Wikipedia

Sister city

(Redirected fromTwin town)
"Sister cities", "Twin town", and "Partner city" redirect here. For the films, seeSister Cities(film)andTwin Town.For the phenomenon of cities located close to each other, seeTwin cities.For the album by the Wonder Years, seeSister Cities (album).

Asister cityor atwin townrelationship isa form of legal or social agreementbetween two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.[1]

FingerpostsinOskarshamn,Sweden,showing the direction from the post of each of the city's twin towns

While there are early examples of international links between municipalities akin to what are known as sister cities or twin towns today dating back to the 9th century,[2]the modern concept was first established and adopted worldwide duringWorld War II.[3][4]

Origins of the modern concept

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Throughout history, many cities have participated in various cultural exchanges and similar activities that might resemble a sister-city or twin-city relationship, but the first officially documented case of such a relationship was a signed agreement between the leaders of the cities ofToledo, OhioandToledo, Spainin 1931.[5]However, the modern concept of town twinning appeared during the Second World War. More specifically, it was inspired by the bombing ofCoventryon 14 November 1940, known as theCoventry Blitz.[3]First conceived by the thenMayor of Coventry,Alfred Robert Grindlay,[6]culminating in his renowned telegram to the people ofStalingrad(nowVolgograd) in 1942,[7][8][9]the idea emerged as a way of establishing solidarity links between cities in allied countries that went through similar devastating events.[10]

The comradeship between the two cities continued, when again in response to theBattle of Stalingrad,830 women in Coventry – led by the subsequent MayorEmily Smith– had their names embroidered on a tablecloth along with the words "Little help is better than a lot of pity" and sent it, along with money (each donated six pence), to the people of Stalingrad.[11][4][12]The tablecloth can now be seen at the Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad.

The twinning between Coventry and Stalingrad was formalized in 1944[13]and, after the end of the war, similar links were established to foster friendship and understanding among former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation,[2][14]with new twinnings between Coventry and German cities:Kielas early as in 1947 andDresdenin 1956.[3]In 1957, Coventry was officially twinned with Belgrade, even though the link actually dates back to 1953 when then Yugoslav Ambassador visited Coventry and offered a gift of timber from his native country for use in the new Civic Theatre, which when finished was namedBelgrade Theatre.[15]

The purpose of twinnings was then expanded to encourage trade and tourism[1]or to reflect other links, such as towns sharing the same name or migration links.[16]By the 2000s, town twinning became increasingly used to form strategic international business links among member cities,[17][18]and may include localities of any scope such as villages, prefectures, or countries.

Terminology

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A sample twinning agreement (betweenCastellabate,Italy (left) andBlieskastel,Germany (right))

In the United Kingdom, the term "twin towns" is most commonly used; the term "sister cities" is generally used for agreements with towns and cities in the Americas.[1][19]In mainland Europe, the most commonly used terms are "twin towns", "partnership towns", "partner towns", and "friendship towns". TheEuropean Commissionuses the term "twinned towns" and refers to the process as "town twinning".[1][19]Spain uses the term "ciudades hermanadas", which means "sister cities". Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic each usePartnerstadt(German),miasto partnerskie(Polish) andpartnerské město(Czech), which translate as "partner town" or "partner city". France usesville jumelée(jumelage, twinned town or city), and Italy hasgemellaggio(twinning) andcomune gemellato(twinned municipality).[20]In the Netherlands, the term isjumelage,partnerstadorstedenband( "city bond" when providing mutual support). In Greece, the wordαδελφοποίηση(adelphopiisi– fraternisation) has been adopted. In Iceland, the termsvinabæir(friend towns) andvinaborgir(friend cities) are used. In the formerSoviet Bloc,"twin towns" and "twin cities" were used,[21]and in Russian, they useгорода-побратимы(sworn brother cities).[22][23]

The Americas, South Asia, and Australasia use the term "sister cities" or "twin cities". In China, the term is hữu hảo thành thị (yǒuhǎo chéngshì – friendly cities).[24]Sometimes, other government bodies enter into a twinning relationship, such as the agreement between the provinces ofHainanin China andJejuin South Korea. TheDouzelageis a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union.[1][25]

Though the term is often used interchangeably with the term "friendship city", this may mean a relationship with a more limited scope in comparison to a sister city relationship, and friendship city relationships are mayor-to-mayor agreements.[26]

City diplomacy

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From left, mayors Kåre Nordgård ofTromsøandGeorge M. SullivanofAnchorage, Alaskameet in September 1969 to kick off their sister city relationship.

