France/ Thanks to the Dinan-Abstatt sister city partnership, this young student is continuing his studies in Germany

With the support of the Dinan-Abstatt sister city committee, André Pasquet, a 20-year-old student from Dinan, completed several internships in the small town in southern Germany. This experience reinforced his decision to pursue his third year of undergraduate studies at a university across the Rhine.

André Pasquet, a 20-year-old from Dinan, has just moved to Paderborn, a city of 150,000 people in central Germany. It is there, at the city’s university, that he will be pursuing his third year of his bachelor’s degree. “I’ve already arrived,” he explains in a phone interview. Students participating in the Erasmus program this year are entitled to a few weeks of German conversation classes before the semester begins in October.

Several Stays in Germany

André Pasquet, a student of German language and literature, spent his first two years of college in Le Mans (Sarthe). To round out his studies, he has already spent time in Germany on several occasions, with the help of the Dinan-Abstatt sister city committee.

At the end of my first year, I did a three-week internship at a kindergarten in Abstatt. And in the spring of 2026, he spent two months in Abstatt, staying with the family of Klaus Zenth, the mayor of this small town in southern Germany. Thanks to him and to Andreas Mistele, the president of the twinning committee, I accompanied Michael Preusch, a member of the regional parliament, on his official duties. I traveled to Stuttgart several times, where I attended plenary sessions of the parliament. The student from Dinan also visited the German Red Cross. And I even accompanied police officers from the Marbach station—a town very close to Abstatt—on their patrols.

Forty-five Years of Friendship

“André Pasquet also took part in the two-day traditional Bürgerpark festival, featuring outdoor concerts and a craft market, where I, of course, made Breton crêpes!” he adds. I really improved my German there and met some wonderful people. These busy and rewarding trips reinforced his decision to continue his studies in Germany.

From October 16 to 19, 2026, members of the Dinan twinning committee will gather in Abstatt to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the friendship between Dinan-Léhon and the German city. I’ve already planned to join them there.

Source: www.ouest-france.fr/