Stade

The 1,000-year-old city of Stade is just an hour's drive from Hamburg, in the Bundesland (state) of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony).

If you’d like to visit this wonderful city, remember that Lakewood Sister Cities offers the opportunity to ALL of its members to see Stade “up close & personal!” In fact, Stade and Lakewood cooperate in TWO exchange programs:
-Through our adult exchange program, groups of adults from Jefferson County stay in Sister Cities members' homes in Stade for ten days, then, the following year, Lakewood Sister Cities members provide housing for visitors from Stade.
-Through the Big Band Exchange Program, Lakewood Sister Cities and Wheat Ridge High School also exchange jazz music students with Vincent Luebeck Gymnasium in Stade. Music students from both countries enjoy each others’ hospitality and lean about each other in a very personal way.

Many of Stade's buildings date back to the 1600's, and a walking tour of this compact city is a joy.  Stade has been a port since 1267, and a ship canal (built for narrow wooden ships) connects the city center with the river Schwinge.

Stade is surrounded by the Altesland (Old Country), one of the principal fruit-growing areas of Europe. This rich farmland is dotted with charming villages and beautiful, ancient farmhouses, in many cases owned by the same families for centuries.

If you’re curious about The Hindenberg, or some of its equally impressive cousins, you can visit the Airship Museum (the “Aeronauticum”) in nearby Nordholz, on the North Sea coast. While you’re there, try some of the great seafood for lunch!

Lakewood Sister Cities also coordinates a jazz band exchange program for high school students. Each year, jazz music students from Vincent Luebeck Gymnasium Big Band in Stade visit their counterparts at Wheat Ridge High School, playing jazz and sightseeing for a week. The Stade Big Band, the Wheat Ridge Jazz Band and the Wheat Ridge Singers have performed together in concert during their stay. The following year, the Wheat Ridge students have visited Stade, staying with the German students’ families and performing and sight-seeing in Germany. They may speak English or German, but music is one language they all understand perfectly.

The kids aren’t the only ones having fun! Stade also has an adult exchange. Groups of adults from Jefferson County stay in Sister Cities members' homes in Stade for ten days, and get to know the people of this enchanting 1000-year-old city. The following year, Lakewood Sister Cities members provide housing for visitors from Stade.