Get Your Kicks - on Route 66!

Albuquerque is Helmstedt' s most distant sister city in terms of travel time. Usually it takes about 10 - 12 hours of flight from Germany until you arrive at Albuquerque Sun Port. Situated in the South-West of the USA and surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, it is the biggest city in the state of New Mexico, but not its capital. Located on the famous "Route 66" from Chicago to Los Angeles, the city offers a multitude of different sights to explore.

Apart from the historic buildings along "Route 66" (which is "Central Avenue" in Downtown Albuquerque), such as the Kimo Theatre and Alvarado Train Station built at the beginning of the 20th century, there is the historic district of "Old Town" around "Old Town Square" and the church of San Felipe de Neri, which dates back to the time of the Spanish "Conquistadores". But there were even earlier settlers. A few miles from the city center the "Petroglyph National Monument" takes the visitors back to the time of the prehistoric settlers who left rock carvings and drawings as old as B.C..

Further points of interest are the many museums and art galleries the city has to offer. Together with the shops in Uptown Albuquerque and the malls, the visitors are tempted to spend a lot of time and money there! Visit the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History, get informed about the discoveries in nuclear science at the Nuclear Museum or experience the lifestyle of the indigenious peoples of the South-West in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center - everybody will find points of interest! And if you want to see more - to get to Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, it takes just 1 1/2 hours by car or 1 hour by train. You can also spend the day on one of the characteristic landscape features near Albuquerque - the Sandia Mountain. In winter there is plenty of opportunity to go skiing there - whereas in summer the temperatures can get as high as 40 degrees C! In terms of climate, the area around Albuquerque can be described as high desert, located at an altitude of ca. 1,600 m.

Other worthwhile activities are a visit to the Zoo, the Aquarium or the Biopark as well as going on a balloon ride. Albuquerque is world-famous for its annual "Balloon Fiesta" in October, attracting thousands of visitors not only from the US but also from abroad.
Today, Albuquerque is one of the boomtowns of the American West with more than550,000 inhabitants (2010) and future industries such as nuclear research, aerospace industries and alternative energy production.

The difference in the number of inhabitants and the distance between Helmstedt and Albuquerque have led to a changeful history of the partnership between the cities. During the last few years youth exchanges have been promoted which fostered a revival of the existing connections.

The Albuquerque Siter Cities Foundation (ASCF) is the HPVs partner on the US-American side. ACSF President Olgujan Young already visited Helmstedt several times in the last years.

The chairperson for the Helmstedt exchange is Nathan Young.