You will typically see indicators that point out Essex’s twin towns as you discover the county.
Towns are repeatedly twinned with different locations across the world with a purpose to develop connections, friendships and broaden understanding of tradition.
The fashionable thought of a twin city – or sister cities – got here to fruition after World War II. That was a direct results of the world’s makes an attempt to enhance relationships in addition to promote commerce and tourism following so many tumultuous years.
Here in Essex many areas are twinned with international towns and cities, significantly in close by European nations France and Germany.
Some even have connections with locations in Poland, Italy and the United States of America.
Here are all of Essex’s twin towns and how they compare to the locations we all know and love:
Barking and Dagenham
Dagenham High Street
(Image: Google Maps)
Barking and Dagenham are twinned with two towns – Tczew in Poland, and Witten in Germany.
On the London border, Barking and Dagenham are very busy areas in the south-west of Essex.
With a inhabitants of greater than 200,000, the space is nicely related to the metropolis.
However, it’s a controversial space relating to debate on whether or not it falls beneath Essex or London.
Tczew
Tczew is a city on the on the Vistula Riverto in the North of Poland.
Just over 60,000 folks stay there, so it’s considerably smaller than its Essex counterpart.
Each 12 months it hosts a well-known English language camp the place college students have the alternative to spend time with Americans to enhance their English expertise.
Witten
Witten is a college metropolis in the North Rhine-Westphalia area of Germany.
It has a inhabitants of just below 100,000 and is residence to the first personal college in the nation.
Witten has an extended historical past, with it first being talked about in official data in 1214.
Basildon
The Basildon signal
Basildon has two twin towns, one in Germany and one in France.
Found to the south of the county, Basildon has a inhabitants of 107,123.
Its proximity to London and huge housing estates, in addition to its street connections, make Basildon one in every of Essex’s busiest towns.
Possibly the most well-known sight lately is the mini Hollywood-style signal as you enter the city.
Heiligenhaus
The first of Basildon’s twin towns is Heiligenhaus in Germany.
Heiligenhaus is much smaller than its Essex twin, with simply over 26,000 folks dwelling there.
It will be discovered between Düsseldorf and Essen in the North Rhine-Westphalia.
Meaux
Basildon’s second twin city is Meaux in France.
Meaux is a commune (city) in France’s capital metropolis, Paris.
The city is greatest know for quite a lot of Brie that it produces in addition to an area mustard that’s made there.
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Billericay
Billericay High Street
Billericay is twinned with three different towns across the world.
Billericay has an extended historical past and is believed to have been occupied for way back to the Bronze Age.
Now largely a commuter city, Billericay additionally has some beautiful areas of magnificence together with Mill Meadows.
The city is greatest recognized for being the residence of Gavin in hit TV present Gavin and Stacey.
Fishers, Indiana
The first of Billericay’s twins is a metropolis in the US known as Fishers.
Fishers is in Indiana and grew to become a metropolis in 2012.
Its plotted historical past is nowhere close to as illustrious as Billericay’s, with its earliest point out in data in 1802.
Billerica, Massachusetts
Billericay has one other twin city in America, and it has a really related title.
Billerica truly takes its title from the Essex city as a few of the unique settlers moved from there.
It has a fairly lengthy historical past, with the city initially native American settlement.
Chauvigny
Billericay has been twinned with Chauvigny in France since 2005.
Chauvigny is a city in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine area in western France.
It is barely a small city, with a inhabitants of simply over 7000 in 2017.
Brentwood
Brentwood excessive avenue
Brentwood has two twin towns, one in Germany and one in France.
This Essex city might be most well-known as being the residence of TOWIE, and is the place most outsiders consider in relation to Essex.
Brentwood is an increasing city and in 2017 had a inhabitants of round 55,000.
Despite its latest developments, Brentwood additionally has rural areas, with numerous open areas.
Roth
Brentwood is twinned with Roth in Bavaria, Germany.
Roth has an extended recorded historical past with paperwork courting it again to 1060.
The important vacationer attraction in Roth is its fort, the Schloss Ratibor.
Montbazon
Brentwood’s second twin city is Montbazon in central France.
This city additionally has an extended historical past, courting again to 991 when a fortress was constructed there.
Montbazon is a really small city – in 2017 its inhabitants was 4,313.
Chelmsford
Chelmsford Cathedral
(Image: Chelmsford City Council)
Chelmsford is Essex’s solely metropolis and is in the coronary heart of the county.
It’s greatest know for being the birthplace of radio.
It has its personal cathedral in addition to being residence to Anglia Ruskin University.
Chelmsford has numerous open areas, together with Hylands Park, residence to the well-known V Festival.
Annonay
Annonay, in France, is the first of Chelmsford’s twins.
The first written file of Annonay is from 403 and it has an in depth historical past, together with having been devastated by the Black Death in the 1300s.
Annonay hosts a number of festivals annually, together with The Premier International Festival of Film.
Backnang
Backnang, in Germany, can also be twinned with Chelmsford.
It will be present in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg.
The city hosts a avenue pageant annually known as Strassenfest which attracts round 100,000 guests.
Colchester
Colchester Castle Park
Colchester is one in every of Essex’s greatest towns, with a inhabitants near 200,000.
It is Britain’s oldest recorded city, and was the capital metropolis in Roman instances.
Colchester is know for its lengthy, detailed historical past, with many well-known websites, together with Colchester Castle.
It can also be residence to the University of Essex.
