TWENTY years ago, two towns that were worlds apart entered into an agreement that would bring them closer together.
Over the last two decades, Daventry and the German town of Westerburg have forged a strong and successful partnership and, above all, created friendships that might otherwise never have existed.
As part of the celebrations to mark this milestone in the relationship, Daventry Express senior reporter Stuart Kidman, joined a Daventry Twinning Association trip to Westerburg at the weekend to see why it is so important that the twinning arrangement exists

Leaving Stansted airport, I had no idea what to expect from the next three days. I found myself running over a few old phrases I remembered from my GCSE German classes, but there were few that I could realistically put into practice.

The flight lasts around an hour, and on our descent into Germany we could see the carpet of snow that had fallen the night before.

The amazing landscape – hills, valleys, forests and occasional small towns and villages – looked just like a scene from a Christmas card.

Having landed, we made our way to Westerburg by coach, crossing the Rhine in Koblenz and heading into the region known as the Westerwald.
Soon we were being welcomed by our German hosts at the hotel.

What immediately struck me was how good their English was. Young and old members of the Westerburg Twinning Association had an excellent knowledge of our language.

I was probably not the only one in our party wishing they’d paid more attention in those German lessons.

In Westerburg, the Christmas market was about to get into full swing and the whole town was blanched with a wintry coating of snow, making for a stunning view from the hill where our hotel was located.

The town is surrounded by steep, densely-forested hills on most sides, with an imposing castle nestled high above the houses.

The whole panorama provided a stunning backdrop to our short stay.
The evening of our arrival, we were invited to a Chinese buffet dinner at the nearby church hall with entertainment from the Kolbingen Band and the guitar group of the Konrad-Adenauer-Gymnasium.

Some young girls from Westerburg showed me the Pfefferkuchenmarkt (literally Pepper Cake Market) before it closed that evening and we drank hot Gluhwein, similar to mulled wine, as we watched the live swing and jazz singers in the town centre. Back at the hall, we saw a video compilation of twinning visits down the years, right back to the very moment the twinning was cemented in 1985.

On Saturday morning we visited an old disused shed near the main rail line through Westerburg where a group of volunteers are faithfully restoring a huge steam locomotive, along with a handful of other engines.

Westerburg

Their work, we were told, is entirely funded through donations – there are no grants or lottery cash available and they have been working there for three years, hoping to soon have the main locomotive ready for its first run.

This was one of the many community-spirited activities we were to experience during our stay.

A visit to the market was next on the agenda, giving us a few hours to fully experience the town centre.

Cue more Gluhwein and very tasty hot sausage soup.

T he Pfefferkuchenmarkt is just as you imagine a German Christmas market to be – full of stalls selling traditional German food and drink like pretzels, Brotwurst and Bratwurst, mustard, Sauerkraut, wine and, of course, beer.

There was a whole array of stalls featuring craft items, candles, pottery and ornaments and it seems as though the whole town gets involved in some way, either by running a stall, serving hot drinks or just turning up to look around.

Shops close around 2pm on Saturdays in Germany so I managed to explore a little.

A touch of England: This traditional British phone

Looking around, the homes in Westerburg make the town appear very affluent, but the Germans insist their country is currently ‘poor’.
If that’s the case, then it is must be in monetary terms alone, because our hosts were wonderfully welcoming and friendly throughout the trip.
Westerburg itself is picturesque and peaceful.

 
It is wonderfully unspoilt and looks cared for in every way. Nothing looks as though it needs repair or replacing and I’d imagine most of the people who live there feel safe and secure.

For our final evening, a special buffet dinner had been arranged at the town hall as a sort of ‘birthday party’ for the twinning. We ate the most amazing food and dessert as we were treated to excellent performances from talented local singers and dancers.

It was a shame to leave Westerburg and perhaps some of us secretly hoped the snow might delay our flight home.

But being back in England makes me appreciate my experience in Westerburg all the more.

The twinning is clearly more than just an association between two towns.

A real effort has been made to form a bond of friendship over the past 20 years and as we left, there was already talk of the next visit.

Westerburg may seem very far removed from Daventry in terms of geography and culture, but the people are closer than ever.

As Bernd Pappe, the chairman of Westerburg’s twinning association said on our final night: “If someone asked me why is the twinning so important, I would ask a question in return. What would it be like if there was no twinning?”