On April 22, 1989, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Wiesbaden City Council in Germany, signed a formal friendship and twinning agreement.
Twinning agreements are civic agreements between two towns or cities to promote trade, tourism and culture.
Close links with Wiesbaden, which is in the western German state of Hesse, were first forged by local ex-servicemen in 1960 who visited the city to meet German soldiers that had fought in the war.
A formal agreement twining Tunbridge Wells and Wiesbaden was signed almost 20 years later.
A number of international companies have their German or European headquarters in Wiesbaden, including Porsche and Ferrari and it is also one of Germany’s wine-growing regions.
Wisebaden is located near to Frankfurt, around 700 km from its Kent twin, and like Tunbridge Wells it is a spa town, boasting thermal springs, first documented in Roman times.
Michael Holman, president and former chairman of the Tunbridge Wells Twinning and Friendship Association, said although both places were spa towns, the ‘twins’ were far from identical.
“It was hard work, I am sure, to convince Wiesbaden, a town of now, 300,000 people, to twin with a little tiddler like Tunbridge Wells,” he recalled.
“Our population of the Borough is only about 120,000. At the time, it would have been much less.
“It’s a town on a grand scale, compared with Tunbridge Wells. But Tunbridge Wells has its attractions and is a lovely town to visit.”
Some of Tunbridge Wells’ attractions have direct links with Wiesbaden, such as the bicycle-shaped cycle-stands, made by a blacksmith from the German town, and the Wiesbaden plaque incorporated into the water feature at The Pantiles’ 1887 building – referencing the fact that both towns were founded on springs.
Over the years, schoolchildren have enjoyed sporting exchanges, musical co-operation and even work experience exchanges.
During the pandemic, the twinning association has worked to keep up the rapport, relying on all the hallmarks of a long-distance relationship: correspondence, Zoom calls, and newsletters.
Now that the ‘twins’ can finally travel after two years of pandemic restrictions, the complications of Brexit remain, which have made arranging paid student work placements even more complicated than the paperwork for dutiable goods such as wine, Mr Holman said.
He then added: “In August this year, unable to take part in the Wiesbaden Wine Festival, we sent 100 bottles of wine from Biddenden to Wiesbaden for their celebration of a twin town wine festival.”
A spokesperson for Wiesbaden’s city administration’s international relations and town twinning department said the city was looking forward to celebrating the anniversary of being twinned with Tunbridge Wells, adding: “Many activities are planned by our partnership association in this year.”
She added a visit by the new Chairman of Wiesbaden’s twinning assocation, Dr Friedrich Schrecker is taking place in Tunbridge Wells this week.
