IU South Bend Study Abroad Trip Visits South Bend’s German Sister-City

As part of the summer study abroad program to Germany, a group of IU South Bend students and faculty visited the city of Arzberg in Bavaria, which is the sister-city of South Bend. The group received an official welcome from the Mayor of Arzberg, Stefan Göcking, and were given a tour of the town by a group of Friends of South Bend. IU South Bend German professor Jeffrey Luppes delivered gifts from the area, including South Bend city flag pins from the mayor’s office, and was interviewed by the local newspaper. 

“The visit to Arzberg was a highlight of our trip to Germany,” said Luppes. “The hospitality shown to us was incredible. We had a wonderful time and look forward to visiting Arzberg again in the future.”

South Bend, Indiana and Arzberg, Bavaria have had an official sister city partnership since 2006. Throughout the years, residents of each of the cities have traveled to visit one another as part of partnership to facilitate the connection. The roots of the relationship between South Bend and Arzberg date back to the 1850s, when many German settlers immigrated to the area.

It had been five years since the last South Bend visit to Arzberg. The German sister-city group hopes to plan a visit to South Bend in the near future.