Have you ever driven into a town or city in the UK, spotted a ‘twinned with’ sign and wondered what those towns in France, Germany and beyond are actually like?
Here’s a history of the places twinned with Hatfield, Welwyn and Potters Bar.
Zierikzee – twinned with Hatfield
A Dutch city of 10,313 inhabitants in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zierikzee has a long and varied history.
In August 1304, the naval Battle of Zierikzee took place, a key meeting in the final stages of the Franco-Flemish War of 1297 to 1305.
The battle between the invading Flemish fleet and the Franco-Hollandic fleet ended in mysterious circumstances when on the morning of August 11, the Flemish ships were spotted aimlessly floating and quickly put down.
According to legend, a traitor had cut the mooring lines of the ships, leaving them helpless.
Zierikzee has suffered some terrible lucky during its long history, starting in the medieval times when, between 1414 and 1576, fires reduced it to partial or complete ashes on multiple occassions.
During the First World War, an off-course British bomber dropped several bombs on Zierikzee, killing three citizens, while during the Second World War, 30 million kilos of munition were dumped in the Oosterschelde estuary, where they remain today.
Then, June 27 this year, a tornado estimated at between F1 and F2 hit the city, killing one person and injuring nine others, with three hundred properties were damaged.
It was another catastrophe, the North Sea Flood of 1953, that saw Zierikzee’s link with Hatfield begin, when the town sent help and support to the city.
Another link between the UK and Zierikzee came in 2015, when the British Coastguard returned an historic cannon to the city.
The cannon had been brought ashore by commercial diver Vincent Woolsgrove off the Kent coast, but he was charged with fraud offences relating to other Dutch cannons and handed a two-year sentence.
Cast in 1552, the minion cannon is the only one left in existence and was intended to be used for the city’s defences, but was instead used on board a vessel during the first Anglo-Dutch war or on a Spanish Armada vessel.
Champagne-sur-Oise – twinned with Welwyn
A town in northern France, Champagne-sur-Oise is located 30km from Paris and has plenty of history, with the church of Notre Dame, which dates back to the 12th and 13th and has been a classified historic building since 1862.
On the hillside of the town stands the remains of Montigny Castle, which was burnt down by the Germans in 1944 as they fled from the advancing allied forces during the Second World War.
The link between Champagne-sur-Oise and Welwyn was started following a school trip to France by St Mary's School, setting up a cultural association which led to an official twinning set up in 1973 by the Welwyn Anglo-French Twinning Association.
Franconville – twinned with Potters Bar
A town in the northern suburbs of Paris, Franconville lies just 17km from the centre of the French capital and was first mentioned in 1137 in the writings of the abbot of Saint-Denis.
A leper house was built in the town in 1229, but Franconville’s real growth took place in the 16th century as a stop on a main route used since Roman times. Inns were built for passing travellers to rest their heads, while many people were employed in agriculture.
It was one of the first parishes to house a charitable organisation, and during the French Revolution, the town was renamed Franconville the Free.
Franconville’s famous residents include Cassini de Thury, a French astronomer and director of the Paris observatory, and former Liverpool striker David N’Gog.
Viernheim – twinned with Potters Bar
An industrial town in south west Germany with a population of more than 33,000, Viernheim grew out of a Carolingian king's court and was first mentioned in 777’s Lorsch codex, the Lorsch Abbey's book of documents.
Up until the 19th century, the town was nothing more than a farming village, but the tobacco industry help grow the settlement and provided additional income for farmers or peasants and their families during the winter.
Industry in Viernheim truly began with the opening of the Weinheim-Worms railway in 1905, and further strengthened after the Second World War, which saw a sharp rise in population.
During the World War II, Viernheim did not suffer severe damage from bombing raids, since the town had no strategic or industrial importance.
The Viernheim railway station served for a while as Mannheim station, after the Mannheim Central Station was destroyed in an air raid in 1942.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here