Hoorn

On 4 July 1992, a twinning agreement was signed between the Dutch town of Hoorn and the Czech town of Příbram.Since the agreement was signed, the Committee for Foreign Relations at Příbram Town Hall and the Dutch Hoorn–Příbram Towns Foundation have organised annual reciprocal exchange events, known as the ‘Big Visit’. Accommodation was mostly with host families, and the friendships formed between the families are, for the most part, still maintained today.

Mutual cooperation is developing in the fields of education (student exchanges), culture (joint exhibitions, choir performances), healthcare (work placements for doctors and nurses), sport (sporting matches in Hoorn and Příbram; cyclists from Hoorn have travelled to Příbram and vice versa), librarianship, care for the elderly, children with intellectual disabilities, amateur radio and fire safety, the integrated rescue system, and tourism.

It is worth mentioning certain events that have helped to strengthen these very good partnership relations: these include exhibitions of works by artists from Příbram in Hoorn and by artists from Hoorn in Příbram, concerts by mixed choirs in Příbram and a performance by the Příbram Chamber Mixed Choir in Hoorn, the exhibition ‘The Netherlands – Land of Water’ at the Q-Club in Příbram, an exhibition of promotional goods from Příbram-based businesses and an exhibition of photographs dedicated to the history of our republic and the town of Příbram, which took place in Hoorn. Internships for doctors and nurses from Příbram at hospitals in Hoorn are also a significant benefit. In 2010, relations between the music schools were renewed. Compared with other towns, Příbram has developed the closest ties with the town of Hoorn.

Information about the town

Hoorn was founded in the 14th century as a centre for trade and fishing. It is situated in the province of North Holland – West Friesland, 40 km north-east of Amsterdam on the western shore of the IJsselmeer, the largest lake in the Netherlands, and has a population of 70,000.

The town has a well-preserved historic centre with a wealth of monuments. Visitors can learn about the town’s history at the West Frisian Museum, which houses extensive folklore collections.

http://www.hoorn.nl/

http://www.stedenbandhoorn.nl/

Visit from Hoorn – September 2012
: Twenty years of twinning

From 20 to 23 September 2012, a delegation from our twin town of Hoorn visited our town to mark the 20th anniversary of the twinning. The delegation, led by Mayor Onno van Veldhuizen, was received at Příbram Town Hall by Deputy Mayor Dr Ivan Šedivý. They then set off to present a donation from our guests to a selected organisation – the Municipal Nursery and Day Care Centre. The director of the facility, Mgr. Jitka Šnypsová, accepted two cheques (each for 250 euros, one from the town of Hoorn and one from its international committee). As part of the organised programme, the Dutch guests had the opportunity to tour the Brdy Military Training Area, accompanied by Councillor Ing. Juraj Molnár. Many of them were probably picking mushrooms for the first time in their lives and were truly delighted. The visit concluded with a ceremony at the Belvedere Hotel restaurant, where the guests received a gift from the people of Příbram – a wooden carved relief featuring the coats of arms of both towns. The relief was crafted by pupils at the Waldorf School.

On Saturday, the free programme continued with a visit to the Svatohorská Šalmaja, a tour of other places of interest, a visit to Prague, and so on. The presence of the Dutch guests was also noted by the young visitors to Svatohorská Šalmaja, who went home with their faces painted by two artists.

20th Anniversary of the Twinning 1992–2012

On 4 July, the town of Příbram and the Dutch town of Hoorn are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their twinning. Over this period, the partnership between our towns has deepened considerably. Mutual cooperation is developing in many areas, particularly in education, culture, healthcare, sport and others. A number of these relationships are already operating independently and at a very high standard.

We are celebrating the 20th anniversary throughout this year.

In April, an exhibition entitled ‘Occupation and Liberation’ took place in Hoorn, to which Příbram contributed its records of events in the Příbram region at the end of the Second World War, including the final battle at Slivice. The exhibition was curated by Dr Josef Velfl, Director of the Příbram Mining Museum.

In May, the Primary School of Arts on T. G. Masaryk Square visited Hoorn as part of a reciprocal exchange between young musicians and visual artists.

