We’re all familiar with the signs outside cities, towns and villages in many European municipalities that announce their name and their twin. Twinning associations are widespread and many places have forged lasting links with their twin abroad. But what does it mean to be a twin town? Which famous towns and cities in France have twins in the UK? What lesser known twinned towns and sister cities can we learn about? Read on to find out…
The history of French twin towns
Jumelage, as it’s known in French, dates back over a century and has its roots in Keighley in West Yorkshire. Soldiers from the Yorkshire town inspired the twin partnership as a gesture of solidarity after the devastation suffered in Poix-du-Nord during the First World War. The two towns sealed their relationship in 1920 and Keighley citizens funded the construction of Keighley Hall in their French twin.
But twinning arrangements between towns began in earnest after the Second World War, particularly between France, Germany and the UK. The Europe-wide desire for reconciliation led to the forging of bonds between municipalities and local authorities, and as a result, twinning was officially born.
Did you know? Over 4,000 communes in France are twinned with a locality abroad, establishing links to local communities. Germany has the highest number of French sister towns (2,322 in 2018), followed by the UK (1,890) and Italy (986).
The twinning process
Over a century after the Keighley-Poix-du-Nord jumelage, the twinning movement has become a worldwide phenomenon. In Europe, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is the main instigator of towns twinning.
The CEMR suggests that twinning be a process of finding a partner town with similar characteristics. Population size is a common denominator as are location, economic activities and historic links. Cultural similarities also make a popular basis for twin towns.
Looking for inspiration? Check out the 10 must-dos and sees in France
When location makes a good twin
Geography pops up in many sister municipalities. For instance, several French towns in Brittany and Normandy have twins over the English Channel. Poole with Cherbourg and Portsmouth with Caen are two examples of port cities twinned with their opposite on the other side of the water.
Did you know? The small town of Cissé in Haute-Vienne (with around 2,800 inhabitants) is twinned with no fewer than 28 other towns, one for each country in the EU and the UK, whose twin town is Desborough.
Twinning the economy
Cities with similar activities also make good twins. Coventry and St Etienne share industrial roots as do Leeds and Lille. Cognac has paired up with Bozhou in China, famous for its white spirits. And Limoges, the world capital of porcelain, chose to twin with Seto in Japan, also known for its fine ceramics.
Tourism is another driver behind sister cities. Edinburgh twinned with Nice in 1958 and both cities welcome similar numbers of visitors. And the two architectural gems of Bath and Aix-en-Provence share roots in their spas and annual cultural festivals. They have been twins since 1978.
Pairing culture
Another popular common theme among towns twinning is culture. Famous university towns in the UK often have sister cities in France. Oxford, for example, is twinned with Grenoble, France’s third largest university town and a renowned seat of learning that dates back to 1339.
Cathedral cities in the UK have also twinned with cities in France: Canterbury and Reims are twins bringing together two of the finest churches in Europe. Twinned Norwich and Rouen also boast stunning cathedrals and Norwich cathedral was even built from Caen limestone, just west of Rouen.
Glamorous culture also helps bring two municipalities together. Cannes, the epitome of French glitz, is appropriately twinned with the borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, and Beverley Hills in Los Angeles. Identical twins perhaps?
Did you know? Cockermouth and Marvejols bring together the essence of twin towns. The Cumbrian town and its Lozère sister partnered in 1983 and have had over 200 group exchanges since then. Cockermouth has Marvejols Park while Marvejols built a Cockermouth roundabout complete with a red phone box.
Personal connections
Sometimes, geography, economy and culture have nothing to do with twin towns in France. Instead of official twinning association activities, the pairing of two municipalities is often purely a case of who you know.
This is the case of Bruyères, a small commune in the Vosges in northeast France. The town is twinned with Honolulu, over 12,000km away in Hawaii. This unlikely pair came together when a veteran of the American Forces, Wilbert Sandy Holk, formed part of the liberation force in Bruyères in 1944.
“Who you know” also accounts for the pairing of Kirklees-Huddersfield with Besançon that twinned in 1950. The same applies to Gloucester and Metz, who celebrated “50 years of friendship” in 2017.
Did you know? Over two-thirds of the German and French populations live in towns twinned with each other.
And Paris?
Despite the long list of French twin towns and sister cities, some of which have triplets or sextuplets worldwide, the City of Light has only one sister city: Rome. The two capitals became officially twinned in 1956 and have remained faithful to each other ever since.
Not for nothing is their motto, “Only Paris is worthy of Rome and only Rome is worthy of Paris”.
However, Paris also has some unofficial and surprising twins. They include the minute village of Whitwell in the tiny county of Rutland in the Midlands. The initiative came from Whitwell’s 41 residents who approached the Parisian mayor (Jacques Chirac at the time) in 1980 with a twinning proposal.
Their first two missives received no reply but the third stated that Whitwell could consider implicit consent if no official reply was forthcoming. No letter arrived and over 40 years later, the sign greeting visitors to the Rutland village says, “Welcome to Whitwell – twinned with Paris”.
Discover the twins on the French waterways
With over 4,000 twinned municipalities in France, you’ll discover several of them when you take to the French waterways. Whether you’re looking for a big sister city or a tiny twin village, stunning scenery, amazing monuments and delicious cuisine are all guaranteed along the way.
Treat yourself to a twinning experience on the water in France. For inspiration, check out our long list of options and then book yours. Start here
