Cirencester Town Council - Twinning with Itzehoe

On Wednesday 2nd April 2008, Andrew Tubb, Chief Executive Officer, and Councillor Mrs Shirley Alexander, Mayor of Cirencester, greeted the 42 visitors, made up of officials and residents from the north German town, Itzehoe, to mark the quarter of a century twinning celebrations with Cirencester.

During their stay there were specially arranged visits to places such as the Royal Agricultural College and the Corinium Museum and on Saturday, April 5, an official ceremony took place in the Gallery & Conference Suite in Cirencester's Bingham House, 1 Dyer Street.

Richard Kent, Chairman of the Twinning Association, Mayor of Cirencester Councillor Shirley Alexander, Rudiger Blaschke from Itzehoe and Andrew Tubb, Chief Executive Officer at Cirencester Town Council.

The Mayor of Cirencester, Shirley Alexander, and Mayor of Itzehoe, Rüdiger Blaschke, signed a Statement of Intent, celebrating the past 25 years and declaring that the two towns wished to continue and strengthen their relationship.

Herr Blaschke said: "Europe is growing together and we are an important part of this process." He added: "Thank you very much to all the lovely people of Cirencester who opened their houses and let us in. Thank you for your generosity."

The Chairman of Cirencester Twinning Association, Richard Kent, who was amongst the first group of visitors to the German town in October 1982, praised the teamwork of all those involved by saying "A lot of people played their part; it was well planned and well received." Andrew Tubb added "Everybody had a good time and we're looking forward to the next 25 years."

On Thursday, 4th October 2007, Andrew Tubb, Chief Executive Officer, and Councillor Mrs Shirley Alexander, Mayor of Cirencester, travelled to Hamburg for a four-day trip to attend the celebrations marking the 25th Anniversary of Cirencester's twinning link with Itzehoe.

Richard Kent. Mayor of Itzehoe. Itzehoe Chief Executive Officer. Shirley Alexander.

A replica of the iconic hare mosaic in the Corinium Museum was presented to civic leaders in Itzehoe by the Mayor.

Richard Kent, Chairman of the Cirencester Twinning Association (pictured on the far left of the photograph) commissioned the three-foot wide replica mosaic because he felt it would be a fitting present for the town.

Debbie Stirling and Anya Burzec, two of nine artists who run Number Nine in Silver Street, Cirencester, a cooperative of local artists who sell handmade art, created the copy of the Roman original. "It took us many hours because all the pieces had to be hand cut," she said. "It's great that a little bit of history has been brought up to date and it's very exciting that it's going off to Itzehoe. It was a really nice project to do."

Mr Kent said he thought the mosaic was superb. "It's terrific," he said. "I am sure the people of Itzehoe will be very happy."

Itzehoe in Brief

Itzehoe has about 33,000 people and is located in the northern most state of Germany. It is situated between marsh and forests and is a very idyllic city. Lying on the Stör River, Itzehoe is the county capital of Steinburg.

Itzehoe is the oldest town in Holstein. Its nucleus was a castle built in 809 by Count Egbert against the Danes. The community which sprang up around it was variously called Esseveldoburg, Eselsfleth and Ezeho. In 1201 the town was destroyed but was restored in 1224. The new town was granted the Lübeck rights by Adolphus IV in 1238, and the old town in 1303. During the Thirty Years' War Itzehoe was twice destroyed by the Swedes, in 1644 and 1657, but was rebuilt on each occasion. It passed to Prussia in 1867 with the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein.

The architecture throughout Itzehoe is varied and beautiful. Itzehoe has a town charter dating from 1238 and is proud of its' numerous historical monuments. The church of St Lawrence, dating from the 12th century, is noteworthy. The town has a convent founded in 1256, many schools, a hospital and other benevolent institutions. Itzehoe is also the location of the Wenzel Hablik Museum. Itzehoe is a busy commercial place.

The old Town Hall is almost 300 years old but has since been modernised. Today meetings and sessions take place in the Assembly House of Estates. The new Town Hall built in 1981 stands directly opposite the old one and is built in the castle style of former fortifications.

At one time there was a "field smithy". Now the pedestrian zone in the old shopping area now bears the name "Feldschmiede" and is a delightful place to shop. In 1972 the Holstein Centre was built. It is a large undercover shopping centre and quickly proved to be a magnet for the surrounding area and far beyond. This provides a relaxed shopping experience which is helped by the fact that the car park is available to customers free of charge.