City diplomacy is a form ofparadiplomacythat involves discussions between officials and residents of different cities. Often these cities will be located in different countries. As such, city diplomacy involves a sort ofinternational relationsthat works in parallel to the conventional system involving embassies, ambassadors, and treaties negotiated at the level ofnation states.According toRodrigo Tavares,the earliest formal attempts to establish city diplomacy across national boundaries took place in the 19th century. Only a handful of cities were involved in the 19th-century efforts; it was not until the turn of the millennium that it became much more common.[27]The first priority of those carrying out city diplomacy typically overlaps with the core aims of municipal government – improving the lives of local residents. Yet they will often collaborate with peers in other cities to work on issues of planet-wide concern, such as efforts toaddress climate change.[28][27]

The phrase "city diplomacy" is formally used in the workings of theUnited Cities and Local Governmentsand theC40 Cities Climate Leadership Group,and is recognised by theUSC Center on Public Diplomacy.A March 2014 debate in the BritishHouse of Lordsacknowledged the evolution of town twinning into city diplomacy, particularly in matters of trade and tourism, but also in culture and post-conflict reconciliation.[29]The importance of cities developing "their own foreign economic policies on trade, foreign investment, tourism and attracting foreign talent" has also been highlighted by theWorld Economic Forum.[30]In addition to C40, other organisations facilitating city diplomacy include theWorld Cities Summit,City Mayors Foundation,theSmart City Expo World Congress,[31]theStrong City Network[32]and100 Resilient Cities.[33][28]As of 2016, there were over 125 such multilateral networks and forums to facilitate international collaboration between different municipal authorities.[27]A Bill introduced in the 2019 session of theUS Congresswould have legislated for a City and State Diplomacy Act to create a new Office of Subnational Diplomacy at theDepartment of State.H.R.3571 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): City and State Diplomacy Act.

Recently, the field of city diplomacy has taken a step beyond city-to-city exchanges to target the facilitation of dialogue between cities and multilateral organs, such as the United Nations.[34]

Twinning beyond cities and towns

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Not only cities and towns, but also provinces, states, territories, and regions enter into twinning agreements. For example, theCanadian province of Albertahas "sister province" agreements withGangwon, South Korea(since 1974),Hokkaido, Japan(since 1980),Heilongjiang, China(1981),Jalisco, Mexico(1999),Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine(2004),Lviv, Ukraine(2005),Guangdong, China(2017), andCalifornia, United States(2018), as well as policy-oriented (as opposed to economic and cultural) agreements withNevada, United States(since 2013),Missouri, United States(2015), andTexas, United States(2018).[35][36]

Europe

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Column dedicated to Paris in Rome
The painting of Gagny
Sutton twin towns mural
The painting of Minden
For a more comprehensive list, seeList of twin towns and sister cities in Europe.

The earliest known town twinning in Europe was betweenPaderborn,Germany, andLe Mans,France, in 836.[2][37]Starting in 1905,Keighleyin West Yorkshire, England, had a twinning arrangement with French communitiesSuresnesandPuteaux.[38][39]The first recorded modern twinning agreement was between Keighley andPoix-du-Nordin Nord, France, in 1920 following the end of theWorld War I.[18][39][40][41]This was initially referred to as an adoption of the French town; formal twinning charters were not exchanged until 1986.[42]

The practice was continued after the Second World War as a way to promote mutual understanding and cross-border projects of mutual benefit.[1][2][43][44][45]For example,Coventrytwinned withStalingradand later withDresdenas an act of peace and reconciliation, all three cities having been heavily bombed during the war.[1][41][46][47][48]The city ofBathformed an "AlkmaarAdoption committee "in March 1945, when the Dutch city was still occupied by the German Army in the final months of the war, and children from each city took part in exchanges in 1945 and 1946.[49]Similarly, in 1947,BristolCorporation (later Bristol City Council) sent five "leading citizens" on a goodwill mission toHanover.[18][41]Readingin 1947 was the first British town to form links with a former "enemy" city –Düsseldorf,a link that still exists.[50]Since 9 April 1956 Rome and Paris have been exclusively and reciprocally twinned with each other, following the motto: "Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris."[51][52]

