Town twinning is a long-term partnership between towns in different countries, often in Europe, but not always which involves cooperation and friendship. The goal is to encourage people from the twinned towns to meet and get along. A common way twin towns will improve their relations is to participate in student exchange programs with one another, additionally delegates from each town’s councils will visit one another to discuss how they can help one another boost trade, tourism and promote cultural exchange.
Town twinning first became a movement in the UK and Europe following the conclusion of the Second World War, towns from the UK and mainland Europe would become ‘twins’ in an attempt to encourage closer relations between European nations that had previously been engaged in war. This context explains why much of Surrey’s ‘twin’ towns are from Germany, France and Italy. According to the European Union’s Twinning organisation: “the twinning movement has for over 50 years made a really substantial contribution to the peaceful development of Europe”.
Since then, the movement has grown to become an international initiative which attempts to encourage further cultural exchange between nations. It is important to mention that every ‘town twining’ agreement is different, with some agreements being essentially just figurative, and others involving trade and partnership agreements.
Here we have provided a list of all of Surrey’s town and villages which have a formerly signed ‘friendship’ agreement with other towns and cities across the globe. Not every town or village in Surrey has a ‘twin’ town in another nation, some however, have more than one. It is common for British towns to have a ‘twin’ town in Germany and France.
Guildford and Dongying, China
Since 2017, Guildford has had an officially signed ‘special’ relationship with a city in China. Now, for many of you, Guildford being part of a diplomatic deal with the People’s Democratic Republic of China may be hard to believe, but I can assure that this really happened.
On October 10 2017 Guildford Councillors voted in favour of the ‘friendship’ agreement between Guildford and the Chinese city of Dongying at a full council meeting at Millmead House. By October 13, a delegation from Guildford Borough Council flew out to China to sign the agreement with the then mayor of the Chinese city, Zhao Haozhi.
The agreement was signed to “enhance understanding and friendship between their places and people” and to promote “trade interflow and cooperation in the science and technology, energy, culture, tourism, sports, health care and education and other relevant fields.”
Dongying is a city in the Shandong province of North eastern China. The city has a population of over 2 million and is known for the rich natural resources in the area, and its credited with being one of China’s cleanest cities.
October of this year marked the seven year anniversary of a formal partnership agreement which was signed between Guildford and the Chinese city of Dongying. Since the agreement it is said there has been little activity other than an exchange of goodwill letters during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Guildford and Freiburg, Germany
Guildford also has a more historic ‘twin’ town in Germany, known as Freiburg im Breisgau. This “promise of lasting friendship” was signed in 1979 and continues to this day. Freiburg is a city in the southwest of Germany, close the the French and Swiss borders and has a population of around 220,000.
This friendship agreement has a truly heart-warming story which involves an English woman, Dorothy and German man getting married and moving to Freiburg. After the end of the Second World War, Dorothy Elchlepp MBE devoted herself to rebuilding German and British relations she set up Anglo-German Club in Freiburg in 1958, and decades later managed to convince both councils to sign an formal ‘friendship’ agreement with one another.
40th anniversary of the twinning-themed floral display at Guildford Castle. (Extreme left) GTA Chair Barbara Ford, Cllr Caroline Reeves, (centre) Freiburg Oberbürgermeister Martin Horn and Mayor Cllr Richard Billington
(Image: Guildford Borough Council)
Spelthorne and Grand Port, Mauritius
Despite being over 6,000 miles apart, Spelthorne and Grand Port, Mauritius have had a ‘twin’ agreement since 2009. The Mayor of Spelthorne at the time, Simon Bhadye, who was the first Mauritian mayor in the borough, organised this agreement. Since then, delegates from both areas have visited one another, such as in 2019, when then Spelthorne Borough Council leader Ian Harvey went on a self-funded trip to Grand Port in Mauritius with the council chief executive. Mauritius is a small island which sits in the Indian ocean, near the island of Madagascar. Grand Port is a region of the island which boasts a population over 110,000 people, and its best known for its beautiful coastlines.
Dorking and Gouvieux France, Güglingen in Germany, and Sinalunga in Italy.
A twin agreement between Dorking and Gouvieux, France was signed in 1997, with a population of under 10,000, the village is bets known for being a ‘horse town’ for the nearby Chantilly race course.
Güglingen and Dorking signed their partnership in 2007, the village is most known for being the home of headquarters for several major German companies. The village is a home to around 7,000 residents.
Sinalunga and Dorking are the most recently established ‘twin’ towns in Surrey, signing their agreement in 2019. With a population of over 12,000, the village is famous for its historic town centre which dates back to the 13th Century, its artistic buildings, and the Chianina breed of cattle which originates from the area.
Dorking is seemingly rather greedy, having three ‘twin’ towns, when you consider that nearby Fetcham and Ashtead do not have a formal ‘twin’ town.
Godalming and Joigny, France and Mayen, Germany
Godalming is part of a ‘triplet’ town agreement with a French and German town. In 1985 Godalming Town Council signed a ‘twin’ agreement with the town of Joigny which sits in central France. The town is best known for its medieval nature and being built on the side of a steep hill overlooking the river.
The Mayor of Godalming, John Blowers, welcomes a delegation from the French town of Joigny at a civic dinner.
Mayen, Germany and Godalming signed their ‘twin’ agreement three years earlier than Godalming and Joigny in 1982. The German town has a population of around 20,000 people and with historic records of the town dating back to Roman times. Joigny, France and Mayen, Germany signed a ‘twin’ agreement in 1965, thus making these three towns triplets as of 1985.
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