Saint-Avold, France
Our Sister City
Fayetteville and Saint-Avold have been sister cities since 1993 when City Council adopted a resolution to do so. Groups have exchanged visits since then, both adults and students. In 2007 a contingent of Saint-Avold’s city officials and citizens came to Fayetteville for a week, partly in celebration of Lafayette’s 250th birthday and to commemorate his visit to our city in 1825. The French visitors stayed with Fayetteville host families. There has also been tours of Saint-Avold by Fayetteville officials and citizens, including visits to local schools and a manufacturing plant, plus a visit to the American cemetery where many World War I and II soldiers are buried. Student groups have also exchanged visits.
Saint-Avold, (population: 18,000) founded in the 6th century, is located in the northeast corner of France in the Lorraine Region, only 27 kilometers from Saarbrucken, Germany. It covers an area of 13.7 square miles and is surrounded by lush, dense forests. Like Rome, there are seven hills in Saint-Avold. Elevation ranges from 215 meters (705 ft.) to 385 meters (1257 ft.). The Lorraine National Cemetery, located just north of town, is the final resting place of 10,489 American servicemen who died during WWII and is the largest American Military Cemetery in Europe. Most of the men were killed during the United States' drive to expel German forces from the fortress city of Metz toward the Siegfried Line and the Rhine River. The soldiers were mostly from the U.S. Seventh Army's Infantry and Armored divisions and its cavalry groups.