A typical German? Punctual, hypercorrect, and no sense of humor. A typical Pole? A vodka-drinking pickpocket. Sometimes it helps to have a good laugh at prejudices like these. And recently, young people from the two youth parliaments of Monheim and Malbork did precisely that – they spent several days learning about each other’s work. And there was no shortage of fun.

Nine youngsters visited from Monheim’s twin town in Poland. Malbork calls its committee for young people the “youth council”. The guests stayed with local host families. Together with Monheim’s youth parliament, the group also spent the night in a youth hostel in Düsseldorf.

The group had a packed itinerary. Mayor Daniel Zimmermann welcomed the youngsters in the City Hall's Ratsaal room before accompanying them on a brief guided tour of the town. The group also attended the inauguration of Malbork-Platz (Malbork Square). At an anti-racism workshop to promote tolerance, the young people also produced two works of art.

Everyone involved had a great time, and a return visit to the Polish twin town was immediately planned for September 2018.