Jefferson City and Münchberg, Germany are sister cities.

The small community of 12,000 known for its textile industry, Munchberg -- pronounced "Minch-berg" -- is nestled between the gentle hills of the Franconian woods and the Fichtel Highlands.

Munchberg is Jefferson City's new "partner city." The two communities have ties going back nearly two centuries, when Munchberg emigrants settled a new neighborhood south of Jefferson City's downtown.

In December, after some spirited debate, the two town councils cemented the new cross-Atlantic relationship.

Supporters hope the new relationship will allow the flow of culture, ideas and goodwill between the two areas of the world.

Burgermeister (mayor) Thomas Fein describes Munchberg as a quiet, industrial town capable of attracting tourists with its scenic beauty and quaint architecture.

"In summer, you can refresh at our large and recently developed public baths, indoor and outdoor," he said. "In the south of town, we have a little lake with a hotel and walking paths. In the north, there is our municipal park 'Stadtpark.'"

Fein said, in summer, the park overflows with crowds attracted to cultural events, such as its open-air theater, art gallery and traditional "Wiesenfest," or meadow festival.

As part of that annual event, students travel in a procession with their teachers from the townhall to the city's fairgrounds, where they play games learned at school. A beer tent for 2,000 -- with modern and traditional Bavarian music -- entertains visitors and residents.

It's the largest town in the county Hof, situated in northern Bavaria.

Walter Schroeder, a local historian and former University of Missouri geography professor, said Munchberg may be in Bavaria, but its heart is in Franconia. After the Napoleonic wars, Europe's leaders redrew German boundaries.

The architecture, for example, is not Alpine, nor is the area surrounded by severe, snowy mountains.

"The countryside around Munchberg mainly consists of agriculturally used woods and fields of grain, corn and yellow, flourishing rape (canola)," said Fein.

The area is snowier than Mid-Missouri, and small ski resorts are located within a half-hour drive.

This year's winter has been "strong," described Fein. "The flora will still have to wait some weeks to prosper, because it is covered by a thick layer of snow at the moment," said Fein around mid-March.

Only a few miles from the Czech border, American soldiers protected that west German border from 1945 until the Iron Curtain fell in 1989.

Munchberg is no longer situated on the edge of the "Western World," said Fein. "So you can say that all political borders in our neighborhood fell down and we are now situated in the middle of Europe," he added.

But Fein added his town is troubled by layoffs and job losses -- primarily in the textile industry.

"Many residents have lost their jobs in the textile industries, because the industrial jobs go (to) the new countries of the E.U. or further to China," lamented Fein. "Perhaps it's the same problem as in the last century, when many inhabitants ... went to Jefferson City."

Munchberg is still a key location for the textile industry. The town's factories produce home decor fabric, cloths and various "technical" textiles, Fein said.

The proximity of a vocational college for textile occupations and a university of applied science also closely tie the region to the industry.

But, Fein said, globalization is making it nearly impossible for German workers to compete with low-wage countries.

"That's why a lot of jobs got lost in the last decade and unemployment is a main problem of our city," he said.

Recently, Munchberg worked with another nearby town -- Helmbrechts -- to establish a medical equipment enterprise. Production started last month and 180 jobs were created.

"This was our best result making new jobs in our region in the last years," said Fein.

By and large, Munchbergers are proud of their town.

"Not too small and not too big," is the description of Markus Jennermann, first chairman of MunchBurger e.V. -- a volunteer society devoted to preserving historical monuments and traditions, protecting the environment and promoting cultural events.

"It's big enough to get the important things," said Rainer Frisch, another MunchBurger e.V. member. "There are nice areas around for walking, cycling or skiing. And there's good food and beer everywhere, which is not so expensive, like in the big towns."

Munchberger is located along a major thoroughfare from Munich to Berlin -- 165 miles from each city.

The town's elevation is about 1800 feet above sea-level compared to Jefferson City at 702 feet. The geography is comparable to the Ozarks as nearby hills rise to nearly 3,300 feet. Granite is the native stone and a nearby mountain range, the Fichtelgebirge, is older than the Alps.

The city's civic center lies parallel to a brook, the Pulschnitz, which runs through the town. Its skyline is dominated by the spire of the Peter and Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.

A pedestrian mall makes it easy to shop and stroll.

Munchberg is surrounded by smaller villages and has emerged as a shopping center for the district.

"We have a nice city, where you can reach most shops and restaurants without a car. Also, there are churches and a park to walk around. But I like the green nature of our neighborhood and (the fact that) Munchberg is a center for a lot of short trips (to other cities)," said Fritsch.

An observation tower, called the "Rohrbuhl," allows visitors a panoramic view of the community and the surrounding scenery.

Sporty types can find plenty to do scaling nearby mountains, skiing down them and biking through the countryside.

As in Mid-Missouri, Munchbergers are joiners. Nearly 90 private associations -- civic, sports and choral, for example -- improve the quality of life there.

About the citizens, Jennermann offers this quip: "We say in a humorous way, 'The good thing is Munchberg is to know the people; and the bad this is to know the people.'"

Munchberg is a place proud of its history.

But the town has been destroyed by fire multiple times in previous centuries and only a few historical sites -- the Lutheran church, the town hall, and part of the city's wall -- have been preserved.

Leaders are also proud to have preserved "Grimmlers Haus," the old home of a factory owner. The town also straddles a Middle Ages highway.

"Later, they build cellars for mining and ... the people used it for cooling food and beer in the last century," said Fritsch. "We call it the 'Kreuzberghohlweg,' or 'cross hill, deep way,' because there was a cross on top of the hill in the Middle Ages."

Note: The German sources interviewed for this story replied in English to e-mailed questions from the News Tribune.