Pinneberg, Germany - Rockville's Sister City

Imagine a small city, located 12 miles northwest of a major metropolitan area, served by a rapid rail transit system and a major highway network; a center for retail; a predominantly residential, suburban environment. Sound like Rockville, Maryland? It is also Pinneberg, Germany.

Located just outside of Germany's major port city, Hamburg, Pinneberg is the government center for Pinneberg County (Kreis Pinneberg) in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. The many similarities in economy, location, and population were important factors in linking Rockville and Pinneberg as sister cities in October 1957.

Pinneberg (known as the "City of Roses") is located in the center of Germany's rose growing industry, with numerous rose nurseries in the surrounding countryside. The city is known for its numerous parks, meadows, and recreational facilities and once served as a summer retreat for residents of nearby Hamburg. Tree nurseries also abound, as well as dairy farms. In the heart of the city is the Fahlt, an old wooded area of 300,000 square meters. Pinneberg is about a two-hour drive from the Baltic Sea and four hours from the North Sea.

Like Rockville, Pinneberg has experienced rapid growth over the last 50 years and has had to balance this growth with the desire to maintain a small town atmosphere. The city offers the advantages of being a short commute from Hamburg by rail or car, while remaining a pleasant, family-oriented place to live.

The PINNEBERG GERMAN-AMERICAN SOCIETY (G-A Society or "DAGRP") is an organization much like the RSCC, which helps the City of Pinneberg in accomplishing social, sport and cultural exchanges.

The Johannes Brahms Schule is one of three Pinneberg Gymnasium (High Schools), whose students visit Rockville on a regular basis.