Norwich's three twinned cities.

Alright?

Sorry I’m late. I spent today travelling to Kent, which takes longer than it should because of Norwich’s gravitational pull.

It’s the last Secret Norwich until the clocks change. Next Sunday, in the early hours, we move from BST back to GMT, which, for those wondering, means you get an extra hour of sleep, but also means it’s dark by the time Jarrolds closes.

Today, we’re talking about twins, but not the creepy kind of twins you might find in a horror film. Instead, I’m shining (pun intended) the Secret Norwich spotlight onto Norwich’s twinned cities.

Before that, tickets for the Halloween Norwich Pub Tour are still available. If you want to learn about the creepiest, spookiest parts of Norwich’s history through the eyes of its famous pubs, click the button below ⬇️

Norwich’s twins.

Norwich has three twin cities, which I suppose makes it one of a quadruplet. They are Rouen in France, Koblenz in Germany and, a bit of a wildcard, Novi Sad in Serbia.

It used to have a fourth twin, El Viejo (according to Google Translate, it means “The Old Man” in Spanish) in Nicaragua, but that “friendship link” was officially ended in 2022. Which I imagine must’ve been an awkward phone call.

The history of twinning dates back as early as the 9th century, but the modern version of twinning - i.e. the ones you see on road signs when you enter a new town or city - started in World War 2.

According to Wikipedia, it was Coventry that began this tradition in 1942, after withstanding the Coventry Blitz two years prior. The Mayor, a chap called Albert, sent a telegram to the people of Stalingrad, offering solidarity with the devastation they too had endured. It started a partnership that would last until 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Norwich’s first official twin was Rouen in France in 1959, though links with Koblenz were established in 1947.

Rouen, France.

Here’s a question you’ve probably never contemplated before: Would you rather live in the UNESCO City of Literature or the UNESCO City of Gastronomy?

Norwich and Rouen have both statuses covered, though only one is famous for its coveted duck dish.

Twinned in 1959, both cities were moulded by Viking and Norman history, and their continued partnership is currently managed by the Norfolk and Norwich Rouen Friendship Association (NNRFA).

Relations between the cities include a four-day visit every other year and, according to the NNRFA’s Facebook page, the occasional French film night. It’s all rather wholesome.

As is common for twinned cities, there’s a road in Norwich named after Rouen. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s Rouen Road.

Koblenz, Germany.

Koblenz and Norwich started their romance in 1947 as part of a nationwide effort to foster peace and understanding between previously warring nations.

This started with school trips and, in 1978, the relationship was made official: Norwich and Koblenz were ready to go public.

Described as "The Nation’s Best Heirloom”, Koblenz is one of Germany’s oldest cities.

Norwich’s partnership with Koblenz is championed by the Norfolk and Norwich Koblenz Friendship Association (NNKFA), which was formed in 1980 in the Sewell Barn Theatre, of all places.

I like to imagine the NNKFA and the NNRFA are mortal enemies, hellbent on scuppering each other’s foreign film nights with erronious subtitles and slightly stale popcorn.

But for all that I can tell, they get on just fine.

There’s a road named after Koblenz, too - Koblenz Avenue near the train station.

Novi Sad, Serbia.

In 1960, a delegation from Norwich was invited to the Yugoslavian Embassy to choose a city to be twinned with. Perhaps hundreds of cities were presented in a big Argos-catalogue-style folder, or maybe there were only a few to choose from.

Either way, the delegates of Norwich chose Novi Sad: the second-largest city in Serbia (annoyingly, Belgrade had already been snapped up by the pioneers of the twinned city, Coventry, who seem to be the village bicycle where city twinnings are concerned).

Novi Sad’s twin management team is called the Norfolk and Norwich Novi Sad Association (NNNSA). The astute amongst you will have noticed the conspicuous absence of a “Friendship” in the title here - an oversight that seems to have been addressed by naming a bridge in Norwich the Novi Sad Friendship Bridge.

Links have been established between Norwich and Novi Sad’s rotary groups and, heartwarmingly, fire brigades. Their Facebook Page is pretty active, and it seems they run fundraisers here and there.

Novi Sad has five official languages - 4.5 more than Norwich.

I’ve quite enjoyed researching these twinned cities, and may one day organise a Secret Norwich coach tour of them all. Who’s in?

See you next week,

Secret Norwich.

PS: Know a secret about Norwich? Reply and tell me about it.