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Markgröningen, Sister City of Saint-Martin-de-Crau
Town Twinning Initiative 
Our mayor, Claude Vulpian, sent his deputy, Gaston Therre to an environmental convention at Stuttgart, where he established contacts with representatives of Markgröningen. The twinning agreement with the German town was concluded on November 12, 1989, on St. Martin Day. At the ceremony, a charter was signed by Mr. Claude Vulpian, our town mayor and Mr. Vogel, the "burgomaster" of our sister city. This ceremony was repeated a month later at Markgröningen.
Since then, we have established regular exchanges, as opportunities to share in the culture of the two countries: sports events, trips, exhibitions, etc. Both in France and in Germany, twinning clubs play a vital role in strengthening the sincere bonds of friendship that unite our two cities.
Visit to the Heart of Markgröningen
Markgröningen is located 20 km northwest of Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg and 10 km west of Ludwigsburg, on a ridge between two rivers. In the size of its population, its economic development and especially its sheep-breeding traditions, this former imperial city shares many similar characteristics with Saint-Martin-de-Crau.
Its agricultural activity encompasses a large number of farms that exploit the 3,000 hectares of the township’s land, in addition to the nature reserves of the valleys of the Glems and Leudelsbach and many protected sites.
On the festivities side, the town has celebrated the "Schäferlauf" or "Shepherd’s Race" every August for many centuries. According to legend, this festival was established to commemorate the loyalty of a shepherd named Bartholomew to his lord. The program includes a professional contest of sheep handling and a race of shepherds and their daughters, who must run barefooted on a field of stubble for a distance of 300 paces.
The town has many other attractions. Lovers of history and ancient monuments can admire its old houses, which are well-preserved or remarkably well-restored testimonies of the past. They will discover, for example, the "Swabian Man" and half-timbered houses built in the German tradition, typical of the architecture of Markgröningen.
