Delegation From Sister City Spalt, Germany Visiting St. Cloud

(KNSI) — St. Cloud welcomed a delegation from its sister city in Spalt, Germany, Monday night.

The relationship between the two cities started in 2006 during St. Cloud’s 150th anniversary. Mayor Dave Kleis spoke to KNSI News after the meeting and says the relationship improves their towns by transcending the government aspect. “It’s educational, it’s cultural, and it’s an exchange of a friendship between two communities that have, over 17 years, been connected through this relationship.”

The group has been busy during their visit; Kleis says he wanted them to see the area’s history. “Every time they’ve come, we’ve tried to do something a little different. So we took them through a little history and went up to Little Falls, and we went to the Charles Lindbergh museum.”

The group also took in last week’s Summertime By George concert, all of Granite City Days, toured the University of St. Johns and the College of St. Benedict, visited St. Cloud State University, and toured CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital, visited the Paramount Center for the Arts and will finish on Tuesday with a visit to St. Cloud’s water waste and nutrient recovery facility.

The group was scheduled to come to the city in 2020, but that trip was delayed until now because of the pandemic.

St. Cloud is planning to send a delegation to Spalt in 2024.

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