On 7 June, the František Drtikol Gallery in Příbram hosted the opening of an exhibition of paintings by artists Titi Smit and Randi Vettewinkel to mark the visit of a delegation from Hoorn. The exhibition can be viewed until 15 July 2012.

From 20 to 23 September, the celebrations will culminate with a visit from 20 guests from Hoorn who were involved in the partnership’s inception. Furthermore, cooperation is beginning to develop between football clubs and staff of the integrated emergency services.

 “I am delighted that, 20 years on, relations between our towns are excellent and that we have a mutual interest in continuing and further developing our cooperation,” says MVDr. Josef Řihák, the mayor.

The 20th anniversary of the partnership 1992–2012

On 4 July 2012, the partnership between the towns of Příbram and Hoorn (Netherlands) celebrated its 20th anniversary. Our partnership has deepened over this period. Mutual cooperation is being developed in various fields, particularly in education, culture, health, sport and others. Many of these relationships have already been progressing very well independently.

We are celebrating our 20th anniversary throughout this year. In April, Příbram took part in the exhibition ‘Occupation and Liberation in Hoorn’ with its contribution on ‘The Last Battle of the Second World War in Europe at Slivice in the Příbram Region’.

In May, the School of Arts and Music on T. G. Masaryk Square visited Hoorn as part of a reciprocal exchange between young musicians and artists.

On 7 June, the opening of an exhibition by the Hoorn-based painters Titi Smit and Randi Vettewinkel took place at the František Drtikol Gallery in Příbram to mark the visit of a delegation from Hoorn.

From 20 to 23 September, the celebrations will reach their climax with a visit from 20 guests from Hoorn, who have been part of our partnership from the very beginning. Furthermore, cooperation is developing between football clubs and staff working in the emergency services.

I am delighted that our partnership remains so strong after 20 years and that we share a mutual interest in continuing and developing our cooperation. MVDr. Josef Řihák, Mayor

Exhibition by female artists from Hoorn

As part of the 20th anniversary of the twinning between the towns of Příbram and Hoorn (Netherlands), the František Drtikol Gallery in Příbram and Stichting Stedenband Hoorn-Příbram organised an exhibition featuring the works of artists Titi Smit and Randi Vettewinkel. The exhibition opening took place on 7 June and the exhibition will run until 15 July 2012 at the František Drtikol Gallery in Příbram. Accompanying the artists were a representative from the municipal department for culture and the arts, the director of the De Blauwe Schuit cultural and educational centre, and members of the international committee. During their four-day visit, the guests met with the directors of Příbram’s cultural organisations at the town hall, visited Příbram’s primary art schools, toured the Mining Museum and Svatá Hora, and also travelled to Prague.

Visit from Hoorn 2008
We welcomed distinguished guests from Hoorn

From 29 October to 2 November 2008, Příbram hosted the regular visit by citizens from Hoorn. Thirty-six people took part in the visit; amongst the participants were official representatives of the town of Hoorn, members of the foreign affairs committee and residents who regularly take part in the exchange programme and host residents of our town during their visits to Hoorn.
During this visit, roughly half of the guests were accommodated with families in Příbram, whilst the other half stayed in a hotel. We had prepared a varied programme for our guests. As is now traditional, on the second day of the visit we divided the whole group into several smaller groups according to their professions and interests; the individual groups then visited Příbram Town Hall, the Job Centre, the Příbram Regional Hospital, the Bratří Čapků Primary School, Příbram Grammar School, the Mining Museum, the Vojna Memorial, the ‘Na Litavce’ football stadium and Oxygen. In some groups, students from Příbram Grammar School helped us with interpreting. Our guests also attended a lecture and a tour of the Regional School of European Studies in Příbram. One afternoon, together with the director of the František Drtikol Gallery, we officially opened an exhibition by artists from Hoorn – members of the visiting delegation who had brought their works with them and organised the exhibition for the local community. As part of their visit, our guests visited the open-air museum in Střední Povltaví and Dobříš Castle.
To round off the visit, we organised a farewell evening for the guests from our twin town and for the families in Příbram who had hosted them and spent their free time with them. The whole

exchange was a success; we shared many valuable experiences with one another. The event was supported by a grant from the European Union.

