Thionville, France, Urbana’s third Sister City, is part of the Moselle Départment, Grand Est Région, in northeastern France. Located on the Moselle River, it lies 12 km south of the Luxemburg border.
Once part of the Roman Empire, then the Holy Roman Empire, Louis II took Thionville from the Spanish crown in 1643. Thionville became a property of the House of Luxembourg until 1462, the House of Burgundy until 1477, and eventually part of the Hapsburg Empire.
Situated within the Alsace-Lorraine valley, Thionville moved back and forth between German and French rule. The French entered Thionville (its German name is Diedenhofen) at the end of World War I, and the Treaty of Versailles again transferred Thionville to France in 1919. During World War II, the German Army occupied it, and the American Third Army under General George Patton liberated Thionville in November 1944.
Liberation Celebration in Thionville
Thionville invited the City of Urbana to participate in the 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Liberation of Thionville from the Nazi Occupation at the end of World War II. The Urbana City Council passed a resolution in 2013 creating a Sister Cities agreement with Thionville.
In November 2014, a delegation of nine individuals traveled to Thionville to participate in the anniversary celebration event. The delegates toured the City, attended parades, observed ceremonies at the Place du Marché, and laid a wreath at a monument honoring fallen soldiers. The highlight of the weekend was the reenactment of the retaking of the bridge across the Moselle River by the American Army. During the following banquet, Urbana resident and World War II Veteran Kermit Harden was honored, and the Mayors of Urbana and Thionville signed an official “Twinning Cities” charter.
Reciprocal Visit to Urbana
In 2015, Urbana was pleased to host a reciprocal visit by our French friends led by Mayor Anne Grommerch. Our visitors toured Urbana and the University of Illinois campus, visited French classes at Urbana High School, and attended a University of Illinois football game. They also were special guests at a reception at the University President’s House, exchanging gifts and words of friendship.
The visitors were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the home of one of our members. Then, they stopped in Chicago for several days of sightseeing before returning home.
Three Sister Cities emissaries visited Thionville in November 2018 as part of a longer visit to France.