Sister City Program

Sister Cities:
Goshen, Indiana and
Bexbach, Germany (site is in German)

The Sister City relationship enriches the Goshen community with cultural and educational exchanges. Over 1,000 visitors from Bexbach have been in Goshen over the past 29 years. A total of 100 families in Goshen have hosted guests from Bexbach. Mayors from both cities have exchanged visits.

Follow the Sister City Committee on Facebook. 

History of the Program

Sister Cities International (SCI) was founded in 1956. It is a non-profit citizen diplomacy network creating and strengthening partnerships between U.S. and international communities.

SCI’s goals are to increase global cooperation at the community level, promote cultural understanding, and stimulate economic development.

SCI currently spans more than 3,500 communities in 137 countries.

Indiana Sister Cities, Inc. is a state chapter of the national organization. It assists in the development and coordination of Sister Cities activities in Indiana. Indiana participates in 5 Sister State Relationships.

There are over 30 Indiana cities that have 40 Sister City partnerships.

Goshen is a member of Sister Cities International and Indiana Sister Cities, Inc. The Goshen/Bexbach Sister City Partnership was founded in June of 1979.

About Goshen’s Sister City: Bexbach, Germany

Partly rural and tranquil, partly urbane and lively, Bexbach is situated in the eastern part of the Saarland. Its capital is Saarbruecken. Geographically, the Saarland lies in the so-called “three country corner.” It gets this name as the borders of Germany, France, and Luxembourg meet there.

Bexbach has a Mining Museum, the only one in Southwest Germany. The Flower Garden is a riot of colors, especially in May when, “a hundred thousand tulips bloom.” The Hindenburg Tower in the Flower Garden gives you an exhilarating view. There is also swimming, tennis, horse-back riding, golf, and lots of organized hiking in the area.

The Rhine River, Mosel River, the Black Forest, Trier (the oldest city in Germany), and Strasbourg, France are easy day-trips from Bexbach.

How You Can Participate

Serve as a member of the Goshen Sister City Committee.

Be a host family for a German exchange student.

Be an exchange student and stay with a host family in Bexbach.

Be an exchange other than educational, perhaps in the cultural or economic area.