The twinning between Coventry and Stalingrad was formalised in 1944 and, after the end of the war, similar links were established to foster friendship and understanding among former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation, with new twinnings between Coventry and German cities: Kiel as early as in 1947 and Dresden in 1956. The tablecloth can now be seen at the Panorama Museum of the Battle of Stalingrad. The comradeship between the two cities continued, when again in response to the Battle of Stalingrad, 830 women in Coventry – led by the subsequent Mayor Emily Smith – had their names embroidered on a tablecloth along with the words "Little help is better than big sympathy" and sent it, along with money (each donated six pence), to the people of Stalingrad. First conceived by the then Mayor of Coventry, Alfred Robert Grindlay, culminating in his renowned telegram to the people of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in 1942, the idea emerged as a way of establishing solidarity links between cities in allied countries that went through similar devastating events. More specifically, it was inspired by the bombing of Coventry on 14 November 1940, known as the Coventry Blitz. The modern concept of town twinning has its roots in the Second World War. While there are early examples of international links between municipalities akin to what are known as sister cities or twin towns today dating back to the 9th century, the modern concept was first established and adopted worldwide during World War II. For the phenomenon of cities located close to each other, see Twin cities.įingerposts in Oskarshamn, Sweden, listing its twin towns: Middelfart, Denmark Mandal, Norway Pärnu, Estonia Korsholm, Finland and Hibiscus Coast, South AfricaĪ sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. For the films, see Sister Cities (film) and Twin Town. "Sister cities", "Twin town", and "Partner city" redirect here.
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