Within Europe, town twinning is supported by the European Union.[1][2][18]The support scheme was established in 1989. In 2003 an annual budget of about€12 millionwas allocated to about 1,300 projects. TheCouncil of European Municipalities and Regionsalso works closely with the commission (DG Education and Culture) to promote modern, high quality twinning initiatives and exchanges that involve all sections of the community. It has launched a website dedicated to town twinning.[53]As of 1995, the European Union had more than 7,000 bilateral relationships involving almost 10,000 European municipalities, primarily French (2837 twinnings) and German (2485 twinnings).[45]

Public arthas been used to celebrate twin town links, for instance in the form of seven mural paintings in the centre of the town ofSutton,Greater London. The five main paintings show a number of the main features of theLondon Borough of Suttonand its four twin towns, along with theheraldic shieldof each above the other images. Each painting also features a plant as a visual representation of its town'senvironmental awareness.[54]In the case of Sutton this is in a separate smaller painting (above its main one) showing a beech tree, intended as a symbol of prosperity and from whichCarshalton Beechesin the borough derives its name.[55]

Another example of the use of public art is the wall sculpture of the partner cities ofMunich,Germany.

A recent study has concluded that geographical distance has very little, if any, influence upon communities' selections of a twin town.[56]Twinned towns are often chosen because of similarities between them; thus about 15 towns in Wales are twinned with towns inBrittany,andOxfordis withBonn,Leiden,Grenobleand other university cities.[1]In Italy, two sets of twins areRovigowithViernheim,andBedfordwithTulcea.Many formerWest Germancities are twinned with former East German cities; these twinning links were established before the fall of theIron Curtain.Famous examples are the partnerships of Hanover andLeipzig,both of which have importanttrade fair grounds,or betweenHamburgand Dresden. The first US-German town twinning was in 1947 betweenWorthington, MinnesotaandCrailsheim.[1] St Petersburgin Russia holds the record for the largest number of partnership arrangements with other communities.[56]In June 2012, the Scottish village ofDulland the US town ofBoring, Oregon,agreed to twin their municipalities to promote tourism in both places, playing on their names.[57][58][59]

Recently some towns have made novelty twinning arrangements with fictional or virtual locations.Wincanton,England is partnered withAnkh-MorporkfromTerry Pratchett'sDiscworld books.[60]

Town twinning has increasingly been used to form strategic international business links. For example, in the 1990s, when theNottingham City Councilin the UK considered installing a tram network, it consulted experts from its twin city ofKarlsruhe,which has one of the most extensive and efficient tram networks in Germany. With assistance from Karlsruhe's specialist engineers, Nottingham completed its second tram line in 2013.[17]In 2014,BristolandNew Orleansannounced their intention to form a "tuning" partnership based on a shared musical heritage and culture offer, at the initiative of Bristol MayorGeorge Ferguson.[61]Annecy,France andNerima,Tokyo have for several years shared a partnership based on their "co-existent animation industry".[62][63]

North America

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For a more comprehensive list, seeList of twin towns and sister cities in North America.
Dull, Perth and Kinrossis twinned withBoring, Oregon.
Los Angeles City Hallwith twin townsfingerpost
Thessalonikistele,in sister cityMelbourne[64]

Toledo, United Statestwinned withToledo, Spainin 1931, and was the first city in North America to engage in town twinning.[5]Vancouver, Canadatwinned[65]withOdesa, Ukrainein 1944, was the first twinned city in Canada and the second in North America, whileDenver, United States,twinned withBrest, France,was the second twinned city in the United States.Liberal, Kansaswas twinned withOlney, United Kingdomin 1950, and the cities have run a joint Pancake Day race ever since.[66][67]Littleton, Colorado, twinned with Bega, Australia, in 1961.Tashkent,the capital city of Uzbekistan, was twinned withSeattle,Washington, in 1973.Rochester, Minnesota,andKnebworth,UK, both centers for primary medical research, twinned in 1967.Ontario, California,has five sister cities around the world. They are Brockville, Ontario, Canada (since 1977); Guamúchil, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1988); and Winterthur, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.Oakville, Ontariois twinned withDorval, Quebec;Huai'an, China,andNeyagawa, Osaka,Japan.[68]

Town twinning begins for a variety of reasons. Generally, partner towns have similar demographics and size. They may arise from business connections, travel, similar industries, diaspora communities, or shared history. For example, the partnership betweenPortland, OregonandBologna,Italy arose from shared industries inbiotechnologyand education, and a "similar attitude towards food,"[69]whereasChicago's link withWarsaw,Poland began with Chicago's historicPolish community.[70]The twinning ofIndianapoliswithMonza,Italy, is due to both cities' long association withauto racing.

