Uerdingen wants to revive the town twinning with Leicester
A Uerdingen wants to revive the town twinning with Leicester
Frank Langen wants to revive the town twinning with Leicester and also visited the “Krefeld Way” there.
Photo: Frank Langen
Krefeld signed the document in 1969: A Uerdinger wants to revive the town twinning with Leicester Krefeld/ Uerdingen. The town twinning between Krefeld and Leicester is rusty. Frank Langen, chairman of the Uerdingen Highlanders and a self-confessed fan of the British way of life, wants to change that. What he has planned and what has already happened.
By Bärbel Kleinelsen Editor in Krefeld
Since 1969, there has been a close connection between Krefeld and Leicester in the county of Leicestershire. At that time, the town twinning was officially sealed, whose 40th birthday was celebrated in Krefeld in 2009. While there were once mutual visits by leading personalities and school trips, today the partnership consists mainly of interpersonal relationships such as the long-standing friendship of the fire brigades from Leicester and Krefeld.
Frank Langen from Uerdingen wants to change that and can already point to its first successes. The reason for the commitment was a special anniversary. For 50 years, there has been a deep friendship between his family and the English Busby family from Leicester. “The bond is so close that we now see ourselves as one family. Unfortunately, apart from my older brother and me, only two people from the first hour are still alive,” says Langen. He still remembers the beginnings in the 70s well. At that time, there was a regular exchange between the two cities, including through football clubs. “Pete Busby was our guest at an exchange. He couldn’t speak German and we couldn’t speak English. We communicated with sign language in an emergency,” says Langen.
The Englishman liked it so much that he came to Krefeld a little later for a few weeks. A year later, the Krefeld return visit to the English metropolis followed. For Langen, another holiday in Leicester was a formative moment, because the teenager had to “survive” six weeks in England without anyone speaking German there. “At school I was a bad student in English, I only really learned the language in England,” says the now 57-year-old.
In recent years, the partnership has fallen asleep due to deaths in both families. The situation is similar for the cities. Here, too, not much has happened in recent years. Frank Langen therefore took the family anniversary as an opportunity to breathe new life into the town twinning. With the help of Lord Mayor Frank Meyer, he got in touch with the City of Leicester European Twinning Association (CLETA), which takes care of the town twinning in Leicester. During a visit to the administrative headquarters of the county of Leicestershire, he met at King Richard III’s museum for an exchange and agreed to stay in regular contact.
In Leicester, Langen (right) presented a tartan certificate to Fred Rankin of Cleta, the City of Leicester European Twinning Association.
Photo: Frank Langen
Uerdingen gets a Scottish pattern
Krefeld’s Idea of the Year 2022 Uerdingen gets a Scottish pattern The chairman of the Uerdingen Highlanders pursues his goal in various ways. For example, he has invited the members of CLETA to the Krefeld Carnival and the Highland Games he founded next year in 2025. He has also presented his voluntary commitment to the parliamentary groups in the Krefeld city council and, as he says, has met with positive feedback. Langen’s next step is to win over the schools for a partnership. But Krefeld residents who would like to visit Leicester privately can also feel addressed and contact him.
In 2009, the city of Krefeld celebrated the 40th anniversary of the town twinning with Leicester with a ceremony. From Left to Right – Hilary Blackmore (Lady Mayoress), Councillor Roger Blackmore (Lord Mayor) and Herr Gregor Kathstede Oberburgermeister.
Photo: Lammertz, Thomas (lamm).
Lord Mayor Frank Meyer last visited the English twin city five years ago on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the town twinning.
