City of Trenčín - shortcut to homepage [Keyboard shortcut Alt + H]
SlovenskyDeutsch
vianoce1
Homepage  City of Trenčín  About the city  Partner cities  

List of partner cities

CRAN-GEVRIER (France)

                                                                                              www.ville-crangevrier.fr

Cran-Gevrier belongs to the agglomerate of the Annecy municipality. (130,000 inhabitants) The town is situated in eastern France, near the borders with Italy and Switzerland, in the department of Haute-Savoie and the Rhône-Alpes region. The city is located in a picturesque pre-mountainous region of the Savoy Alps, near the Annecy lake and attractive ski centres surrounding this area of highly-developed tourism. The city has 17, 500 inhabitants.

First traces that document population activities of this region date back to the 10th century, while the 16th century was the most significant historical period of the mother city Annecy. The system of arcade streets and canals has its origin in the 16th century. Hence, the town has been nicknamed the French Venetia.

Two rivers contribute to the character of the city of Cran Gevrier.  Their names are Fier and Thioux. Thioux flows out of the lake of Annecy and approximately after 4 km flows into the Fier River. City’s name has its origin in the Antique times and closely relates to the rivers. The word ¨Cran¨ could mean “between two rivers”, and the part ¨Gevrier¨ originates either from the name of a Romanesque village called Gabriaca whose foundations were discovered on a small hill, or it comes from the word ¨Guivre¨ - name of a mythical serpent. The name Cran-Gevrier has been officially used since 1902.

Despite the fact that the city used to be part of Annecy, today’s Cran-Gevrier builds its own identity and contributes to the life of the agglomerate. Urbanisation of Cran-Gevrier began in the period between the wars; however, significant development has begun since 1960-ties. Thanks to extensive investment and housing activities, the number of citizens increased from 6,900 in 1962, to today’s 17,540.

Industrial development of Cran-Gevrier experienced a major stimulus in the 19th century. Traditional iron-working, textile, and paper-milling workshops have been replaced by up-to-date paper production plants of the Pechiney-Rhenalu company. Industrial parks that grew along the main routes have been attracting various small companies to come to Cran-Gevrier. In 1996, these companies, in the number of 150, were employing 1,700 people.

 

 

 www.hradiste.cz

UHERSKÉ HRADIŠTĚ (Czech Republic)

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The city has naturally been the centre of Slovácko – a region known for its typical folklore, dulcimer music, good wine, exquisite national costumes, and still-practiced folk traditions.

Historical centre of the city was declared Municipal Monument Zone. As of the end of the year 2003, there were approximately 27,000 people living in Uherské Hradiště. Surroundings of the city are typical for their diverse landscape and natural wonders and the Morava River with extensive marsh forests with original flora and fauna. Two nearby enchanting mountain ridges are Chřiby and the White Carpathians. City is an attractive place due to its close location to famous Velehrad – former Great Moravia old town called Veligrad, the Buchlov castle, the Buchlovice mansion, and other original monuments.

Most significant current cultural events organised in the city and its close surroundings include international Festival of Folk Musical Instruments, second largest film festival in the Czech Republic called the Czech School of Film, meetings of nature protection activists called “It’s also about you” (TSTTT), Wine celebrations, and the Open Monuments Day. Today’s cultural life is centred around permanent performances of the Slovácke theatre, the Slovácke Museum with its rich records of the history of the nation, Artistic and Industrial School, the Culture Club, municipal Movie theatres, number of Galleries, private agencies, and local cultural facilities. Many folkloric, singing, and interest groups and initiatives organise number of events.

Uherské Hradiště, especially its neighbour Mařatice, is also a wine-producing centre. Recent years have brought into the city an intensive development of construction activities. Many new buildings were erected and historical facilities repaired. The city welcomes its visitors with a new face, wide spectrum of services, shops, and opportunities for social enjoyment.

 www.mestozlin.cz

ZLÍN (Czech Republic)

Zlyn 1.jpg

Zlyn 2.jpg

 

The city of Zlín with its 90, 000 inhabitants is the industrial and business centre of the middle Moravian region.

History of the city dates back to the middle Ages (first written account is from the year 1322) when Zlín was a centre of crafts and guilds with an influence over the surrounding Valach settlement with predominant pasture activities. Besides being the seat of landlords, Zlín was also a gradually developing municipality.   The industrial revolution was to bring changes to this peaceful development.

Important landmark in the history of Zlín was the year 1894, when a shoe-making company of the Baťa family was founded. Thanks to enormous growth, and business prosperity coupled with the influence of Tomáš Baťa who was also the city Mayor in the period between the wars, Zlín became a modern municipal centre with outstanding architectonic style and typical rhythm of life.

Extensive building activity of Tomáš Baťa and his team of renowned architects changed a small town of five thousand people into a municipal centre typical for its functionalistic architecture with 43,500 inhabitants.

