The capital of Thuringia was also visited by representatives of other partner cities of Erfurt: Mainz (West Germany), Lovech (Bulgaria), Kati (Mali), Vilnius (Lithuania), and Lille (France). The main purpose of the visit was to participate in the BUGA - Bundesgartenschau - a gardening exhibition with a nationwide range, during which there are competitions and exhibitions, which also cover topics related to landscape architecture and large urban projects. BUGA is organized in various places in the country every two years.

This year's edition takes place in our partner city Erfurt, runs from April 23 to October 10, and is an important event for the entire city, and preparations lasted several years. The exhibition includes an egapark, Thuringia's most beautiful garden on an area of ​​36 hectares, and Petersberg - a citadel towering over the roofs of the old town, on an area of ​​7 hectares. On 87,000 square meters, you can see a sea of ​​flowers and other plants. The attraction of the park is the Danakil pavilion, named after the desert in the north of Ethiopia, which presents desert areas and a wilderness.

In addition to visiting the BUGA grounds, the program also includes the opening of the Sculpture Garden of the Partner Cities. During the two weeks preceding the official visit, artists from 7 cities created unique works as part of the symposium. Kalisz is represented by a sculpture entitled Paradise Apple, which was produced by a recognized sculptor, Lidia Głazik.
The city of Erfurt also presented new investments along the Gera River: the renewed, extended green areas were enriched with new playgrounds, playing fields, bicycle paths, and the whole gained a new glow.

Foreign guests also took part in the planting of ginkgo trees, grown in Erfurt on the initiative of the "Mayors for Peace" movement from seeds from Hiroshima. The tree-planting ceremony was dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.