Fifteen Years of Partnership 2007 – Příbram – Hoorn

At the beginning of September this year, celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of the twinning between our towns took place in Hoorn, the Netherlands. However, it was not just this anniversary that prompted the town of Hoorn to don its festive finery – 2007 also marks the 650th anniversary of the town being granted its charter.

The five-day event, organised by the Dutch side under the name ‘Big Visit’ to mark the anniversary of the twinning, was indeed packed with a wide variety of cultural and social activities. Due to the work commitments of the mayor, MVDr. Josef Řihák, the Big Visit was attended on behalf of our town’s leadership by the second deputy mayor, MVDr. Václav Beneš, and City Councillor JUDr. Vladimír Kyselák. The official delegation also comprised 10 members of the Foreign Affairs Committee and other residents of Příbram who are currently involved in the partnership between our towns or who have made a significant contribution to its development in the past.

Course of the meeting

Day One (5 September 2007)
Upon our arrival in Hoorn in the late afternoon of the first day, we were welcomed at the Nadorst restaurant by representatives of the town and the Stedenband, Hoorn’s committee for the partnership with the town of Příbram. As well as the excellent dinner prepared for us by the people of Hoorn, we also had the opportunity to get to know our host families better. At the end of the evening, our entire delegation was divided amongst the host families, who then looked after us throughout our stay in Hoorn.

Day Two (6 September 2007)
The morning of the second day was devoted to work in six working groups. The Příbram delegation was divided into working groups according to the areas of expertise of its individual members: Education, Environment, Tourism, Sport, Culture and Local Government. The working groups provided ample opportunity to exchange experiences and information, and to discuss the functioning of our and Dutch institutions, civil society organisations and society in general.
The delegation then attended the opening of an exhibition by artists from Příbram, entitled “Příbram”, which was opened by Petr Mareš, the Czech Ambassador to the Netherlands.
In the afternoon, the foreign affairs committees of our towns met for a joint session devoted primarily to the prospects for further partnership cooperation, its focus and how to make it more effective. The work of our foreign committees has recently been affected by personnel changes following last year’s local elections in the Czech Republic and the forthcoming generational change within Stedenband. These personnel changes have brought with them certain challenges regarding the continuity of the committees’ work. The committees agreed on the need for more frequent face-to-face contact as a means of enhancing the effectiveness and flexibility of the work on both sides.
The joint meeting was followed by a gala dinner attended by Petr Mareš, the Czech Ambassador to the Netherlands.
The evening also featured a cultural programme at the Oosterkerk church, where the Hoorn Chamber Choir performed a selection of Czech and Dutch national songs. This was followed by a concert organised by the Czech Dreams agency, which enriched the cultural evening with works by Brahms, Surzyński and Dvořák, performed by Roman Janal (baritone) and Wacław Golonka (organ).

Day Three (7 September 2007)
The morning of the third day was also devoted to work in six working groups – or rather, to completing their work – after which we took a tour of Hoorn’s historic centre. Before lunch, we visited the Westfries Museum and an exhibition of Czech glass entitled ‘Glasnost’.
In the late afternoon, a social evening was officially opened at the Nadorst restaurant, attended by the Mayor of Hoorn, Mr van Veldhuizen. Right at the start of the evening, the Czech-Dutch professor Hans Renner gave a lecture entitled “On the Two Sides of the Mirror”. In it, he compared, in a highly original manner and with a touch of humour, the fundamental aspects of the Czech and Dutch national characters, the circumstances that shaped them, and the level of general awareness each country has of its partner nation. Professor Renner’s lecture sparked a surprisingly lively discussion, during which participants spoke not only of the differences between us but also of what unites us.
The social evening culminated in speeches by representatives of both delegations and the mutual exchange of gifts between the twin towns. Given that we had travelled to Hoorn by coach, the gifts from the Dutch side were somewhat surprising – one was a four-seater children’s carousel, the other a large model of a famous historic building, the original of which is situated in Hoorn on De Rode Steen square. From the Příbram side, in addition to a gift basket – the main gift from the town of Příbram – small symbolic gifts were also presented to the host families, and members of the Stedenband were given a traditional bottle of Becherovka. The gala dinner was followed by a social evening filled with music and dancing.

