For example the town i live is ‘Twinned’ with a random town in France, but there are many local towns twinned with other towns all over Europe beyond.
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It was formally crested after the war as a further way the unify different communities in Europe since they’d been through the war also and would have little access to such connections otherwise.
The idea is tourism+improved social standing. If your from one town your might think it would be nice holiday to visit it’s “twin” and would be more likely thing think more positively about that place/country since your have a positive connection to it.
British soldiers wanted to help French towns demolished during the fighting during War2 and set up links:
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/interactive/twin-towns-yorkshire#main-page-section-1
Whatever it used to be, it now seems to be an excuse for local dignitaries to have free holidays
Instead of learning about random cultures in school, kids get to learn about their twin town and exchange letters with kids who are learning about them.
But mostly, it’s just fun tourist publicity.
There’s no major reason – it’s a fun little program to encourage cooperation and community between twinned towns.
It was originally a post-WW2 thing between the UK and France, which is why most twinnings are between UK and French towns.
FYI, this isn’t just a thing in the UK/Europe.
For example – the city in Canada where I lived up until recently is twinned with Port Of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.
Quite why, I have no idea but I know where I’d rather spend my winters.
It’s a fun way to promote tourism and multiculturalism. In the US we call them “sister cities”
lol I live in florida and the culture warriors got upset about our city being twinned with some Chinese city probably from back in the Kissinger days. like our lagoons and waterways are being noticeably contaminated by literal doodoo and the manatees are starving because the lagoon is dead, and the city is being sued to release the water report that was voted to be conducted at the last midterm election. Also our sheriff has been accused of implying compensation for dropping out of races to multiple prospective candidates in various positions and generally acts like an emotionally stunted child.
But nah, fuck all that, this piece of paper that says Yueyang, China on it, that’s the real problem
The concept was started by the mayor of coventry, Alfred grindlay, in 1942 as a kind gesture to the people trapped in stalingrad forced to endure the war like conventry did during the blitz, with both cities officially becoming sister cities in 1944 with Kiel and dresden joing in 47′ and 56′ respectively and finally Belgrade in 57′ after the Yugoslavian ambassador gifted timber to be used for a new civic theater, now adays its to encourage economic cooperation or even promote tourism between cities and nations
Many towns in America have a “sister” city they sign up with. South America seems to be one that gets alot. The episode of parks and recs about it is pretty funny. In real life they have kids write pen pal letters and send basic art stuff to each other. To display in town squares and stuff.
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