Avignon
The first of Colchester’s 4 twin towns in Avignon in France.
Avignon can also be very nicely know for its historical past and has a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Its massive variety of historic stays have helped it develop into a serious vacationer city, like Colchester.
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Imola
Imola is a metropolis in Bologna, Italy.
It is a well-known metropolis, primarily because it was as soon as the host of the Formula One San Marino Grand Prix.
Imola can also be residence to a fort known as Rocca Sforzesca.
Wetzlar
Another of Colchester’s twins is Wetzlar in Germany.
This metropolis is know for its significance in the Roman empire because it was the seat of the Imperial Supreme Court.
Wetzlar has an extended, detailed historical past identical to Colchester, together with numerous Roman stays.
Yangzhou
Colchester’s closing twin is Yangzhou in China.
This is a really massive metropolis, with thousands and thousands of residents.
Historically Yangzhou is one in every of China’s richest cities and is thought for its well-known poets, students and artists.
Yangzhou has an extremely lengthy historical past with the first recorded settlements courting again to 485 BC.
Harlow
The Water Gardens in Harlow
(Image: The Water Gardens)
Harlow, a city in the West of Essex, has three twin towns.
Bordering Hertfordshire and London, Harlow is widespread with commuters and is one in every of Essex’s latest settlements.
Parts of Harlow are full of historical past, with the city talked about in the Doomsday Book.
Other areas are very fashionable, with some areas being constructed after WW2 and the city centre has not too long ago been regenerated.
Havířov
Harlow is twinned with Havířov, a metropolis in the Czech Republic.
Havířov was constructed after WW2 as a coal mining metropolis, and is the youngest metropolis in the nation.
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Tingalpa
Harlow can also be twinned with Tingalpa, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Tingalpa has seen a variety of growth lately, identical to Harlow.
The first correct settlement on this city was in the 1860s, however it’s nonetheless a really small city by way of inhabitants.
Vélizy-Villacoublay
Vélizy-Villacoublay, in central France, is one other of Harlow’s twins.
Found in the suburbs of Paris, Vélizy-Villacoublay did not get its title till 1938.
It’s a comparatively fashionable city.
Maldon
Promenade Park in Maldon
(Image: Visit Maldon)
Maldon has two twin towns, each in Europe.
Maldon is on the Blackwater Estuary and is thought globally for its manufacturing of Maldon Sea Salt.
This city has a really lengthy historical past and was one in every of solely two towns in Essex throughout the rule of the Anglo-Saxons.
Today, Maldon is greatest recognized for Promenade Park.
Cuijk
The first of Maldon’s twin towns is Cuijk in The Netherlands.
Cuijk is a commuter city near the German border.
Like Maldon, Cuijk has a variety of historical past and dates again to pre-historic instances.
Villeparisis
Maldon’s second twin city is Villeparisis in France.
Villeparisis is in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, simply 13.5 miles away from the centre of the capital.
It is thought for its nation parks and historic church buildings.
Southend-on-Sea
Sunbathers having fun with Southend seaside
(Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
Essex seaside city Southend-on-Sea may be very widespread with these on the lookout for a day at the seaside.
It is well-known for its theme park, Adventure Island and for having the longest pier in the world.
Southend has a inhabitants of round 183,000 folks, making it Essex’s most populous space.
Sopot
Southend solely has one twin city – Sopot in Poland.
Sopot is just like Southend in that it’s a seaside resort.
It is a serious vacationer city, and has the longest wood pier in Europe.
Tendring
Clacton seaside and pier
(Image: Essex Live)
Although it’s a district and not a city by itself, Tendring has three twins.
The largest city in Tendring is Clacton-on-Sea, one in every of Essex’s hottest seaside resorts.
Tendring additionally contains Frinton, Walton, Brightlingsea, Harwich, St Osyth and Great Bentley.
Biberach an der Riss
Biberach an der Riss in Germany is twinned with Tendring.
Unlike Tendring, Biberach may be very far from the coast, and in the far south of the nation.
It has a river flowing by means of it and is an industrial metropolis.
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Świdnica
Tendring can also be paired with the Polish city Świdnica.
Świdnica has an extended historical past and was as soon as well-known for its beer manufacturing.
It can also be residence to the oldest restaurant in Europe and may be very well-known for its cathedral.
Valence
Tendring’s third twin city is Valence in France.
Valence is discovered on the left financial institution of the Rhône, one in every of Europe’s main rivers.
It is commonly known as “the door to the South of France” due to its Southern tradition.
Thurrock
Lakeside procuring centre in Thurrock
Thurrock is the residence of Grays, Tilbury, Purfleet, Corringham and Stanford-le-Hope.
It is inside the Thames Gateway and a part of the London Commuter Belt, being very near the metropolis centre.
Thurrock’s greatest know attraction is Lakeside Shopping Centre.
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach in Germany the first of Thurrock’s twin towns.
It is a metropolis which has 4 boroughs and 44 districts, and may be very distant from the capital metropolis, Berlin.
Tourism is a big a part of the economic system in Mönchengladbach and it’s well-known for its artwork museums in addition to its historical past.
Płock
Thurrock can also be twinned with Plock in Poland.
Plock is a metropolis in central Poland and was as soon as the capital metropolis of the nation.
The metropolis has a really lengthy and detailed historical past, particularly relating to faith. It is known for the Divine Mercy Sanctuary, the place the apparition of Jesus to Saint Faustina Kowalska came about.
