Houstonians got an up-close look at their sister city Leipzig, Germany in June 2006 when it served as one of the sites of the 2006 Soccer World Cup. Houston’s sister city since 1993, Leipzig is the hometown of Johann Sebastian Bach and the world-famous, 800 year-old St Thomas’s Boys Choir. As a result of the sister city relationship, in 1998 the St. Thomas Choir chose Houston to be their first U.S. performance venue in its history.
With a population of 500,000, Leipzig began in the 7th century when the Slavic Sorbs settled near the confluence of the rivers Elster and Parthe. They founded a trading post by the name of “Lipzk,” which means “place by the lime trees.” Granted its city charter in 1165, Leipzig quickly developed into a trade and commerce center. The city also became a hub of Central-European railroad traffic as a terminal for the first German long distance railroad. In 1895, it hosted the world’s first textile sample exhibition and served as a leader among the world’s exhibition centers until World War II. Over the past 10 years Leipzig has developed into a center of the service industry and is home to many banking houses.
Houston’s business ties to Germany are strong. There are 39 Houston companies with subsidiaries in Germany, and 53 German-owned companies in Houston. Houston’s total trade with Germany was valued at more than $6.7 billion in 2006.
Fast Facts:
Population: around 500,000
Country: Germany
Continent: Europe
Latitude & Longitude: 51˚18’ N, 12˚20’ E
GMT Time Difference: GMT + 1
Time Difference from Houston: + 7
Distance from Houston: 5325 miles, 8570 km
Climate: Daytime highs averaging 35.6˚ in January and 75.2˚ in August with approximately 15 days of rain a month
Language: German
Governmental Structure: Elected mayor and city council
Current Mayor: The Honorable Burkhard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig
Other Sister Cities:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Kiev, Ukraine
Bologna, Italy
Krakow, Poland
Brno, Czech Republic
Lyon, France
Thessaloniki, Greece
Hanover, Germany
Nanjing, China
Frankfurt, Germany
Birmingham, Great Britain
Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Additional Information:
Consulate General of Germany in Houston
City of Leipzig Website
Tourism in Germany