The mayor of Harpenden, Cllr Fiona Gaskell, has visited one of Harpenden's twin towns in Germany.
Mayor Cllr Gaskell went to Alzey with the Friends of Alzey group for a trip marking the 60th anniversary of the town-twinning partnership,
Bürgermeister Steffen Jung, mayor of Alzey, welcomed the mayor of Harpenden with a series of events and visits.
The programme culminated in a farewell dinner at which the mayor of Harpenden proudly presented a framed painting - specially commissioned by local artist Peter Brown - to her Alzey counterpart. In turn, mayor Cllr Gaskell received an engraved plaque to be displayed in the council chamber at Harpenden Town Hall.
Alzey is a bustling and picturesque market town located 30km southwest of Mainz in the centre of Rheinhessen, a winemaking region.
The visit coincided with Alzey's annual Wine Festival, a locally important occasion which celebrates the town’s wine heritage.
Alzey has an elected Wine Queen - a significant, well-regarded role for the town as an ambassador for Alzey and the Rheinhessen region helping to promote local wine production and its history.
After the visit, mayor Cllr Gaskell said: “We are immensely proud to have maintained such a cordial and successful partnership with both Alzey and Cosne over the years, even in the face of recent challenges.
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"Our relationship with these towns has forged long lasting friendships and has given everyone involved an opportunity to discover other cultures and create a deeper understanding and appreciation of each other’s way of life, as well as recognising our similarities.
"It was a great pleasure and privilege to be able to mark the 60-year anniversary of our twinning partnership with our friends in Alzey this year.”
The visit was one of a number of visits between the towns to have taken place over the past sixty years.
It is hoped that the town twinning relationships assists in developing a mutual understanding and appreciation of cultures, and appeals to people who would like to travel for new and meaningful experiences.
Many UK-German town twinning relationships were born from the movement for reconciliation following the Second World War, at a time when overseas travel was becoming more common.
Today, joining a Friends group allows members to connect with residents of the twin towns in a variety of ways, including both in-person and online.
Members can attend a variety of events and activities such as annual dinners, quizzes and conversation evenings.
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