| Overview of Twin Towns
Dear Twin Towns, friends and guests, dear citizens of Freiburg! After the Second World War, the institution of twin towns helped towns and cities in Europe to establish a new understanding and direct contact between their people, in the cause of peace and stability. The network of twin towns was an important foundation for bringing European countries closer together. In the post-war period, Freiburg was twinned with Besançon (France), Innsbruck (Austria), Padua (Italy) and Guildford (England). From the 1980s, this extended to other countries and towns. During the East-West conflict, Freiburg wanted to make its own contribution to peace by entering into two more official twinnings: with Madison in the United States and the Ukrainian town of Lviv/Lemberg, then part of the Soviet Union. Modern means of transport and telecommunication media have made the world seem smaller. In this context, the twinning with Matsuyama in Japan and Isfahan in Iran set the basis for a friendly and fruitful relationship between our respective towns. Isfahan was the world’s first Islamic twin town. Freiburg wanted to help support a politics of openness and tolerance between cultures. In 1991, Granada in Spain became our next European twin town. When signing the agreement we came to realize that all of our European twin towns are old Habsburg towns. History never repeats itself, but the old historic links have been revived in a European spirit. Freiburg’s friendly relations with the Zähringer cities also has a historic connection. The root of this friendship between cities is that they were all founded in the Middle Ages by the Dukes of Zähringen. This link to Switzerland, headed by the city of Bern, and with the Zähringer cities in the German state of Baden-Württemberg is an unofficial association . Nevertheless, the exchange between the Zähringer cities is lively, and it is part of Freiburg’s history. In addition, Freiburg is linked by a tie of friendship with Wiwilí in Nicaragua. This link is characterized by humanitarian help for the citizens of Wiwilí and personal relationships. Partnership is paramount, and the benefit we reap is friendship and understanding between people. We sincerely hope that partnership and friendship with other cities will help bring people closer together, diminish prejudice and secure peace. Peace and friendship between peoples are an invaluable asset. The terrorist attacks on the USA on 11th September 2001 have demonstrated how vulnerable our modern world is. Friendship and mutual understanding between cities can and should promote solidarity among people. The Lord Mayor of the City of Freiburg Overview of Twin Towns Information on Freiburg’s twin towns and partner cities is available from Stadt Freiburg im Breisgau Hauptamt / Partnerschaftsstelle Rathausplatz 2-4, 79098 Freiburg Telefon + 49 - (0)7 61 -201 -11 21 Fax +49 - (0)7 61 -201 -11 97 E-Mail: hauptamt@stadt.freiburg.de |
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