Bath Alkmaar
Eight decades of international friendshipTwinning Association
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CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP
A week-long programme of events, exhibitions, visits and talks is being held in Bath to mark 80 years since the city first linked with the city of Alkmaar, in the Netherlands. “Alkmaar 80 Week” will run from the 7th to the 11th July.
The link between the two cities was established in 1945. Bath decided to raise money and donate clothes and food to help the Dutch city recover from the effects of the second world war. Alkmaar was chosen because in 1940 a young Jewish activist and art lecturer, Mr Elias Prins, had escaped from this city in North Holland and came to stay in Bath. He became an air raid warden in his adopted home, gave public talks about his city and Dutch culture, and made many local friends.
In December 1945, 50 children from Alkmaar came for a respite-stay with families in Bath. The following year 100 children from Bath were invited to have a Summer holiday in Alkmaar. This was the beginning of eight decades of continuous exchanges between clubs, community groups and schools which continue to this day.
Chairman of the Bath-Alkmaar Twinning Association, Chris Davies, explained:
“For 80 years people from Alkmaar and Bath have been visiting each others’ city not as tourists, but as honoured guests and friends. Both communities keep this link alive because they recognise its importance and relish the genuine pleasure it brings. This city-link still holds lessons for us today: that out of tragedy can come compassion, solidarity, friendship and fun.”
During the Alkmaar 80 week, an opening ceremony will be held at the Alkmaar Garden on Orange Grove next to the Guildhall. Each day there are public events, including a themed guided walk in the city centre, the joint unveiling of a commemorative plinth in Victoria Park by the Mayors of Bath and Alkmaar, and a ceremony at the memorial to Eli Prins at St Swithun’s Church in Bathford. The story of how the two cities were linked originally will be the subject of an evening talk at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific institution (BRLSI), and information on the Bath-Alkmaar link will also be on display in the World Heritage Visitor Centre throughout the week.
Our role
We encourage links between people in our two cities, enriching both communities. Through local social activities we act as meeting point for all Dutch people who have made their home in and around Bath, and for anyone locally who has an interest in the Netherlands.
Why Bath & Alkmaar?
The story behind the Bath – Alkmaar link is inspiring (click here for the full story). We work closely with our Dutch equivalent, the Alkmaars Uitwisselings Comité.
Get involved and support us!
We are entirely voluntary: become a supporter-member and help grow our activities.
Bath and Alkmaar are two historic cities, linked for almost 80 years. In that time, thousands of our citizens have travelled back and forth, making friends, working on projects and activities together, and finding out about each others’ country.
We celebrate and enjoy the opportunities our link creates by supporting friendship, fun and fellowship between our two cities, and more broadly between the UK and the Netherlands.
Thousands of bulbs are planted to mark 80 years of friensship.
How the friendship between the two cities started
The Remarkable Journey of Mr Prins: WWII, Jewish Refugees and the Bath-Alkmaar Friendship.
The barrelorgan has arrived in Bath
After 75 years the Barrel Organ has returned to Bath from Alkmaar and the BBC was present. Read more and watch the BBC evening news item on the Barrel Organ!
Future events
Alkmaar Café
BATA News
Bath-Alkmaar Twinning Association Newsletter
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