Stendal (Germany)

It is one of the biggest and most important towns in Altmark province which is inhabited by about 45 thousand people. Stendal is the economic, cultural and administrative centre of the region, known as ‘the heart of Altmark’. In 1160 it obtained municipal rights to become a flourishing town in the XVth century. The characteristic bricked buildings such as the cathedral, churches, town hall, as well as town gates Tangermunde and Uenglingen, were built at that time. The town received a prize for tradition cultivation, plans and good solutions introduced in monuments’ restoration domain which is presently its symbol. Local authorities took care of the particularly precious facades of the XVIIth and XVIIIth century buildings.

The cooperation of Puławy with the German town Stendal concerns the following domains: local government, education, sport, culture, youth exchange. The Initiative Group Puławy-Stendal has been functioning from the beginning of the cooperation, the leader of the group being Grzegorz Janusz – rector of the Puławy Higher School. At the turn of 1999 and 2000 Marek Pawulski, a teacher from Primary School nr 6 in Puławy, took part in an apprenticeship in Stendal, the goal of which was to get to know the town, its specific problems, organization of the schooling system and ways of working with teenagers, as well as developing personal friendships enabling further cooperation.

Mr and Mrs Pawulski visited Stendal in 2001 - between March 30 – April 2, during this visit official partnership relationships were established between Puławy Primary School nr 6 and Grundschule Nord. During the meetings elementary programme goals were devised concerning cooperation of these schools. The EXPO 2000 project was realised from 2 to 12 August 2000; teenagers from Pu?awy also took part in it. Groups of 10 students were invited from all partner towns of Stendal: Puławy, Lemgo, Beverley, Vandoeuvre, Svitavy, Grenoble. The goal of the project was the opportunity to meet young people from other partner towns, integration and improving knowledge concerning European countries. In January 2001 the European Cooperation Youth Club was created in the Public Gymnasium nr 1. Already in March the club established cooperation with the youth club Sud in Stendal. Twice a year young people meet during organized camps. All Puławy schools with good young sportsmen could took part in this project.

Apart from sports exchange, also soloists from the State Musical School in Puławy were invited by the Musical School in Stendal in June 2003 for the annual festivity „Music-und Kunstschul-Sommerfest”. Its celebrations were exceptional due to the 50th anniversary of the musical school in Stendal.