Twin Towns: Building Bridges across Borders
Upon entering towns and cities in the UK today, you are often greeted by a sign:
“Welcome to …, twinned with…”
Decades old relationships between cities, promoting international friendship and cooperation – but what are twin towns, why do they exist, and how do twin towns work?
What are Twin Towns?
Twin Towns (sometimes known as Sister Cities) are cooperative agreements between towns and cities in different countries for the purpose of promoting international cooperation and friendship, cultural and commercial ties.
The first documented case of town twinning was signed between the leaders of the cities of Toledo, Ohio, United States and Toledo, Spain in 1931, but the modern concept really caught on after the second World War. The idea emerged as a way of establishing solidarity links between cities that went through similar devastating events.
For example, Coventry twinned with Stalingrad and later with Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, all three having been heavily bombed during the war. The purpose of twinning was then expanded to encourage trade and tourism. Within Europe, town twinning is supported by the EU. Did you know that there are around 17,000 twinning links across Europe, meaning that many towns have more than one twinning partner?
Town twinning is now seen all over the world, not just in Europe!
‘Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris’
Since 1956 Paris has been exclusively twinned with Rome. This is a motto that both town halls adopted when they became exclusive sister cities to one other and follows on from the partnership between the two countries when the peace treaty was signed in 1947.
What do Sister Cities promote?
Jean Bareth, one of the founders of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), identified the primary values which city twinning represents:
- Friendship
- Co-operation
- Mutual awareness
How are two Sister Cities chosen?
A shared sense of history is usually the main reason for many original ‘twinnings’. The towns and cities may share also linguistic links or there may be political significance in their twinning.
Reading, UK and Düsseldorf, Germany
This twin city was established when the Royal Berkshire Regiment, based in Düsseldorf, wrote to the Mayor of Reading asking for help for the people of the German city just after WWII.
St. Helens, UK and Stuttgart, Germany
Twinned since 1948, St. Helens, as a leading manufacturer of glass, was able to support the rebuilding of Stuttgart, Germany, parts of which had been destroyed or damaged by bombing during the conflict.
Other links have stemmed from goodwill missions to help with post-war projects or simply from a curiosity about overseas places, as travel became easier later in the twentieth century.
An assortment of twin cities across the world
Leeds, UK
Paired with seven cities, including Dortmund (Germany), Durban (South Africa), Lille (France), Hangzhou (China), Siegen (Germany)
Siegen’s relationship with Leeds dates back to 1966, when the former County Borough of Morley signed a twinning agreement as part of the post-war twinning programme. When Morley became part of the Leeds local authority in 1972, Leeds City Council committed to honouring this Twin City partnership – and there is a street named Siegen Way in Morley!
Read about how Siegen gave Leeds outdoor chess here.
Freiburg in Breisgau, Germany
Paired with twelve cities, including Guildford (UK), Besançon (France), Granada (Spain), Innsbruck (Austria), Madison (USA), Matsuyama (Japan), Padua (Italy), Lviv (Ukraine)
These relationships are reflected in the design of joint projects, especially with regard to environmental and climate protection, solar programmes and energy efficiency. Freiburg is internationally renowned for its green living – the largest photovoltaic system in Italy was built in Padua, and an apartment building in Lviv is currently being renovated to make it more energy efficient.
There is a street in Freiburg named Madisonallee and a choir from Guildford visited Freiburg while I was living there, to perform in one of their outdoor summer festivals. It’s clear to see from all of these examples that the relationships between Freiburg and its sister cities are thriving!
Read more about Freiburg’s relationships with its sister cities here.
Vancouver, Canada
Paired with five cities: Odesa (Ukraine), Yokohama (Japan), Edinburgh (Scotland), Guangzhou (China) and Los Angeles (USA)
Vancouver and Odesa became sister cities in 1944, the first twinning in Canada.
Totem poles are iconic painted vertical monuments, carved with symbols and constructed by the Native Americans of the Northwest Coast of the USA and Canada. In 1991, Vancouver sent Yokohama a totem pole as a symbol of their friendship. The totem pole can still be admired in the Nippon Maru Memorial Park.
Edinburgh is home to the band Lost in Vancouver (LIV), a four-piece Scottish indie band!
Here’s to the continued success of international friendships and twin towns!
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