Hudson Sister City: Landsberg, Germany

Hilary Sheeter

Hilary H. Sheeter graduated from the Univ. of Detroit, spent four years in the Air Force, followed by earning his Masters Degree from the University of Akron in aeronautical engineering. For over 40 years he was a watercolor artist in many professional art organizations and honored as one of 70 Hudsonites of Distinction.

Artist Statement:

Landsberg, on the Lech River, is located in Bavaria, southern Germany, an ancient city dating back to the Bronze Age and an important frontier town in the Roman Empire.

On August 26, 1984, Hudson and Landsberg established a sister city partnership and since then, Hudson and Landsberg residents have traveled back and forth, continuing the enduring relationship.  Under the leadership of Hudsonite, Roland Winsor, my wife Beverly and I had the good fortune of participating in the 2011 two-week trip.

Our host couple, Ernst and Christa Schaatz provided us with bed and breakfast. They were congenial and very hospitable to us.  During our trip, we spent a couple of days in Austria visiting the fairyland town of St. Wolfgang, on a lake by the same name. We also visited alpine wood carver Karl Marbler, Roland Winsor’s friend, and Ludwig II’s palace Herrenchiemsee, and toured Salzburg, the “Sound of Music” city.

After having final goodbyes in Landsburg, we headed north to cities along the Rhine, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Schwäbisch Hall, Heidelberg, Marburg, town of the Brothers Grimm, Rüdesheim am Rhein, Assenheim, and then to the Frankfurt Airport for the flight back home.  It was hard to imagine how this beautiful land with nice people, home to great geniuses, scientists, artisans, religions, and builders was devastated 60 to 70 years ago in World War II.