Geneva bonds with sister city

By BETHANY KRAJELIS - bkrajelis@kcchronicle.com

Kane County Chronicle 10/15/08

GENEVA – A language barrier and ocean aren’t stopping the city of Geneva from strengthening its relationship with a small suburban town nestled in the outskirts of Paris.

To describe the budding relationship between Geneva and its sister city – Croissy-sur Seine, France – Dave Oberg, the executive director of the Geneva History Center, borrowed a line from Casablanca.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship,” Oberg said Tuesday during “A Tale of Two Cities,” a one-hour lecture that compared and contrasted the two suburban cities.

 And on Thursday, Oberg and two other presenters will host a special program that will touch on that sister city relationship and will also explore the possibilities of forming another one with a city in the Czech Republic.

Having sister cities, Oberg said, allows Geneva residents to learn about places around the globe. Geneva and Croissey-sur Seine have been exchanging information, images, ideas, literature and artifacts, Oberg said.

“It opens us up to a broader world and we learn to see our community differently,” Oberg said.

The sister city relationship began to bud in 2005, when Geneva Alderman Charles Brown was contacted by Karin Demarco, a Croissy-sur Seine resident and president of Amis des Jumelage, a sister city organization.

According to minutes from a 2006 Strategic Plan Advisory Committee meeting, Brown asked for a subcommittee to be formed to further explore the idea of forming relationships with other cities around the globe.

Since the International Cultural Exchange Committee was formed, it has been working with Croissy-sur Seine to organize cultural exchanges between the two cities. Delegations from both cities have visited each other and even exchanged gifts, Oberg said.

During a European vacation last year, Oberg said the highlight of his entire trip was the time he spent in Croissy-sur Seine because “he felt at home.” Geneva resident Harry Rooker, who attended Tuesday’s lecture, said he visited Geneva’s sister city a few years ago.

The fact the two have the sister city relationship is “exactly the reason I went,” Rooker said. He also hosted Croissy-sur Seine residents when they made the trek to Geneva.

Besides the fact that Croissy-sur Seine is older than Geneva and Geneva has a larger population, Oberg said, there are many similarities.

Both cities are river towns linked by railroads, have connections to Vikings, respect for historical buildings and even have a similar liking for festivals. While Geneva’s popular festivals include wine and all things Swedish, Croissy-sur Seine celebrates carrots at one of its many festivals, Oberg said.

“The more we learn the better,” Oberg said, noting that the two cities hope to eventually take their relationship to the Web. “It’s exciting and we hope [the virtual exhibit] will make an even richer friendship.”