The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.
The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River.
Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union.
Photo courtesy of Timo Fischer via CNA
Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of ties, most of Hamburg’s residents do not know that relationship exists, Fischer told the Central News Agency in an interview.
“It was time to let the people of Hamburg know about the relationship and to let them see it,” he said.
Hamburg is known as a city with many bridges — more than 2,500, according to city statistics, Fischer said, adding that bridges are more than a means to cross obstacles, but “symbolize a connection between two places separated by water, as well as means to unite cultures and bridge political divides.”
While the Kaohsiung-Brucke is small, it has helped shorten the distance between Taiwan and Germany, he said, adding that he hoped the name would instill in residents who cross it a sense of curiosity and prompt them to learn more about Taiwan.
An initial plan had been to rename a local street after Kaohsiung, but the review process rejected that proposal because the name was not in line with German road-naming conventions, Fischer said, adding that the program then turned its sights on the then-unnamed F566 pedestrian bridge.
“The year-long process from proposal to formal naming was fraught with challenges, including opposition from far-right parties,” he said.
Kaohsiung and Hamburg are port cities that are shaped by the economy, the ocean and culture, Fischer said.
Interaction between democratic countries should not stop at the diplomatic level — local city representatives should also take part, Fischer said, adding that connections with countries that value the democratic way of government, such as Taiwan, should be sought through more friendly actions like the bridge renaming.
Asked about his impressions of Taiwan, Fischer said that most Taiwanese he knows are friendly, curious about the world and enthusiastic about delicious gastronomy.
His deepest impressions when visiting Taiwan was that people would not only pick up their own litter, but would also pick up the litter of others, demonstrating a healthy respect for the public domain, he said.
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