The partnership between Augsburg in Germany’s Southern state of Bavaria and Dayton, Ohio was supported by the fact that the American company NCR, which had its headquarters in Dayton, had its German headquarters in Augsburg at that time.

The first contacts between the then Lord Mayor of Augsburg, Dr. Klaus Müller, and the City of Dayton were also established in the mid-1950s. With the establishment of a Sister City Committee in Dayton in 1964, these contacts were institutionalized and the existence of the sister city partnership was thus declared official.

In the following years, there were exchange visits in various fields, involving groups of young people, pupils and students from a very young age. In an agreement with the Sister City Committee in Dayton in 1973, the focus of relations was ultimately placed on the expansion of pupil and student exchanges.

This has remained so to this day - the Jakob-Fugger-Gymnasium regularly maintains a student exchange with the Dayton Chaminade Julienne High School. Students of the University of Augsburg and the University of Dayton use the possibilities of these international contacts every year. The school orchestra of the Gymnasium bei St. Stephan has been a guest in the American sister city many times during its USA concert tours. With an anniversary concert in 2014, the Stephaners therefore also organized the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the city connection. At the invitation of the Dayton Sister City Committee, an official delegation of mayors and city councilors from Augsburg also took part.

In the past, the German-American club “Dayton Liederkranz-Turner” was also regularly involved, either by travelling to Germany and Augsburg or as host for visitor groups from Augsburg. There have also been several meetings between the two fire brigades in Augsburg and Dayton.

In Augsburg, a section of the Bundesstraße 17 near the former NCR office building in the Kriegshaber district is a visible testimony to the longstanding partnership. Since the ring road was opened for traffic, this part has been called the Dayton Ring.

Dayton is located in the U.S. state of Ohio at the intersection of major highways connecting Michigan and Florida as well as Maryland and California. The city has a population of around 142,000. The main attraction is the Air Force Museum, which tells the history of American civil and military aviation. It is the world's largest aviation museum with over 250 exhibits.

Further information about the city of Augsburg: http://www.augsburg.de/.

More about Dayton, OH: https://www.daytonohio.gov/.