County of monument: Franklin County
Location of bench: Front St., Railroad Heritage Park, next to caboose, Washington
Dedicated: March 22, 2017 at 11:30am
Text on bench:
25 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP
WASHINGTON, MISSOURI
MARBACH AM NECKAR
CITY PARTNERSHIP
EST. 1990/1991
WE ARE FRIENDS - WIR SIND FREUMDE!
Marbach am Neckar:
"Marbach am Neckar (population approximately 15,000) is a town on the river Neckar in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The nearest larger cities are Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart (ca. 25 km).
"Marbach is known as the birthplace of the classical poet and dramatist, Friedrich Schiller. Although Schiller moved away as a child, he is commemorated in Marbach by the Schiller-National museum und Deutsches Literaturarchiv (Schiller National Museum and German Literature Archive), one of the main archives of literature history in the country. In 2006, the Literaturmuseum der Moderne (Museum of Modern Literature) was opened for public just next to the existing museum. The iconic and modern building was planned by British architect David Chipperfield. It displays and archives 20th-century literature. Notable original manuscripts include The Trial by Franz Kafka and Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin.
"The town has a picturesque centre with several churches (the older one is from the 16th century) and many historical houses, including the house in which Schiller was born.
"Marbach (Neckar) station is on the Backnang–Ludwigsburg railway and it used to be the terminus of line S 4 of the Stuttgart S-Bahn, which was extended to Backnang in 2013." ~ Wikipedia
Washington, Missouri:
"Washington is a city on the Missouri River in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 13,892 from the 2010 census. It is the corncob pipe capital of the world, with Missouri Meerschaum located on the riverfront.
"Named after George Washington after it came under American control, the town was first settled during the rule of the Spanish Empire. It was originally called St. John Meyer's Settlement and was the site of the Spanish log fort, San Juan del Misuri (1796–1803).
"Family and followers of Daniel Boone settled the area starting in 1799. In 1814 a ferry boat was licensed for crossing the Missouri River to the north and the settlement became known as Washington Landing. In 1827 a town was laid out, with sale of lots starting in 1829. The cost of land was waived if the buyer could build a substantial house within two years. This encouraged many new settlers.
"Substantial numbers of anti-slavery German families started moving to the town in 1833, and they soon overwhelmed the existing population of slave owners. Washington became a strong supporter of the Union during the American Civil War. The town was ransacked by Confederate General Sterling Price's soldiers, but they were unable to keep control of the area.
"After the war, Washington became a railroad and steamboat transportation center. Its manufacturing industry while strong, is not as vibrant as it was decades ago. The town of Washington has 445 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, a state record.[citation needed] Due to its historic charm, Washington has a growing heritage tourism industry, with visitors also attracted to the nearby Missouri Rhineland." ~ Wikipedia