Living partnerships for almost five decades

 

Esslingen is twinned with ten towns in Europe and the USA. Some of these town partnerships go back for almost five decades. The newest partnerships are those with towns in Eastern Europe.

Since that time, seven of these towns have also forged links amongst themselves. Vienna, Neath, Udine, Schiedam, Velenje, and Piotrkow Trybunalksi form a circle of partnerships with Esslingen and promote multilateral exchanges.

In 2004 Esslingen am Neckar was awarded the European Plaque of Honour of the Council of for its outstanding contribution to the furtherance of European values.

 

The twin towns:

• Eger/ Komitat Heves, Hungary (since 1991)
  Homepage: www.agria.hu/
   
• Molodetschno/ Belarus, GUS (since 1987)
   
• Neath and Port Talbot County, Wales (since 1958)
  Internet: www.knowhere.co.uk/559.html
   
• Norrköping, Sweden (since 1964)
  Homepage: www.norrkoping.se/
   
• Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland (since 1992)
  Homepage: www.piotrkow.pl/
    
• Schiedam, Netherlands (since 1964)
  Homepage: www.schiedam.nl/
   
• Sheboygan/ Wisconsin, USA (since 1967)
  Homepage: www.sheboygan.org/
    
• Udine/ Friaul, Italy (since 1959)
  Internet: www.comune.udine.it
   
• Velenje, Slovenia (since 1970)
  Homepage: www.rr-vel.si/velenje/mainmenu.htm
    
• Vienne/ Isère, France (since 1958)
  Homepage: www.vienne.fr/

Alongside the official town partnerships, friendly contacts and relationships are maintained with town councils in wider Europe. These are Albacete in Spain, Beselare in Belgium and Yangzhou in China.

Esslingen’s grammar schools and secondary modern schools are an integral part of the town partnerships by virtue of their school partnerships. In addition, these schools also maintain contacts with schools in other European towns.