Ogden (Utah, USA)
One of the first German-American partnerships ever - since 1954
Ogden in the U.S. state of Utah, wonderfully nestled between the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains, is a paradise for hikers, adventurers, outdoor sports enthusiasts and hunters. Everyone seems to be active in sports. Hof entered into its first sister city relationship with this wonderful city, located just an hour from the Olympic city of Salt Lake City - that was in 1954. Ogden, which is characterized by the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), has been associated with a superlative ever since: It is the first German-American town twinning ever.
The history
Historically, the city, founded only in the 19th century, was the point where the rails of the American railroad, which opened up the West, met. The "Union Station", the historic railroad station and the railcars exhibited there, still give an impression of this time of American settlement. Directly adjacent to it is "25th Street", which today is characterized by bars, cafés and smaller stores.
Ogden also played a significant role in the history of the "Wild West": John Browning, the man who developed various revolvers and handguns, worked here. 128 patents on weapons technology were obtained by the probably best-known Ogdener. His father, Jonathan Browning, had a gunsmith store in Ogden. He was one of the thousands of Mormon pioneers who fled Illinois for their lives in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah in 1846-47.
Today
Today, Ogden is a center of the worldwide ski and outdoor industry, among other things. Various well-known ski manufacturers have their headquarters here - no wonder, since the surrounding area offers the best conditions for skiers and designers with the Olympic venues Park City and Snowbasin (Olympic Games 2002).
The partnership
What does it look like today?
Admittedly, the Hof partnership with Ogden has not only experienced highs over the years. There were also times when hardly any exchanges took place. At best, individual citizens of Hof combined a private trip to the USA with a side trip to the city in the west of the United States, which has about 70,000 inhabitants. But in both cities there was always the awareness of being connected with each other.
The partnership has experienced a renaissance in recent years, probably not least because of the favorable dollar exchange rate. Meanwhile, among all the activities, one must be emphasized: Ogden has been organizing a "Hof Winter Fest" for decades, every January. This is a German-style folk festival with many parallels to the world-famous Munich Oktoberfest, but the focus is always on the twin city of Hof, with Franconian-Bavarian music, Hof culinary specialties and much more. The American friends always come up with new ideas to make the event a success. Ask the Hof Men's Choir, faculty and students from the Bavarian Civil Service College, the accordion orchestra from the Hof Symphony Music School, the FC Bayern Hof soccer youth, or students from the University of Applied Sciences, and they will all be full of praise for the hospitality of the citizens of Ogden.
In 2019, another great sports exchange took place. A group of 25 football players from the Hof Jokers and two baseball players from the Hof Frankensteiner visited the Midwest and were able to train on site with high school teams, among others.
