"Partnership has many colors/partnership is like art./they are as colorful as their tones/courting for people’s favor!" This is how the people of adelsdorf sang under the direction of dieter schonwald, chairman of the adelsdorf-feldbach friendship association. The four-day stay in austria culminated in the opening of an exhibition created by 16 artists from adelsdorf and five from feldbach. The show was entitled "boundless". The lyrics of the song mentioned at the beginning were written by dieter schonwald to the melody of ludwig van beethoven.
For elke bischlepp, one of the adelsdorf artists, this was the first exhibition and the excitement was accordingly rough. The welcome of mayor karsten fischkal, who had traveled the 600 kilometers to feldbach especially for the vernissage together with his wife karola and had to return the same evening, was all the more heartfelt. Feldbach’s mayor kurt deutschmann enthusiastically registered fischkal’s guest gift: a crate of the new adelsdorf beer. Sigrid wolt, chairwoman of the art association, thanked "kurt", that he "opened the doors to this exhibition" had opened. Deutschmann’s suggestion to start an artist exchange next year, which both communities want to support financially, met with approval. "This will certainly help to deepen our friendship!"
Visits to graz and maribor were also on the program of the partnership trip. Adi (adolf schelch), who organizes all events in feldbach and also swarmed for adelsdorf, also joined the social gathering: "this is really a great, lively partnership."
Feldbach is 828 years old as a town and 128 years old as a city. The visitors had already experienced this at the official reception by mayor kurt deutschmann on the first evening in the secluded courtyard in front of the tabor museum. With a population of 4681, it is smaller than adelsdorf, yet it is home to around. 15,000 people. With 560 businesses, three high schools, three middle schools (a total of 3200 students)!), a major hospital with 770 employees and 120 doctors, is in a much different position than its partner community in central franconia, which has a population of 7674. Feldbach is a "working town and adelsdorf is a "place to live. Deutschmann went into the history of the partnership as well as the major role that the company herbert horrlein played in its creation. Of course, the three "partnership cornerstones" were klaus keil, norbert birkner and dieter schonwald with wives among the visitors and were pleased about the great enthusiasm on both sides.
The final event was a visit to the company that sells the famous styrian horseradish, which was presented by junior boss phillip horrlein.
Apparently, all travelers were satisfied with the trip: the number of members of the feldbach circle of friends almost doubled on the journey home!