The Buffalo-Dortmund Sister City Committee is dedicated to establishing, developing, supporting, and maintaining the partnership between the City of Buffalo and the City of Dortmund, Germany. The committee actively promotes international understanding through various initiatives. Greg Engle currently serves as the president of the Buffalo-Dortmund Sister City Committee. His wife, Lynn Engle, contributed significantly to the program as the student exchange coordinator for ten years (2014–2024).
The origins of the Buffalo-Dortmund partnership date back to 1972 when Herbert Morgenroth, a native of Dortmund, arrived in Buffalo as an exchange teacher at the University at Buffalo. Struck by the similarities between Buffalo and his hometown, he introduced the idea of a sister city relationship. He found strong support from John E. Ward, then principal of Genesee-Humboldt Junior High School. By 1974, they presented the idea to Honorary German Consul in Buffalo, Mrs. Nathan “Brix” Barrell. Later that year, the concept was formally proposed to Buffalo Mayor Stanley Makowski, setting the partnership in motion.
Although the idea was initially met with hesitation in Dortmund due to the significant distance, the mayor agreed to pursue discussions. The first exchanges began in 1975, marked by visits from young Americans to Dortmund and a visit by the Dortmund orchestra to Buffalo.
Recognizing the partnership’s potential, the RWAG—now known as the Auslandsgesellschaft—began organizing high school exchanges and hosted a “Buffalo Week” in Dortmund. In 1977, the Dortmund City Council officially adopted the sister city relationship. A year later, during the “Dortmund Days” celebration in Buffalo, a German delegation formally presented Dortmund’s charter of partnership.
In 2019, during Greg Engle’s visit to Dortmund, Mayor Ulrich Sierau formally reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining and expanding the city’s partnership with Buffalo.
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