Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union and the United Kingdom.
The name is a portmanteau of the French words "douze" for twelve and "jumelage" for twinning and stands for the twelve founder members, one for each European Union member state in 1991, when the Douzelage Charter was signed in Granville, France. Although the membership of the EU, and of the association, has grown, the name Douzelage has been kept unchanged. [1]
The aims of the Douzelage are to promote and foster the spirit of Europe and to establish among others educational, economic, tourist, sporting and cultural links between the towns for the mutual benefit of the inhabitants thereof. Douzelage is chaired by a president and two vice-presidents, all elected for a period of three years. The official language used is English, partially also French. [1]
The Douzelage movement received European recognition in 1993 when it was honoured by the European Commission with the "Golden Stars of Twinning". [1]
Following Brexit in 2020, the English town of Sherborne is no longer situated in an EU-member state. However, a 2018 Douzelage document states that the town "must not have any consequences related to the Brexit and continue as a member of Douzelage European Town Twinning", and as such has remained a member. [2]
Douzelage Youth is a program that brings together young people from Douzelage member cities with a similar purpose to the main Douzelage organization. [3]
Founder member (1991)
Current member (joined 1997–2018)
Former memberThe original 12 founding members were:
Altea, Spain
Bad Kötzting, Germany
Bellagio, Italy
Bundoran, Ireland
Granville, France
Holstebro, Denmark
Houffalize, Belgium
Meerssen, Netherlands
Niederanven, Luxembourg
Preveza, Greece
Sesimbra, Portugal
Sherborne, England, United KingdomTowns that joined later are:
In a first step of further expansion, five new towns joined the Douzelage in harmony with the European enlargement process:
Chojna, Poland (2004)
Kőszeg, Hungary (2004)
Sigulda, Latvia (2004)
Sušice, Czech Republic (2004)
Türi, Estonia (2004)Since 2007, eight further towns have joined the organisation:
Zvolen, Slovakia (2007)
Prienai, Lithuania (2008–2018)
Marsaskala, Malta (2009)
Siret, Romania (2010)
Agros, Cyprus (2011)
Škofja Loka, Slovenia (2011)
Tryavna, Bulgaria (2011)
Rovinj, Croatia (2016)In 2016, Finland changed its member:
Asikkala, Finland (2016)In 2018, Lithuania changed its member:
Rokiškis, Lithuania (2018)
Meerssen is a town and a municipality in southeastern Netherlands.
Oxelösund Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Oxelösund.
Holstebro Municipality is a municipality in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 801.55 km2 (309.48 sq mi), and has a population of 58,978. Its mayor is H. C. Østerby, a member of the Social Democratic party.
Houffalize is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium.
Judenburg is a historic town in Styria, Austria.
Zvolen is a town in central Slovakia, situated on the confluence of Hron and Slatina rivers, close to Banská Bystrica. It is surrounded by Poľana mountain from the East, by Kremnické vrchy from the West and by Javorie and Štiavnické vrchy from the South.
Niederanven is a commune Luxembourg, located north-east of Luxembourg City, and derives its name from principal town, Niederanven. As of 2018, it has a population of 6,156.
Karkkila is a town and a municipality of Finland.
Tryavna is a town in central Bulgaria, situated in the northern slopes of the Balkan range, on the Tryavna river valley, near Gabrovo. It is famous for its textile industry and typical National Revival architecture, featuring 140 cultural monuments, must and expositions. Tryavna is the birthplace of Bulgarian writer Pencho Slaveykov and revolutionary Angel Kanchev.
Altea is a city and municipality located in the Valencian Community, Spain, on the section of Mediterranean coast called the Costa Blanca.
Sigulda is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, 53 kilometres from the capital city Riga.
Siret is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 inhabitants, according to the 2021 census. It is one of the oldest towns in Romania and was the capital of the medieval Principality of Moldavia during the late 14th century. Furthermore, the town administers two villages: Mănăstioara and Pădureni.
Sesimbra is a municipality of Portugal, in the Setúbal District, lying at the foothills of the Serra da Arrábida, a mountain range between Setúbal and Sesimbra. Due to its particular position at the Setúbal Bay, near the mouth of the Sado River and its natural harbour, it is an important fishing town. The population in 2011 was 49,500, in an area of 195.47 km². The present Mayor is Francisco Jesus.
Rokiškis is a city in northeastern Lithuania with a population of about 14,400.
Sušice is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Kőszeg is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.
Bad Kötzting is a town in the district of Cham, in Bavaria, Germany, near the Czech border. It is situated in the Bavarian Forest, 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Cham.
Türi Parish is a rural municipality in Järva County, Estonia.
Sigulda Municipality is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2003 by merging Sigulda town, Sigulda Parish and More Parish. In 2009 it absorbed Allaži parish, too; the administrative centre being Sigulda. The population in 2020 was 17,992.
European Union: Members of the town twinning "Douzelage" | ||
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| Current members |  | |
| Former members | ||
