The Stroud District is twinned with Landkreis Göttingen, the rural area surrounding the historic university city of Göttingen in Lower Saxony, Germany.
This link dates back to July 1951, when a party of young people from the town of Duderstadt visited Stroud. The following month saw a return visit by 50 Stroud teenagers. Both visits were arranged by Stroud's youth worker. In those days, Duderstadt lay only a few miles from the Iron Curtain, while in Britain, food was still rationed.
Over the years, many thousands of people visited each other's towns, countless friendships were formed and many groups undertook regular exchanges. In 1969, formal twinning links were established between the then Stroud Urban District Council and Duderstadt. During the 1970s, local government reorganisation took place in both countries. Stroud was absorbed into the Stroud District and Duderstadt was absorbed into Landkreis Göttingen, leading to the twinning link we have today.
Today's link remains as strong as ever. Stroud District Council is responsible for the civic twinning between the two councils, while the Stroud District Twinning Association is responsible for community links. The Association is chaired by Cllr Barbara Tait.
Other twinning links:-
- Bisley - Plessala (F/Brittany) www.bisley-with-lypiatt.gov.uk
- Dursley - Bovenden (D)
- Frampton on Severn - Bourgarre (F/Brittany)
- Leonard Stanley - Dozulé (F/Calvados)
- Minchinhampton - Nkokoto (Tanzania)
- Nailsworth - Lèves (F)
- Slimbridge - St Georges du Vievre (F)
- Stroud(Town) - Saint Ismier (F) www.stroudconnect.org.uk
- Wotton under Edge - Beaumont le Roger (F/Eure) www.wotton-under-edge.org
