35 years of German friendship

Friendship is strongly crystallised in a flourishing collaboration and projects.

The towns of Hafnarfjörður and Cuxhaven in Germany have for several years cultivated a flourishing twinning partnership, which is considered unique, not least because of its scale and diversity. The idea for the partnership was born at a fisheries exhibition held in Reykjavík in the autumn of 1987, between men who were then in business relations due to companies in fisheries and seafood processing in both towns. Among this group was Rolf Peters, who later became chairman of the Cuxhaven-Hafnarfjörður Twinning Association. On 5 July 1999, Rolf was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon for his diligent and sincere work in the twinning ties. The strong and close friendship between Cuxhaven and Hafnarfjörður is considered unique and by many is seen as a one-off in the world. This year, 35 years of friendship are being celebrated.

Formal twinning since the autumn of 1988

The twinning agreement was signed at a ceremony in Cuxhaven Town Hall on 17 September 1988. Since then, discussions about a possible partnership began, and the cooperation between the towns has ever since been extensive and rewarding in youth and sports, education and cultural affairs, the political sphere, and not to forget the business community. On 21 November 1989, the Cuxhaven Twin Towns Association was founded, and for Christmas 1989, Cuxhaven gave the people of Hafnarfjörður a Christmas tree for the first time at a festive ceremony. Since then, it has almost without fail presented the people of Hafnarfjörður with a Christmas tree as a gift each year. The Christmas tree was first placed on the south harbour, where it lit up the short days, but in recent years the illuminated tree has delighted visitors and passers-by in the Christmas Village on Thorsplan. A visit by a sports group from Cuxhaven in 1990 marked the beginning of visits between the twin towns, and since then, numerous groups have made such trips.

The Christmas lights were switched on at the Cuxhaven tree during a festive ceremony on the opening day of the Christmas Village, Friday, 17 November 2023. Pictured here are Wilhelm Eitzen, chairman of the Cuxhaven-Hafnarfjörður twinning association, Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, the mayor, and Clarissa Duvigneau, the German ambassador to Iceland.

Hafnarfjörðurplatz and Cuxhavengata

As an example of the fruits of the twinning partnership, in 1993 a new square in Cuxhaven's town centre was dedicated and named „Hafnarfjörðurplatz“, and on the Óseyrar area in Hafnarfjörður, a new street was named „Cuxhavengata“ on the same occasion. To mark the 25th anniversary of the twinning, in 2013 the German city gave the town of Hafnarfjörður a four-metre-high wooden replica of the „Kugelbake“, which stands on the seafront promenade by the harbour. The original is a 30-metre-high navigational beacon which was erected in 1703 on the coast in the north of Lower Saxony, where the River Elbe flows into the North Sea. The Kugelbake is the city emblem of Cuxhaven, just as the lighthouse is the emblem of Hafnarfjörður. A plaque commemorating the twinning was unveiled at a ceremony in the autumn of 2022 and stands next to the replica in Hafnarfjörður.

Cuxhaven Grove at Hvaleyrarvatn

Immediately upon the establishment of the twinning agreement in 1988, a decision was made to create the so-called „Cuxhaven Grove“. at Hvaleyrarvatn, and a tradition has developed whereby when delegations from Cuxhaven visit, their representatives plant a tree here whenever the opportunity arises, as the grove has expanded considerably and become well-established in recent years. In the grove, there are two memorial plaques in honour of Jónas Guðlaugsson and Rolf Peters. Both were key figures in the activities of the twinning associations in their early days and served for many years as chairmen of the associations in their respective countries.

Thank you, Cuxhaven, for the friendship, and may it continue to flourish!