Town twinning has been mentioned in passing on these forums before, for example in this long-running thread on settlement association: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/settlement-association.54265/. I don't think there's been a dedicated thread on it before, though.
I have often wondered what criteria they use when choosing twin towns and cities. I would guess that it is usually somewhere that has something in common with the town in question, for example you would expect an industrial town or city to be twinned with another industrial town or city, a spa town with a spa town, a seaside town with a seaside town, and so on.
I believe that in some cases there is some kind of historic link between the two towns, and according to the Wikipedia entry on sister cities it is also sometimes done according to which letters the two towns begin with. For example Spalding, Lincolnshire, is twinned with Speyer, Germany, presumably because they both begin with SP. There are also some places that are twinned with their namesake or almost namesake in another country; for example Richmond, London, is twinned with Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Sadly, some towns have severed their links with their twin towns in recent years, I think partly because of pressure on council budgets and, at least where twinning between mainland European and UK towns is concerned, because of Brexit. Some places are still making a really good effort to keep up their twinning links, though.
Can anyone think of any examples of twin towns that don't have any obvious link, or anywhere that you think would make a good twin town for somewhere that isn't currently twinned with anywhere (or doesn't have a twin town in that particular country)?
Matlock, Derbyshire, is twinned with Eaubonne, France. This would seem a bit of an odd choice, as Eaubonne is a suburb of Paris whereas Matlock is a smallish country town. Eau means water in French, though, which would suggest that it is or was a spa town, as is Matlock's neighbouring town of Matlock Bath.
I would suggest that Bad Schandau in eastern Germany, close to the Czech border, would make a good German twin town for Matlock as it's also a spa town and looks very similar to Matlock Bath (and has a heritage tramway, the Kirnitzschtalbahn, just as Matlock has Crich Tramway Village just a few miles away).
Although Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, is already twinned with Heiligenhaus, Germany (which is also twinned with Basildon, Essex), it surely ought also to be twinned with its quasi-namesake in Germany, Mansfeld. See also this thread on UK places with a namesake or almost namesake in mainland Europe: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ounding-place-name-in-mainland-europe.203703/
There are even some villages that have twin villages. For example Manorbier, on the Pembrokeshire coast in south Wales, is twinned with Vernou-la-Celle-sur-Seine, France. Does anyone know of any other examples of twin villages?
I have often wondered what criteria they use when choosing twin towns and cities. I would guess that it is usually somewhere that has something in common with the town in question, for example you would expect an industrial town or city to be twinned with another industrial town or city, a spa town with a spa town, a seaside town with a seaside town, and so on.
I believe that in some cases there is some kind of historic link between the two towns, and according to the Wikipedia entry on sister cities it is also sometimes done according to which letters the two towns begin with. For example Spalding, Lincolnshire, is twinned with Speyer, Germany, presumably because they both begin with SP. There are also some places that are twinned with their namesake or almost namesake in another country; for example Richmond, London, is twinned with Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Sadly, some towns have severed their links with their twin towns in recent years, I think partly because of pressure on council budgets and, at least where twinning between mainland European and UK towns is concerned, because of Brexit. Some places are still making a really good effort to keep up their twinning links, though.
Can anyone think of any examples of twin towns that don't have any obvious link, or anywhere that you think would make a good twin town for somewhere that isn't currently twinned with anywhere (or doesn't have a twin town in that particular country)?
Matlock, Derbyshire, is twinned with Eaubonne, France. This would seem a bit of an odd choice, as Eaubonne is a suburb of Paris whereas Matlock is a smallish country town. Eau means water in French, though, which would suggest that it is or was a spa town, as is Matlock's neighbouring town of Matlock Bath.
I would suggest that Bad Schandau in eastern Germany, close to the Czech border, would make a good German twin town for Matlock as it's also a spa town and looks very similar to Matlock Bath (and has a heritage tramway, the Kirnitzschtalbahn, just as Matlock has Crich Tramway Village just a few miles away).
Although Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, is already twinned with Heiligenhaus, Germany (which is also twinned with Basildon, Essex), it surely ought also to be twinned with its quasi-namesake in Germany, Mansfeld. See also this thread on UK places with a namesake or almost namesake in mainland Europe: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ounding-place-name-in-mainland-europe.203703/
There are even some villages that have twin villages. For example Manorbier, on the Pembrokeshire coast in south Wales, is twinned with Vernou-la-Celle-sur-Seine, France. Does anyone know of any other examples of twin villages?
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