City of Tyler sending delegation to sister city in Poland

TYLER, Texas (KLTV/KTRE) - A delegation from the City of Tyler and other community groups will make a diplomatic mission to its sister city, Jelenia Góra, Poland, this week to strengthen ties between the two communities.

Representatives of the City of Tyler include Fire Chief David Coble, City Engineer Darin Jennings, Tyler Sister Cities Organization board member Mickey Slimp, and Michael Howell, manager of the Tyler Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

As of 2018, Poland had an estimated population of 80,457,737. — As of 2018, Poland had an estimated population of 80,457,737.(Source: KLTV/KTRE staff)

Face-to-face relations between the cities were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the war in Ukraine presented a new opportunity for international cooperation when Jelenia Góra opened its community to thousands of refugees.

This Spring, the Tyler Sister Cities Organization coordinated a fundraising campaign for humanitarian relief efforts in Jelenia Góra. In May, the City of Tyler participated in a virtual ceremony and wired $30 thousand in private donations. On September 25, the group will travel to western Poland for meetings with city and community leaders in Jelenia Góra, as well as to participate in the city’s annual festival.

A traditional peace pole located in the Tyler Rose Garden displays the names and distance to... — A traditional peace pole located in the Tyler Rose Garden displays the names and distance to each of Tyler's sister cities.(Source: Lane Luckie/KLTV)

During the festival, the City of Jelenia Góra plans to sign two new partnership agreements with the Ukrainian cities of Rivne and Ternopil. ”We cannot imagine that representatives of the city of Tyler, which has done so much for the Ukrainian community in Jelenia Góra, will be missing from this important event,” said Michal Kryla of the City of Jelenia Góra.

KLTV & KTRE anchor Lane Luckie joins East Texas Now's Devyn Shea from Poland, where a delegation from Tyler is making a diplomatic mission to its sister city.

The sister city relationship dates back to 1993, when a ‘twinning’ ceremony was held in Jelenia Góra. A similar event was held the following year in Tyler. Regular exchanges have been planned in the decades that followed.

Tyler has similar partnerships with five other international sister cities.

Tyler Sister Cities Organization is still accepting donations to support humanitarian relief efforts in Jelenia Góra. To learn more, visit: https://tylersistercities.org/aid-for-ukraine/

KLTV & KTRE anchor Lane Luckie is traveling with a delegation from the City of Tyler to its sister city in Poland to get a closer look at ties between the two communities and the impact of citizen diplomacy. Click here for more coverage.

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