Trip marks 35 years of relationship
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
TWINNERS from Forres are set to strengthen links with Germany on the 35th anniversary of the town's link to the country.
Sixteen members of the Forres-Vienenburg Twinning Association (FVTA) are setting off from Inverness Airport on Thursday to visit twin-towns Vienenburg and Goslar.
FVTA chairman Dave MacFarquhar is looking forward to the trip.
He said: "Our party will be hosted by members of the FVTA and, after the official celebrations on the Friday, the group will be entertained in Goslar, the neighbouring city of which Vienenburg is now officially a part, before visiting the Volkswagen complex in Wolfsburg and an exhibition in Vienenburg marking the 30th anniversary of the end of the Cold War."
Vienenburg, population 11,000, has been twinned with Forres since 1984. It lies six miles from the city of Goslar, capital of the Goslar district. It has a lake (surrounded by the Forres Path), an open-air swimming pool and the oldest railway station in Germany.
Goslar, population 42,000, has been twinned with Forres since 2016. It is known for its medieval old town, half-timbered houses and its 11th-century Imperial Palace. The nearby Rammelsberg Mountain is the location of an important silver, copper, and lead mine, the only mine which had been working continuously for over 1000 years when it finally closed in 1988. It os now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"The twinning was first set up at the height of the Cold War," said Mr MacFarquhar. "The partnership was particularly fascinating for those intrepid earlier travellers to Vienenburg, situated only a few metres from the Iron Curtain. Five years later, the wall which divided Germany into east and west came down, amid great rejoicing and emotional scenes on both sides.
He added: "Over the last 35 years, many exchanges have taken place - and continue to take place - involving adults, school pupils, choirs, young footballers and fire brigades, and there is a determination on both sides to maintain and develop these contacts."
