Leeds Anglo German Club Welcomes New Members

Local News

Did you know that Leeds is twinned with the German town of Dortmund? The roots of this twinning relationship go back to the end of 1949. The Control Commission of Germany proposed a relationship between West Yorkshire and the district of Arnsberg as both areas were similar in geographical and population size, economic structure and landscape. The twinning of our city with Dortmund was discussed in 1957 during a visit to Leeds by the then Lord Mayor of Dortmund Dietrich Keuning. In 1959 youth exchange programmes were established and shortly afterwards International Culture Days strengthened the ties between the two cities. The twinning of Leeds and Dortmund was made official in 1969.Having lived in Leeds all my life, and walked past the ‘man with the barrel’ many, many times it had never occurred to me until recently as to why Leeds has a Dortmund Square! The square was created between Headrow House and Lewis store in 1980 to celebrate the 10 years of twinning with the German city. The ‘man with the barrel’ is of course the Dortmund Drayman sculpted by Arthur Shulze-Engels and was presented to the people of Leeds by the people of Dortmund. Miniatures of the Drayman were produced by Leeds Sculptor Robert James White up until the mid-1990’s and these were presented to visiting dignitaries.
One group that celebrates and retains the city’s links to Germany is the Leeds Anglo German Club. Formed in 1996, the group meet every month to share an interest in the people, culture, traditions and language of Germany and German speaking countries. They have a varied programme, with guest speakers as well as members. The group are welcoming new members from any background – you don’t have to speak German, as talks are delivered in both languages in order to include everyone.
The meetings which take place at St Columba’s United Reformed Church Hall, Headingley at 7.30pm each month are not the only events enjoyed by members. There are also social events such as a summer River Aire trip, dinners and quizzes. The annual quiz which takes place at the Original Oak pub in Headingley is a really fun evening enjoyed by many, including students from the Universities.
If you are interested in attending a meeting, you will be given a warm welcome. There is also no annual membership fee, just £3 every time you attend a meeting – and this includes refreshments! The April meeting takes place on Monday 11th and the speaker is Bishop of Leeds Nick Baines, who will be speaking about his roles in Germany. If you missed that one, there is a talk on Tuesday 17th May by Professor Frank Finlay, Professor of German and Dean of the Arts Faculty at Leeds University. This will be an illustrated talk entitled Die Migration Deutschsprachiger Arbeitnehmer Nach Nordengland, Nach Dem Zweiten Weltkrieg (the migration of German speaking workers to the north of England after WWII). The following month, committee member Lisa Humphreys speaks about Theodor Storm her favourite German author and poet. This takes place on Wednesday 22nd June.
For more information on the group, or to look at the rest of this year’s programme you can visit their website at www.leedsanglogerman.org or telephone club secretary Jane Millward on 0113 2687697

You May Also Like

Entertainment News
Distribution Outlets

Author

Must Read

No results found.

Menu