Ghent
Wrzesnia
belgium
POLAND
Population: 263,000 Miles from Notts: 240 Notable natives: Charles V Holy Roman Emperor, footballer Kevin De Bruyne and cyclist Bradley Wiggins Once a prominent city-state in the Middle Ages, the pretty port city of Ghent in northwest Belgium has more than just sisterhood in common with dear old Notts. As well as being a University town and something of a cultural hub, Ghent was once known as the heart of a thriving lace industry, with roots in the craft going back to the 15th century. It’s also one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Belgium, with over a third of its residents originating from outside of the country. A skyline dominated by medieval architecture, including the famous Saint Bavo Cathedral (home of the Ghent Altarpiece), is complimented by a host of charming bakeries selling mastellen, a doughnut-shaped bun that’s something of a local delicacy.
Population: 31,000 Miles from Notts: 784 Notable natives: Paralympian Mateusz Michalski, singer Anna Jantar-Kukulska and architect Zygmunt Gorgolewski Easily the smallest town we’re twinned with, Września’s entire population is less than the amount of students that live in Nottingham. Located in west-central Poland, the town has had a turbulent history, having been burnt down by Sweden in 1664, annexed to Prussia in 1793 and occupied by Germany in 1939. Września is perhaps most well-known for the school strike that took place there in 1901, when Polish children boycotted their education in protest of the Germinisation of the curriculum, which prohibited the Polish language. It might be small, but Września is a proud, quaint town with enough history to rival most European cities.
Karlsruhe
germany
Population: 313,000 Miles from Notts: 500 Notable natives: Mercedez-Benz founder Karl Benz, footballers Oliver Kahn and Sead Kolašinac As another city that boasts an impressive creative community, Karlsruhe joined UNESCO’s network of Creative Cities as a City of Media Arts last year, and the city is home to two of Germany’s most prestigious cultural institutions in the ZKM (Centre for Art and Media) and the Academy of Fine Arts. According to legend, it was founded after Charles III William of Baden-Durlach dreamt of creating a new city in order to get away from his wife, and the name Karlsruhe translates to “Charles’ peace.” Having been visited by Thomas Jefferson during his days as an American envoy to France, the city’s maps were taken back to the newly founded United States to be used as a guide to laying out Washington, D.C. And you can see why – elegant, classical architecture and two huge botanical gardens make the city something of a tourist haven.
sister Cities Grumbling about your lack of hollibobs will make you look like a bit of a prat during the current climate, and rightly so. But with everything that’s going on, the prospects of sipping sangria on the Spanish coast are looking fairly slim for the foreseeable future. With real-life tourism off the table, we’ve decided to take a virtual tour around Nottingham’s sister cities, transporting you lot on a round-the-world trip to the places who we have historic, economic, cultural or just good old-fashioned friendly relationships with, without a lost passport, queue of screaming kids or overweight suitcase in sight…
harare zimbabwe
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Population: 1,521,000 Miles from Notts: 5350 Notable natives: Entrepreneur William Sachiti, singer Takura and cricketer Graeme Hick We checked in to Zimbabwe’s capital just in time to watch the sun set over the stunning dusty red landscape. For a metropolitan city, Harare has plenty of indigenous plants, including countless purple jacaranda trees that line the streets, giving it a bizarrely alluring otherworldly feel. As well as loads of great restaurants, museums, craft markets and bars, Harare is home to a thriving creative scene, with the city hosting the International Festival of Arts. Considering it’s Zimbabwe’s most populous city, it definitely has an overall feeling of being really laid-back and welcoming.
