On September 5th, 2013 the City of Markham undertook a 7-day civic and business mission to Germany. The delegation, led by Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, comprised 6 business delegates from a cross-section of industries and 8 community delegates including the City Historian and Town Crier.

The first stop: Nördlingen, Markham’s sister city

The special relationship between Nördlingen and Markham spans over 220 years, when Johann Albrecht Ulrich Moll, known as William Berczy, led the settlement of Markham, Ontario with a group of German families. Markham and Nördlingen signed a sister-city agreement in 2001and since then have engaged in numerous cultural and community exchanges.

While in Nördlingen, Mayor Scarpitti, Councillor Carolina Moretti and mission delegates participated in the Historic Wall Festival (Stadtmauerfest) and the official unveiling of “Markham Street”, located in Nördlingen’s new employment area.

Mayor Scarpitti and Councillor Moretti were also joined by Mayors from Nördlingen’s other sister cities including Stollberg (Germany), Wagga-Wagga (Australia), Riom (France), and Olomouc (Czech Republic). Mayor Scarpitti and Councillor Carolina Moretti also met with Nördlingen’s City archivist, Dr. Wilfried Sponsel.

Learn more about Markham’s Active Alliance Partner - City of Nördlingen, Germany

The second stop: Munich

Munich, Bavaria’s capital city is recognized as Germany’s high-tech hub, just as Markham is recognized as Canada’s high-tech capital. Munich is also home to the global headquarters of Giesecke and Devrient and Siemens, companies with important investments in Markham. Mayor Scarpitti and delegates met with senior executives from both Giesecke and Devrient and Siemens to discuss opportunities for further investment in Markham.

The City of Markham also partnered with the German Canadian Business Club and the Canadian Consulate in Munich to host a business luncheon to promote Markham and Canada as a competitive investment location. Over 60 business leaders from a variety of sectors attended the luncheon to hear Mayor Scarpitti and Hans Wolfgang Kunz, Chairman of the Board for G&D Canada and member of the Management Board for G&D, speak about the benefits of doing business and investing in Markham.

For more detailed coverage on this business mission explore the following pages:

• Mission Gallery and News
• Delegates List
• Media Coverage
• More Information
• Markham's International Partners