Hello, I’m Cllr Philip Campagna – here with the fourth in a series of articles introducing Frome’s partner towns, formerly known as ‘twin towns’.
I’m delighted to announce that Frome’s musical scene will be represented in Murrhardt by The Frukes a couple of weeks, as they attend the annual partner towns meeting.
First, a little about our German partner town. Murrhardt is in the region of Baden-Württemberg in southeastern Germany, some 30 miles northeast of Stuttgart. It has around 15,000 inhabitants. Murrhardt is named after the river Murr and is on the site of a Roman settlement. Murrhardt is recognised as the heart of the Swabian Forest. It is a beautiful German town with a rich Roman and medieval history, set in stunning natural landscapes. It’s an ideal location for hiking, cycling, skiing and boasts a number of green parks with lakes and tranquil gardens.
Frome’s partner town Château-Gontier proposed that Frome should join their existing partnership with Murrhardt. A delegation visited Frome in 1981, followed by a music group in 1982. The partnership between Frome and Murrhardt was signed in 1983 by the then mayor of Frome, Bob Gooding and the mayor of Murrhardt, Helmut Götz, outside St John’s Church. Many exchanges and visits have taken place over the years – choirs, school groups, music groups, sports clubs. Many friendships have been established which remain strong to this day.
This year, Murrhardt is hosting the annual Partnership Meeting from 10th to 12th July. This is combined with the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Murrhardt Town Band. Each partner town has been asked to send a band to the celebrations, so I put out a call last summer and I’m so pleased that The Frukes will be attending.
That’s the last of the introductions to our partner towns but watch this space for information about future interactions with our friends and partners in Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne, Pieve di Soligo, Murrhardt and Rabka-Zdrój. As ever, if you’d like to find out more about the partnerships and how to get involved, perhaps with your sporting or cultural organisation, email me at pcampagna@frometowncouncil.gov.uk.
