Tomball and Telgte: a Tale of Two Cities
January 12, 2017
Ever wonder why most of Tomball’s foreign exchange students are from Germany or why we have the German Festival? Well, it all started when Christian and Lulu Tiews, a couple from Germany, moved to Tomball, Texas in the late 1990s.
Upon the couple’s arrival, they noticed a road by the name of Telge, very similar to the name of Lulu’s hometown, Telgte, Germany. The two immediately started thinking about Tomball and Telgte being sister cities, and went to work to make it happen. City leaders from both Tomball and Telgte liked the idea, and Tomball’s Sister City Organization was formed. As a result, Tomball has been the temporary home for many exchange students from Telgte since 1999.
While the majority of exchange students are coming here from our sister city, Tomball students are able to become students over there as well.
“I think my daughter would love to spend some time over there,” said Jerry Fordyce, the student media teacher at Tomball High School.
Many exchange students and Tomball natives seem to find the relationship between the two cities very fitting. Both Tomball and Telgte are known for their large horse population, they are both small cities, and Texas was originally settled by Germans.
“Telgte is a beautiful little town. Its downtown has a quaint feel, similar to Main Street Tomball, and the people there are just as lovely,” Emily Lanier shared, a former Tomball High School student that visited the sister city.
Tomball still celebrates its German roots every year with the German Heritage Festival. The festival typically lasts three days, starts on a Friday and ends on a Sunday. There, you will find a variety of tents set up with vendors selling everything from giant German pretzels to puppies. Just like people dress up for the Renaissance festival, several people take the opportunity to dress up in their favorite pair of lederhosen for this event.
If you are interested in becoming a host family or an exchange student email [email protected]
For more information about the German Heritage Festival, email Grady Martin at [email protected]
