Worthington in Nobles County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Bridge of Friendship
April 13, 2026
1. Bridge of Friendship Marker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1947.
Location. 43° 37.224′ N, 95° 36.423′ W. Marker is in Worthington, Minnesota, in Nobles County. It can be reached from Lake Avenue west of May Street. Located in Chautauqua Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 418 Lake Ave, Worthington MN 56187, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Minnesota. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture,
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Chautauqua Park / Worthington City Band (a few steps from this marker); Worthington Bandshell (within shouting distance of this marker); Nobles County WWII Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dayton House / George D. Dayton (approx. 0.7 miles away); Benona Pierce and Clair Hovey St. John Memorial Wetlands (approx. 0.9 miles away); Welcome to Minnesota / The Minnesota-Iowa Boundary (approx. 4.3 miles away); "Habitat" (approx. 4.4 miles away); History at Hawkeye Point (approx. 12.2 miles away in Iowa). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Worthington.
Also see . . . Worthington-Crailsheim | Worthington, MN | Student Foreign Exchange Organization - Germany.
Excerpt: "A half bridge sculpture in both countries represents a connection of friendships between each country through the foreign exchange program. Axel Huss, who was an exchange student to Worthington in 1986-1987 originally commissioned the project in Crailsheim. Germany. In August 2014, Axel(Submitted on July 11, 2026.)challenged the citizens of Worthington to construct the other half of the bridge. The value of this friendship is significant as a humanitarian effort in 1946 to help rebuild a war-devastated city. A pen-pal friendship developed between two eleven-year-old girls in each country which led to a request for shoes from Finland as the basic needs of many were not being met. The young girl wrote asking if she had an extra pair of shoes, as she had none, and that ignited the spark that sent her going door-to-door asking for shoe donations. Martha's parents then took the idea and ran with it, and Worthington was matched up with Crailsheim. In 1947 Worthington adopted Crailsheim, based on similarities in population, agriculture and location. Grateful of the actions of strangers, Crailsheim initiated an exchange program of individuals. This exchange started in 1948-49 and continues to this day and is known as the oldest city-to-city relationship in the United States."April 13, 20262. Bridge of Friendship Sculpture & Marker
Additional keywords. Crailsheim Bridge Sculpture, Worthington-Crailsheim
April 13, 2026
3. Bridge of Friendship Sculpture & Marker
April 13, 2026
4. Nearby Sign
This sculpture is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council with funds from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008
Credits. This page was last revised on July 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 11, 2026. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 11, 2026.
