council of Lüderitz (Namibia) decided to expand their relationship in 2018. Since then there have been a number of contacts, mostly on a private level. The highlight so far was the celebrated concert of a Namibian choir in the village church of Lüderitz in Altmark.
In both places, identically designed plaques tell of the unusual partnership. The cooperation is actively supported by the responsible honorary consulate in Hanover and the Nest Hotel in Lüderitz (Namibia).
