Town Twinning
Serbian Council supports the idea of town twinning between cities and municipalities in Serbia and Great Britain.
It brings people together.
It helps bring nations together.
The tradition of friendships between towns, and twinning with cities across Europe, was very popular in former Yugoslavia. With the break up of the country, and a decline in relations between Serbia and most other European countries, especially the UK, the communications slowed down to a halt, the visits grew fewer and eventually stopped.
Thanks to a few dedicated individuals, this valuable tradition has been restored for two cities that begun their friendship many years ago: Belgrade and Coventry and Novi Sad and Norwich.
You can help start the twinning or city partnership programme for your town – one where you were born in, back home, and the other which is home now!
Contact your local authority and get them interested in a town or municipality in Serbia with which they could start a twinning programme. Contact a museum in a town where you live and check whether they would be interested in hosting an exhibition from Serbia.
For ideas, visit the site of Local Government International bureau: www.lgib.uk/international
Belgrade -Coventry
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The Belgrade Theatre , Belgrade Square,
Coventry CV1 1GS www.Belgrade.co.uk
The Belgrade Theatre was the first civic theatre to be built after the war and was opened in March 1958, part of a large scale re-development of the City of Coventry. Now an English Heritage grade II listed building, the Belgrade acquired its name in recognition and thanks for a gift of timber from the Yugoslav city of Belgrade that was used extensively in the construction of the auditorium.
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On this page you will read how Slavica from Coventry single-handedly brought Belgrade back into step: in 2004, she worked together with The Tourist Organisation of Belgrade on their visit to Coventry, which was crowned with a successful tourist presentation. In 2005, she took part in various projects involving children – most notably the celebration of friendship in July, and organising the visit of children from Coventry to Decje radosti in Blgrade, followed by visit of children from Belgrade to Coventry in October.
Novi Sad - Norwich
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For years they have tirelessly collected aid and funds, organised visits to Novi Sad for Brtish companies and officials, set up seminars and training for local government officials in Novi Sad, helped smal businesses in Novi Sad become self sustained, initiated projects like wine tours of the Fruska gora region or using Danube as the natural link for environmental projects. Excellent results and excellent cooperation with the municipal and regional authorities in and around Novi Sad led to Mr Beckley’s title of Honorary Major of Novi Sad in the UK. And there is the story about the bridge, as well…