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An Economic and Cultural Alliance between San Antonio and Dresden
On February 23, 2009 Mayor Phil Hardberger of San Antonio, Texas and Mayor Helma Orosz of Dresden, Saxony met at Dresden City Hall to sign a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing an Economic and Cultural Alliance between San Antonio and Dresden for a period of two years, renegotiable after that period in accordance with the interests and desires of both cities.
The Alliance was formed out of a long-standing interest in the community to leverage the historic relationship between Texas and Germany to spur greater economic and cultural exchanges with the largest economy in Europe. But it wasn’t until an exhaustive research process that the San Antonio – Germany Alliance Taskforce selected Dresden for such an endeavor. Dresden was chosen for its cultural richness and its exceptional concentration of research institutes in future-oriented fields of competence such as microelectronics, information and communication technology, nanotechnology/new materials, and biotechnology.
An itinerary was set and for three days in February 2009 Mayor Hardberger led a comprehensive delegation of sixteen business, civic, and cultural leaders to the “Florence at the river Elbe” to explore the potential of this partnership. Members of the official delegation included representatives of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Research Institute, UT Health Science Center, UTSA, and Port San Antonio.
The baroque splendor of its buildings, the glamour and riches of its museums, and the impressive technology in display at the Technical University of Dresden and the Volkswagen Transparent Assembly Plant convinced everyone that San Antonio had made the right choice. Dresden won over every member of the group, despite the rainy and raw weather conditions typical for this time of the year.
We trust this Alliance will inspire meaningful exchanges for San Antonio in the next several months. We are certain that greater trade and foreign investment will support San Antonio’s resilience during this economic downturn. Therefore, we invite you to learn more in these pages about this special Alliance and encourage you to contact the International Affairs Department to learn more about how you can get involved.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen, (Sincerely yours,)
Bernard Buecker, J.D.
San Antonio – Dresden
Economic and Cultural Alliance
Co-Chair
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Dr. Angelika Jansen
San Antonio – Dresden
Economic and Cultural Alliance
Co-Chair
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