Twin Towns and Central European Pilgrimage Sites

ANOR

Information about the town
The town of Anor is situated in northern France, 40 km south-east of Maubeuge on the French-Belgian border in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. The population is on the rise; in 2011, the town had 3,313 inhabitants. The area surrounding the town is dominated by a vast forest and several ponds. The town has a rural character and was historically influenced by blacksmithing and glassmaking. A twinning
agreement between the towns of Příbram and Anor was signed on 7 May 2005.

http://www.anor.fr/

FREIBERG

Information about the town
: Freiberg is a historic town in Saxony, in the foothills of the Ore Mountains, roughly halfway between Dresden and Saxon Kamenice. The town was founded around 1170 and for centuries was a centre for silver and ore mining. In the Middle Ages, Freiberg was one of the largest towns in the Meissen region and also housed a mint. Later, mining in the region declined and the town lost some of its importance for a time. In the second half of the 18th century, however, there was a massive industrial boom and Freiberg began to flourish once more. In 1765, a mining academy was founded here, now known as the Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg. Today, the town of Freiberg, with a population of almost 40,000, is a modern university town with a rich cultural life, proud of its mining traditions.
The partnership and cooperation agreement between the towns of Příbram and Freiberg was signed on 26 June 1999.

http://www.freiberg.de

HOORN

Information about the town
of Hoorn: it 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 around 70,000.
According to legend, the town was founded in 716 by the Frisian king Radbod. In 1297, Hoorn, along with the entire region of West Friesland, became part of the County of Holland. In 1357, William V of Holland granted Hoorn its town charter. The town experienced its greatest prosperity during the Dutch Golden Age, when it was an important port and a centre for overseas trade. Many of the impressive buildings in the town centre date from this period and are listed as historic monuments. The main attractions are the West Frisian Museum and the Noorderkerk church, dating from 1519. Willem Schouten, who sailed round Cape Hoorn in 1616 and named it after his hometown, was a native of Hoorn. A cooperation
agreement between the towns of Příbram and Hoorn was signed on 4 July 1992.

http://www.hoorn.nl/

KEŽMAROK 

Information about the town
The town of Kežmarok, with a population of approximately 16,000, is situated in northern Slovakia in the picturesque region of Spiš, beneath the High Tatras. The town was founded through the merger of several settlements of the original Slavic population with a settlement of German immigrants. Between the 15th and 19th centuries, more than 40 guilds operated in the town, and it ranked among the four most important towns in Slovakia. Many prominent writers, artists and scientists, renowned throughout Europe, studied and worked in the town. The town’s history, spanning more than seven centuries, is also reflected in its architecture, which encompasses styles ranging from Romanesque through Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque to Classicist. Visitors to the town can admire not only the castle, but also the rare medieval secondary school library at the Evangelical Lyceum, the wooden Evangelical church listed by UNESCO, the monumental Roman Catholic Basilica of the Holy Cross, the magnificent Renaissance bell tower and other monuments.
The partnership agreement between the towns of Příbram and Kežmarok was signed on 15 November 1997

http://www.kezmarok.sk/

Kežmarok: Top 10 facts about the town

KÖNIGS WUSTERHAUSEN

Information about the town
The town of Königs Wusterhausen is situated in the federal state of Brandenburg and has a population of around 36,000. It is a former royal retreat, rich in lakes and forests, which has retained its recreational character to this day. It lies in a lake district about 30 km south-east of Berlin. It borders the Berlin suburb of Schmöckwitz and is home to a terminus of the Berlin S-Bahn. Germans refer to the town as KW, which is an abbreviation not only of its name but also of the term ‘Kurzwelle’ (shortwave), given the local tradition of radio broadcasting.
A twinning agreement between the towns of Příbram and Königs Wusterhausen was signed in September 1974.

http://www.koenigs-wusterhausen.de/

VALLE DI LEDRO

Information about the town
The municipality of Ledro was formed by the merger of the former municipalities of Tiarno di Sopra, Tiarno di Sotto, Bezzecca, Concei, Pieve di Ledro and Molina di Ledro, which together formed the Union of Municipalities of Valle di Ledro. The municipality is situated in the province of Trentino, 40 km south-west of Trento. It has a population of over 5,000. Valle di Ledro is a popular tourist destination and ranks amongst the top ten most-visited holiday destinations in the Trentino region. Tourism in the Valle di Ledro is ideal for active holidays, including various outdoor activities, as well as for relaxing breaks. A major attraction is the lake, which is the centre for many sporting activities such as swimming, sailing, canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding.

Shared History
During the First World War, the Valle di Ledro belonged to South Tyrol, which was part of the then Austro-Hungarian Empire. As soon as Italy entered the war in May 1915, the Valle di Ledro became the southern Austro-Hungarian line of defence, and so the Austrian military commanders decided to evacuate the entire civilian population, who were subsequently relocated to the interior of the empire, including Bohemia and Moravia. The civilian population, consisting mainly of women, the elderly and children, was divided into groups, which were allocated to individual villages. In the Příbram district in particular, there were many large groups of refugees from Ledro, totalling 683 people divided among families in Příbram, Březové Hory, Milín, Nový Knín and other neighbouring villages. As a reminder of those difficult years and with the aim of re-establishing ties with Czech friends, a partnership agreement was drawn up in Valle di Ledro in 2008 between six municipalities from Valle di Ledro and eight Czech municipalities selected from among the many that had hosted refugees from Ledro during the First World War I. These are the municipalities of Buštěhrad, Chyňava, Doksy, Milín, Nový Knín, Příbram, Ptice and Všeň. A street near the lake in the village of Pieve in the Valle di Ledro was named after the town of Příbram.

In 2009, in the Basilica at Svatá Hora, in the presence of the mayors of the partner towns, some five hundred residents of Ledro and more than a thousand Czech friends, a monument made of bronze and granite was unveiled in memory of the more than four hundred residents of Ledro who are laid to rest in Czech and Moravian cemeteries.
The partnership agreement between the Association of Municipalities of the Valle di Ledro and eight Czech towns and municipalities (Příbram, Všeň, Milín, Buštěhrad, Nový Knín, Ptice, Chyňava, Doksy) was signed on 28 June 2008.

http://www.vallediledro.com/

VILLERUPT

Information about the town
: Villerupt is situated in the north-eastern part of France, not far from the border with Luxembourg. It has a population of approximately 9,700. Since 1976, the Italian Film Festival has been held annually in Villerupt. Villerupt is an industrial town (steel and metallurgy).
The twinning arrangement between the towns of Příbram and Villerupt dates back to before November 1989.

http://www.mairie-villerupt.fr/