Day Four (8 September 2007)
In the morning, we attended a ceremonial gathering symbolically named “Friendship”, which took place at the Oosterkerk church. Here, our delegation had the opportunity to meet representatives from Beersel in Belgium and Lewes in the USA. Immediately after the event, those present moved to the other end of Hoorn, where the mayor, Mr van Veldhuizen, officially unveiled the name of the new street – Vriendschaplaan (Friendship Avenue).
On Saturday afternoon, the Czech Dreams agency organised a performance by a Czech cimbalom band, which took place in the cosy restaurant de Waag. As well as dancing and a tasting of Moravian wines with expert commentary from a professional winemaker, this gathering provided an opportunity for a friendly get-together with our hosts.

Day five and the following days (9 September 2007 – ???)
In the morning, our delegation’s coach set off back to the Czech Republic. This brought the celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of the partnership between our towns to a close. They certainly provided many positive experiences, improved mutual knowledge and understanding, and helped to forge a number of personal contacts.

However, the celebrations also provided a good opportunity to take stock and reflect on the significance of the partnership as a whole. From this perspective, we can state that, after 15 years, relations between the towns of Příbram and Hoorn are at a very good level and that we have a mutual interest in continuing and further developing our cooperation. The exchange of knowledge and experience, and the contacts between people at various levels within the framework of the partnership between our towns, are the most effective tools for self-reflection and self-discovery.

The International Relations Committee of Příbram Town Council would therefore like to reach out to other associations, organisations, schools and others in Příbram who are interested in establishing cooperation with organisations in Hoorn. We will assist you in finding suitable partners in Hoorn and in making the initial contacts that may lead to the establishment of your partnership. You can find out more and register at the Department of Culture, Sport and Information Services at Příbram Town Hall, or via the town’s website.

Hoorn 2009
Big Visit Hoorn 2009 – Final Report

The visit to Hoorn took place from 16 to 20 September 2009. This was a regular reciprocal event between the twin towns of Příbram and Hoorn (Netherlands). The Czech delegation comprised the town’s leadership, together with staff from the town hall, representatives of the municipal police, representatives of the fire brigade, representatives of the Commission for Foreign Relations of the Příbram Town Hall, representatives of the secondary medical school – paramedic course, and hosts from the previous visit.

The main topic was the ‘Integrated Rescue System’, whilst traditional areas of cooperation, such as tourism and business, culture, sport and education, were also covered.

The largest group, representing the Integrated Rescue System, took a keen interest in touring the emergency control centre in Alkmaar, the Westfriese Omringdijk base, and, of course, the Hoorn fire station and the police station in Hoorn. Representatives of the tourism and business group took part in a boat trip focusing on prominent tourist attractions. They then toured the harbour and the historic part of Hoorn. They also visited the Hoorn multi-purpose community centre with its theatre. Part of this group visited the traditional Saturday markets in Hoorn. Members of the culture group took an active part in a workshop at the De Blauwe Schuit Hoorn arts centre. They also visited the Westfries Museum and the historic town of Enkhuizen. The sports group visited the new sports centre in Hoorn. Representatives of the education group were invited to one of the secondary schools in Hoorn.

All the specialist groups took part together in the opening of an exhibition by artists from Příbram (modern posters) and an informal game entitled ‘Discover the history and attractions of Hoorn’. The entire delegation from Příbram, together with their hosts from Hoorn, attended a social evening at the Ooster Kerk church.

The significance of the ‘Big Visit Hoorn 2009’ event lay in the informal way in which participants were introduced not only to professional matters but also to the history and points of interest of the partner town of Hoorn, including a very good opportunity to exchange experiences. Another significant aspect was the presentation of the town of Příbram abroad. Participants in the event had an excellent opportunity to improve their foreign language skills.