HGTA

Please see Huntingdon and Godmanchester Twinning Association’s website HGTA WEBSITE for up-to-date information.

Salon de Provence – France
In 1974 the town of Huntingdon and Godmanchester signed a Twinning Charter with Salon de Provence in Southern France, on the shores of the Mediterranean. Salon is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhone in southern France. It is the location of an important air base.
Its principal claim to fame today is as the place where Nostradamus spent his last years and is buried. His dwelling is maintained as a museum, and for four days every June or July, the city celebrates its history during the time of Nostradamus, attracting many tourists.Entry to the historic centre within its circuit of wallsis still possible via two seventeenth-century gateways, the Porte de l’Horloge and the Port Bourg Neuf. In the sixteenth century Adam de Craponne built the canal that still bears his name; this inexpensive means of transport brought commerce to Salon, and the town prospered.

The castle, which was the biggest in Provence during the 12th and 13th centuries and was mentioned as early as the tenth, still dominates the old town. It was the preferred residence of the Bishops of Arles and was part of the Holy Roman Empire, hence its name. It became the property of the city after the French Revolution. Despite damage caused by the 1909 earthquake, it has been restored and now hosts a museum of military history. Every summer, it hosts an international classical music festival.
Wertheim am Main – Germany

In 1981 a second Twinning Charter was signed, making a three way link between Huntingdon & Godmanchester, Wertheim am Main on the Bavarian border in Germanyand Salon de Provence whim whom the German city was already twinned.
Wertheim is the most northerly town in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is situated on the delta of the river Tauber, which flows into the river Main. It borders on the Odenwald and Spessart areas to the north across the river Main.

The Town was founded between the 7th and 8th century, however the first settlement was a town called Kreutzwertheim on the right of the river Main. After the family of the earls of Wertheim had built a castle on the left bank of the river Main, a settlement developed at the foot of this dominating structure that was called Wertheim.
In 1938 Wertheim was merged with Tauberbischofsheim into the new Landkreis Tauberbischofsheim. From 1972 onwards, 15 communities were incorporated with Wertheim: Bettingen, Dertingen, Dietenhan, Dörlesberg, Grünenwört, Höhefeld, Kembach, Lindelbach, Mondfeld, Nassig, Reicholzheim, Sachsenhausen, Sonderriet, Urphar and Waldenhausen.
On the 1 January 1973, the Landkreis Tauberbischofsheim was merged into the new Main-Tauber-Kreis. Due to the incorporation of surrounding communities, Wertheim reached the 20,000 population mark in 1975. Wertheim became a Grosse Kreisstadt (district town) on January 1 1976.

The Burg Wertheim (castle) is the landmark of the town. Wertheim has a medieval town centre with half-timbered houses and small streets. The Protestant church (Stiftskirche) has existed in Gothic style architecture since 1383. Two clocks can be seen on the clock tower, one with an hour hand only, for the residents of the castle

Szentendre – Hungary

In May 1996, a Charter was signed with Szentendre in Hungary. Like our other Twins, Szentendre is a beautiful spot — the home of several famous Hungarian artists, and its name is derived from our own St Andrew.

Szentendre is situated north of Budapest on the banks of the Danube River, 20 minutes by car and approximately 40 minutes by train from Budapest. Home to roughly 20,000 residents, the town stretches from the west side of the Danube to the Pilis Mountains. Szentendre is a major tourist destination and is a popular day-trip for travellers to Budapest. Its main attraction is the charming, Mediterranean-style architecture of the town centre.

Being located in the rain shadow of the Pilis Mountains, Szentendre has many sunny days. The population of Szentendre triples during the holiday season due to the large number of vacationers. The vicinity of Szentendre is home to an indigenous, Ice-Age plant species, the Rose of Szentendre (Rosa Sancti Andrae).

Szentendre is a town of arts and museums. It is home to the Hungarian Open Air Museum which exhibits the folklore architecture and culture of the Carpathian basin. Szentendre has been populated since the New Stone Age. It has been home to Illyrians, the Celtic Eraviscus tribe, Romans, Lombards, Avars and, of course, Hungarians. In the 17th Century, Serbian settlers came to the town and gave Szentendre its characteristic, Mediterranean-style architecture
Gubbio – Italy
In April 2013, Gubbio in Italy became the fourth town to be twinned with Huntingdon and Godmanchester.
Gubbio can best be described as an ancient town, situated in the north eastern part of the Italian region of Umbria and located on the lower slope of Mt Ingino. It is known for its medieval palaces, churches, cathedrals and other historic buildings.
It has a population of around 30,000 and the nearest airport is at Perugia some 45kms distant, currently served by Ryan Air from London Stansted.
The town is the setting for the popular story of Saint Francis of Assisi and The Wolf of Gubbio as recently told by Mario Pirovano in his one-man Play ‘Francis The Holy Jester’, which has beenperformed on stage at the Commemoration Hall, Huntingdon.

Gubbio is also famous for its many festivals and international events including the Race of the Ceri held on the 15th each year and the Festival of Young People held annually in the month of April.

The slope of Mt Ingino provides a wonderful backdrop for the World’s Largest Christmas Tree on display during December. Made up of some 800 lights connected by 40,000 feet of cable in the shape of a tree, it sits on the side of Mt Ingino overlooking the town.

A cable car links the town with Mt Ingino and the Basilica of St Ubaldo, the Patron Saint of Gubbio.

Gubbio’s main industry is Cement manufacturing with tourism coming a strong second. Among the local craft activities historically established in Gubbio, ceramics, wood and wrought iron hold prominent positions. Other types of craft include instrument-making, leatherwork and plaster moulding.

There are many leisure facilities that cater for sports activities along with several public parks, libraries, cinemas and discotheques and a good range of cafes, hotels and restaurants serving traditional dishes such as white or black truffle, are located in the centre of town.

As well as being twinned with Wertheim and Salon de Provence, Gubbio is also twinned with Thann (France), Jessup (USA) and Sassari (Italy).