A twin towns program was instituted in the United States in 1956 when PresidentDwight D. Eisenhowerproposed a citizen diplomacy initiative.Sister Cities International(SCI) was originally a program of theNational League of Cities,but it became a separate corporation in 1967 due to the growth and popularity of the program.[71]

Twin town cultural events include the annualNational Cherry Blossom Festivalin Washington, D.C., honoring Washington's twin relationship withTokyo City.Many twinned towns developed business agreements with their partners. For example,Vermont'sBen & Jerry'sIce Cream company opened a factory in theRepublic of Kareliain Russia and offered the same profit-sharing plan to its Russian employees.

South America

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For a more comprehensive list, seeList of twin towns and sister cities in South America.

Asia

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For a more comprehensive list, seeList of twin towns and sister cities in Asia.
Esfahan Street inKuala Lumpur(top) and Kuala Lumpur Avenue inIsfahan(bottom)

China's sister city relationships are managed by theChinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries,aunited frontorganization.[72]Sister city initiatives are an increasingly widespread mechanism for Chinesepublic diplomacy.[73]From the early 2000s until 2024, the number of China's sister city relationships doubled.[73]More than one-third of Chinese sister city relationships are with sister cities in the east Asia Pacific region.[73]

Town twinning is supported in Japan by theCouncil of Local Authorities for International Relations,a joint agency of local governments established by the Japanese government in 1988 (similar toSister Cities International,its counterpart in the US). In Japan, the international city relations may be split into multiple terms, such as Sister Cities, Friendship Cooperation Cities, Business Partner Cities (BPC), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Sister Ports / Friendship Ports, etc.[74]China mostly uses the term "friendship cooperation cities" rather than "sister cities", as the Chinese words for sisters, "Tỷ muội" (reading: jiěmèi, literally elder sister and younger sister), could imply a hierarchical relationship. In the 2010s, Tokyo began to actively promote 'city diplomacy' with other global cities at the initiative of governorYoichi Masuzoe.[75]

Africa

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For a more comprehensive list, seeList of twin towns and sister cities in Africa.

Oceania

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For a more comprehensive list, seeList of twin towns and sister cities in Oceania.

Linguistic reasons

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Relationships between communities can also arise because of shared names; they may be named after one community (as in the case ofCórdoba), they may share names (as in the case ofSantiago de Compostela), or their names may have a commonetymology.These similarities usually arise from sharing the same or related language or having been a colony or previously conquered.

Political significance

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The twinning of towns and cities is sometimes done for political purposes. The Hungarian cityGyöngyöswas twinned with the Azerbaijani city ofShushain 2013, signing the twinning agreement with representatives from the Azerbaijani government; Hungary recognised Shusha asde jurepart ofAzerbaijan,even though it was controlled at the time anduntil 2020by the military forces ofArmeniaand the unrecognisedRepublic of Artsakh.[76]An attempt was made in 2003 byPrestoncity councillors in England to twin with the Palestinian town ofNablusin the name of solidarity.[77]

Turkeybans partnerships with any city in a country that recognizes theArmenian genocide.As a result, whenBulgariarecognized the genocide in 2016, some twin agreements such asEdirne–Haskovowere terminated by Turkey.[78]

Chinamanages sister city relationships through theChinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries(CPAFFC). In April 2019, CPAFFC presidentLi Xiaolinsaid, “Friendship city relations have become one of the important channels to implement theBelt and Road Initiative.”[79]In January 2020,Shanghaicanceled its sister city relationship withPragueafter Prague's mayor signed a sister city relationship withTaipei.

In November 2020, U.S. senatorMarsha Blackburnintroduced legislation, the Sister City Transparency Act, to provide federal oversight to mitigate risks of sister city agreements being used for political influence campaigns.[80]In 2024, Indiana banned localities from entering into sister city agreements with six "foreign adversary" countries.[81][82]

Termination

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See also

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References

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