Milwaukee Forms Friendly Relations Partnership with Chasse-sur-Rhne, France

October 20, 2025 … The City of Milwaukee proudly announces the formation of a Friendly Relations partnership with Chasse-sur-Rhône, France.

The partnership will be officially signed on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 by Cavalier Johnson, Mayor of Milwaukee, and Christophe Bouvier, Mayor of Chasse-sur-Rhône.

Our cities share an interesting history: the oldest architectural structure in Milwaukee, and the oldest structure in the western hemisphere still being used for its original purpose, is the Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette University. The chapel was originally built in Chasse-sur-Rhône, France, in the 15th century. In the 1920s, the chapel was bought and transferred to New York by Gertrude Hill Gavin. In 1962, Gertrude sold the chapel to Marc & Lilian Rojtman who donated it to Marquette University in Milwaukee. The chapel is what brought our two cities together.

A delegation of 12 high school students – as well as chaperones, videographers, and city hall officials from Chasse-sur-Rhône – will visit Milwaukee October 27-29, 2025. The purpose of their visit is to follow and document the chapel’s journey from Chasse-sur-Rhône to Milwaukee as well as to sign a Friendly Relations charter between our two cities. Our intention is to expand our relationship to a sister cities partnership. This will be Milwaukee’s first French sister city.

Milwaukee and Wisconsin have strong ties to France. The first mapmakers of the state were French. The name “Ouisconsin” was first written in 1673 when the first mapmakers, Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, came to the area and printed the Indian word with French spelling. The spelling of the state remained “Ouisconsin” for more than 100 years. The first mayor of Milwaukee in 1825 was Solomon Juneau, a French-Canadian. Today there is a growing French-speaking immigrant population in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Milwaukee hosts the largest Bastille Festival in North America, boasting more than 200,000 visitors during the July festival. Milwaukee also has a thriving public French Immersion School and School of Languages.

About the Alliance Française de Milwaukee:

Founded over 100 years ago, the Alliance Française of Milwaukee works to promote and share French and Francophone language and culture. In addition to language instruction, Alliance Française participates in activities like Bastille Days and the Beaujolais Nouveau. The international Alliance Française has a rich history. It was created in 1883 in Paris by renowned humanists, including Louis Pasteur and Jules Verne, with the principal mission of promoting and teaching the French language around the world.

About Sister Cities International:

Sister Cities International was founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation—one individual, one community at a time.

For additional information please contact:

Anne Leplae, Executive Director
414-431-0952, AnneL@AFMilwaukee.org

Annika de Vogel, Event & Marketing Coordinator
414-431-1291, Annika@AFMilwaukee.org

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.