Dream weather and dream hosts!

The 46th Neustadt meeting took place at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, in Cristian-Neustadt, Romania.

From 8 to 11 August 2024, around 188 participants from sixteen Neustadt towns accepted the invitation from the newest member of the Neustadt in Europe working group and made the long journey to ‘Neustadt in Burzenland’. This year's host had not been deterred - despite short preparations - from organising the Neustadt festival and combining the Cristian-Neustadt community festival and the meeting of German-speaking Saxons in Romania.

The people of Neustadt thus experienced three festivals with a varied cultural programme in one weekend and great hospitality.

On the large stage by the Weidenbach, against the backdrop of the mighty fortified church, not only were the guests of Neustadt's friends welcomed by Mayor Gicu Cojocaru, but dances, live music and traditional costumes were also presented. The highlight of the evening was the ceremonial unveiling of all the Neustadt coats of arms on the white wall of the fortified church: a permanent sign of the solidarity between the Neustadts and their lively partnership.

A culinary reception was held in the nearby marquee next to the culture hall on Thursday evening, before Friday was dedicated to visiting an extensive bear farm and Bran Castle, the Dracula castle. This year, the classic mayors' meeting took place in the afternoon, before heading out into the countryside close to the municipality to water 37 oak trees that had been planted for each new town in the community: a symbol of solidarity and the growing together of the partnership. An idea that was launched last year by Neustadt an der Donau, with a wide variety of tree species from each Neustadt. The mayor's invitation to a gala dinner with local specialities and first-class Romanian wines was the culinary highlight of the visit.

The ecumenical festive service on Saturday morning was musically framed by the excellently attuned church choir from Honigberg, accompanied by the festive church organ - a unique musical experience in a historical setting.

Shortly before the departure of most of Neustadt's guests from neighbouring Western European countries, many of the guests visited the impressive Honigberg fortified church, one of the largest in Transylvania: in the late Middle Ages, at the transition to modern times, the well-preserved curtain wall and seven fortified towers provided a refuge for a maximum of 850 people, who could not be harmed even by months of siege by hostile armies such as the Tartars or Turks. Impressed by the beauty of the region (close to Rosenau and Kronstadt) and the towns, the Neustadt participants travelled home full of positive impressions.

The next Neustadt reunion will be celebrated in Neustadt-Glewe from 12 to 14 September 2025.