Town twinning is a way of promoting cultural and human ties between towns around the world. It began in Europe after World War II and quickly spread to other continents. The European Union allocates around 12 million euros a year to promote it. Twinning often pairs towns with similar characteristics, and there are no specific guidelines on how many twin cities a town can have. It’s popular among students and young people, and most towns have a twinning association to manage exchanges between twin towns.
Town twinning, also known as partner towns or sister cities, refers to the concept of the association of towns around the world as a way of promoting human and cultural ties between nations. The first official twinning took place in 1930 between the cities of Klagenfurt, Austria and Wiesbaden, Germany. However, it wasn’t until after World War II that this became a popular practice.
Developed in Europe as a way to build bonds of friendship and understanding between war-affected countries, town twinning quickly spread to other continents as well. In 1944, Vancouver became the first city to be paired with a transatlantic sister city, when connected to Odessa, Ukraine. The pairing was a great way for both cities to support each other during the war.
Town twinning is considered such an important concept that the European Union allocates around 12 million euros a year to promote it. This often leads to cultural collaborations and economic exchanges, as well as frequent student exchanges.
Town twinning often pairs towns that share some common characteristics, such as similar demographics, same names, or similar development issues. For example, Toledo, Spain and Toledo, Ohio are sister cities. Some countries have preferences in selecting cities. For example, 50 per cent of twinning schemes established in the UK are with France.
There are no specific guidelines on how many town twinnings a town can have. For example, the city of Las Vegas has only one twin city, with Banes, Cuba. New York City has fifteen sister cities: Tokyo, Madrid, Beijing, Cairo, Rome, Budapest, Sydney, Jerusalem, Santo Domingo, London , Amsterdam, Toronto, Bogota and Johannesburg.
Town twinning is a very popular scheme among students and young people, as youth clubs, junior colleges and volunteer groups often organize exchanges between twinned towns. Most towns have a twinning association, which manages the local community and takes care of everything to do with exchanges between twin towns. Many cities are also working hard to establish new connections with other cities to extend the network.
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