On 2 June 1997, a delegation from the county of Roskilde visited its twin county Talsi in Latvia. The delegation included representatives from three municipalities in the county of Roskilde – Bramsnæs, Skovbo and Lejre. The visit proved to be very important for the future cooperation.
By Lisbet Kristiansen and Erik Mikkelsen, Committee for Cooperation Between the Municipality of Lejre and Latvia
The event on 2 June 1997 was a meeting where the delegation met people who would be part of the cooperation for the next ten years.
At previous visits only initial discussions had taken place without any actual follow-up, but now it seemed that a basis for action rather than just words had been established.
In June 1997, the Latvians had reached the conclusion that they wanted results from all the meetings. They were prepared to cooperate and so were we in Bramsnæs.
A subsequent visit in August 1997 in Bramsnæs by a delegation from Gibuli confirmed the mutual wish for cooperation. A town-twinning agreement was signed, and in May 1998 the first action plan saw the light of day. Very soon it was obvious that both parties wanted to implement the activities included in the action plan.
Since then, many action plans have been made, and a major part of the activities have been realized partly due to the fact that some people from both municipalities have participated throughout the 10 years. Both municipalities have also had political focus and support for the project.
Personal Relationships are Crucial
Personal relationships and continuity have been the supporting elements in the cooperation. Both municipalities have really wanted this town-twinning cooperation which was not just about sending Danish surplus equipment to Latvia, but more about establishing relationships between people, bonding, exchanging experience, learning about our respective cultures, developing culture and activities together and providing insight into the every day life in Denmark and in Latvia.
The fact that some people feel the urge to create and develop friendships and activities does not mean that the entire municipality feels the same. And it took some time before the citizens in the municipality of Bramsnæs felt inclined to show an interest in Latvia, to see the country and meet the Latvians. Through the local network, the support group to the Latvian Committee in Bramsnæs, knowledge of and interest in the cooperation increased. The interest was enforced by the experiences that went hand in hand with the cooperation. When the citizens had been in contact with guests from Latvia, new members usually joined the support group.
Interaction between people is the strongest element in the twin city cooperation. Many friendships have been created and nurtured. One result of the cooperation is private trips both to Denmark and to Latvia. We have brought computers to Latvia as well as desks, furniture, a bus and other things, but most importantly we have visited Latvia to experience another culture with other people and an everyday life that is different from the one in Denmark. Many people in Bramsnæs have opened their homes to guests from Latvia which has been both instructive and enriching.
Cultural and Musical Activities
During the ten years that the cooperation has existed, many citizens have participated in joint projects between Gibuli in Latvia and Bramsnæs in Denmark. A Danish-Latvian cultural week was the first major project for the two municipalities in 1999. Many young people have visited Gibuli, and their strongest impression was meeting the young Latvians and the Latvian families when they stayed in their private homes. Workshops have been held for adults and young people in Gibuli with discussions of both the present and the future.
In 2001, a very large youth project took place in which 90 young people participated. The title was "Musical for Europe". The main purpose was to create a joint event where young people from Denmark and from Latvia participated in the musical at the same time. It was a fantastic project that resulted in an incredibly beautiful performance of "Treasure Island" as a musical. First, it was performed in Latvia where the young people from Bramsnæs Ungdomsskole (continuation school) stayed for a week. Then, they all came to Bramsnæs, i.e. in addition to the Danish students, 70 people arrived from Latvia to participate in the musical in the municipality of Bramsnæs. No one has forgotten this event.
Merger of Municipalities – a New Phase in the Cooperation
We have now celebrated the first ten years of this town-twinning cooperation which has resulted in benefits that no one would have believed possible at the outset of the project. In both municipalities, some people have participated for ten years. But now we have embarked on a new era of the town-twinning cooperation.
After the local government reform, Bramsnæs has merged with the municipalities of Hvalsø and Lejre and the merged municipality is now called the municipality of Lejre. But the international cooperation has not been forgotten – all the three previous municipalities had a twin-towns in Latvia. The first meetings have been held and the first two events have taken place. Now, we will start the establishment of a joint tradition based on the new opportunities that a larger municipality offers. Consequently, the cooperation with Latvia will continue and we look forward to many cultural challenges and experiences in the future.
Facts
Before the local government reform, Bramsnæs was a small municipality approximately 50 kilometres from Copenhagen. After the local government reform the municipality merged with Hvalsø and the old municipality of Lejre – forming the new municipality of Lejre (26,600 inhabitants).