Nagykőrös-Espelkamp

In the autumn of 1989, Mr. Ahrens, a local councillor from Espelkamp, visited the Reformed Mother Church of Nagykőrös, where he found the names and details of 19 German soldiers recorded in the registers, as well as the names and details of 4 unknown soldiers. He also inspected the graves of the soldiers buried in the Reformed cemetery in Nagykőrös. The Reverend Dr. Ferenc Fodor introduced him to Mr. Kálmán Huszár, the then head of the town. Kálmán Huszár invited Mayor Heinz Hennemann and Dr. Horst Eller, the city manager, to Nagykőrös, who accepted the invitation and visited Nagykőrös in the spring of 1990. The guests were received at the Town Hall, where Dr. Sándor Kulin, Member of Parliament elected in the first free elections, and Dr. Mária Pintérné Torma, Secretary of the City Council, were present. The people of Espelkamp were also motivated by the opening of the border in 1989. The signing of the Sister City Cooperation Act took place in Espelkamp on 29 May 1991. In autumn 1991, a large delegation from the town visited Espelkamp. The delegation was led by Mayor János Kiss. In one of Espelkamp's restaurants, the well-known Sudetenland, the menu was served by the staff of the Cifra Tavern and the gypsy band provided the entertainment. The delegation also visited a number of businesses in the hope of developing contacts. The factories of Nagykőrös presented their products to the people of Espelkamp. In May 1993, a delegation of entrepreneurs, mainly from Nagykőrös, travelled to the German twin town at the invitation of the Espelkamp Association, organised by the Chamber of Commerce. Since 1993, every year a delegation has travelled to the City Fest in Espelkamp and a group has visited the Entrepreneurs' Exhibition in Nagykőrös. In May 1998, at the traditional Car Show in Espelkamp, the Association of Entrepreneurs of Nagykőrösi organised Hungarian Days. In the tent in Nagykőrös, the team of 18 members cooked beef stew and bean goulash. They also offered pálinka and Hungarian wine to the visitors. In 1999, the town of Espelkamp celebrated its 50th anniversary. A team of runners from Nagykőrös came out to celebrate the occasion. They ran non-stop from Nagykőrös to Espelkamp and arrived in the German town for the town's celebrations. The group was led by Ambrus Búz. This festive event also featured a performance by the mazurett group of the music school of Nagykőrös. The music school has built up a good relationship with the music school in Espelkamp. They have organised several joint programmes and exchange visits for young musicians. From the very beginning there has been an excellent relationship between the fire brigades of the two towns. At the beginning, Hans-Jürgen Mech was in charge and it was on his initiative that our town received a fire engine from Esplkamp. Karl-Heinz Greve, who succeeded him, continued the example of his predecessor. He crowned the further building of friendly relations with the donation of a car. He is now also retired. One of the driving forces behind these contacts is György Dombi. He brought the hospital a patient transport car, among many small gifts and donations. In 1998, Heinz Hennemann, Mayor of Espelkamp, was elected honorary citizen of Nagykőrös. In recognition of their work, Hans-Jürgen Mech and György Dombi were made honorary citizens of our town in 2000. For the last 4 years, Mr Jürgen Heidebrecht has been an active driving force in the relations between the two towns. Through the foundation, several civic groups have been brought together. Families have been involved in programmes and hospitality.