Be Glad! Littleton Connects with Sister "Be Happy" Town in Germany

Pictured Left: Downtown Littleton from the Ammonoosuc River

Littleton, as you may know by now, is a little town in New Hampshire’s White Mountains along the Ammonoosuc River that’s known as the “Be Glad” town in honor of Littleton native and Pollyanna author Eleanor H. Porter. A small town with a big community, Littleton offers amazing farm to table cuisine, local arts and music, hiking and biking trails, outdoor recreation, cinema, and small businesses. It even remains host to Chutters Candy Counter, which has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest candy counter in the world. There’s a lot to love about Littleton, and so there’s no wonder why it is known as the “Be Glad” town. Well, now, Littleton is glad to announce the discovery of our sister town Schoemberg - otherwise known as the “Be Happy” town.

Picture Right: Black Forest near Schoemberg

Schoemberg is a small spa town in Calw district, north of the Black Forest in Germany. Born in 1170, this old German village is known for similar treats. Outdoor recreation, arts and music, hiking and biking, and local cuisine are also trademarks of this town. Schoemberg is called the “Be Happy” town by locals because of the high happiness index and strong community of the townsfolk. The town often has free events in the park like festivals, farmers markets, and recreational sports. The upcoming Lindenplatz Fest that takes place in the local center and park is known for the live music, food, and karaoke competition! Littleton also hosts regular events for the community like the Parade of Jack O Lanterns, regular farmers markets, and Christmas celebrations.

Pictured Above: The Christmas Parade in Littleton

Schoemberg even has a community hub called the “Kurhaus”. It hosts regular cultural, arts, and music events for the Schoemberg locals. The organization “Music at its Height” is based in the town and hosts regular events at the Kurhaus to increase involvement in the arts. Littleton has a similar project called, “Music on Main St”. To increase community involvement of music and the arts, organizers have placed beautifully painted pianos for public use all around Main Street. The town also built an instrumental “Harmony Park” with massive, outdoor instruments.

Pictured Right: The Kurhaus in Schoemberg

The recreation in Schoemberg revolves around folk dancing, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, tobogganing, skiing, and cross-country skiing. It’s also known as a “geocaching hotspot”. Geocaching is a recreational activity in which people use GPS tracking to hide and seek treasures in the area. People intentionally leave little gifts in the woods and then add the spot to the database for another “geocacher” to find. While Littleton may not be a “geocaching hotspot”, it’s definitely a fatbiking, four wheeling, hiking, and swimming hotspot in the summer and a skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling hotspot in the winter. Both towns have strong roots in recreation and have built the town around these awesome outdoor activities!

The Black Forest of Germany and the White Mountains of New Hampshire have a lot in common as well. Both experience the four seasons, with great ski conditions that build the local tourism. In addition to the season, both have peaks in the 4,000 footer region as well as rolling hills and fertile farmland. Before industrialism, both regions were also logging towns that provided timber to the region. It’s no coincidence that Schoemberg and Littleton have all of this in common and also happen to be towns celebrating joy and happiness. When you add the beautiful outdoors, arts and music, delicious food, and a sense of community to a town, it creates joy for its residents.

The town of Littleton is excited to recognize Schoemberg as a sister town with the similar initiative of making the world just a little bit happier. Thank you!