Besides other things, cultural attractions of the city include the Zlín film studios that in the sixties became famous for their cartoon movies and comics of Karol Zeman and Hermína Týrlová. Business tradition of Baťa and suitable geographical location – these are only two of the many factors that contributed to the fact that after the fall of the old regime in 1989 the city experienced a sharp growth in business and commercial activities that today are far beyond national average.

In 2001, a new university – University of Tomáš Baťa was founded in Zlín. The city is the seat of a number of important offices, and cultural and social institutions. Zlín is a city of major congresses, especially in the area of medicine. New buildings, renovated façades and streets create the first impression of the city. The Dřevnice River valley that surrounds the city is full of green vegetation. Strolling through the streets of the city is unforgettable. Those who get to know this city understand why it enchants its visitors.

 

 www.tarnow.pl

TARNOW (Poland)

The city of Tarnow with its 130,000 inhabitants is the 35th largest city in Poland. After the city of Krakow , it is the second largest municipal centre in the Malopolska province. The city is located on the crossroads of main transit routes.

In the period between the wars, development of the city was influenced by the establishment of a large chemical plant. Original part of the city where the plant used to stand, even today bears the name Moscice (derived from the name of the plant’s founder – Ignacy Moscicki, who was also one of Poland Presidents) Speedy development of the city of Tarnow has been influenced by a number of factors - most importantly, by its suitable geographical location and support from the local government. Importance of the city’s location will even increase after a strip of the trans-European highway has been completed in the years to come. Tarnow is an important industrial city with highly developed chemical, glass, machine, and food industries, number of state corporations, and strong and developed private business sector.

Tarnow is becoming a modern and attractive city also thanks to the development of a hi-tech telecommunication network that provides for fast and easy contact with the whole world.  City is the seat of many information centres, banks and financial institutions, educational institutions and Universities, as well as beautiful historical and cultural monuments.

Every year, the city organises a fair on healthy lifestyle and eating. Cinematography is represented by traditional Tarnow Film Awards ceremony. Interesting sites also include the Regional Museum exposition about the Gypsies – unique in Europe that became famous in the whole world. Tarnow, when described by its inhabitants, is the “city of dynamic and proud people”.

 

 

CASALECCHIO DI RENO (Italy)  

                                                                                            www.comune.casalecchio.bo.it

Located in the northern part of Italy, the city belongs to the Bologna province. Region is a combination of a fruitful valley and picturesque mountains of the Apennines, with many natural parks and systems of underground caverns. Natural conditions are conducive to agriculture and food industry. Province is typical for its gastronomic specialties as well as vineyards.  The city has 15,000 inhabitants.

Traces of the early settlements go back to the time of the Neolithic period and include the remains of the Etruscan and early Roman eras (road and water networks). In the 7th and 8th centuries AD, this region delineated the border between the north and the south of the Peninsula – border between the region of the king Longobard and the Byzantine Empire. Thanks to its strategic location, the city of Casalecchio di Reno was often a place of countless battles. The Reno River has always been in the centre of Casalecchio’s history as it divides the city into two parts. Since there was only one bridge in the city that connected the two banks of the River, it was to be destroyed during every war. In 1191, a wooden weir was built to regulate water flow and use it for the mill. It was in 1208, when Bologna acquired rights to the River; and in 1289, first stone and limestone dam was built. This dam is still being used and divides the flow into the river and a canal directed toward the centre of Bologne.

For several centuries, Casalecchio di Reno has been a favourite vacation resort of rich gentry and the middle class of Bologna. There are still villas and gardens in the city, many of which date back to the 15th and 16th centuries. It was already in 1883, when a steam-powered “tram” – first of its kind, connected the city with Bologna. Comfortable travelling, attractiveness of the river, and picturesque mountain ridges have made Casalecchio an ideal tourist destination. Moreover, in 1800, the riverbank would become equipped with dressing cabins, services, sport courts, and a small restaurant.

In the fall of 1997, large lighting system was publicly put into operation. Along the right bank of the river, there is a preserved natural park called Parco della Chiusa, or Parco de Talon, bearing the name of its owner. In one direction, the park extends kilometres into the mountains, in the other direction it reaches Palazzo de Rossi – a place where the Rena River flows into Rio Conco.

 

 www.bekescsaba.hu

BÉKÉSCSABA (Hungary)

Békéscsaba is located in the southeast part of Hungary, on the Great Lowland, approximately 200 km of Budapest. Population of the city is 70,000. The city is a district centre and an important road and railway connection, close to the borders with Romania. It extends over the middle of the Körösov valley, in a flood area with excellent agricultural land.   These flood areas have preserved much of the original flora and fauna. Békéscsaba does not belong among the cities with numerous historical markers and monuments that attract tourists, yet it has a special atmosphere and a number of preserved traditional buildings.

Archaeological findings show that the earliest settlement already existed here several thousand years ago. The Magyars settled in this area around the end of the 9th century, following the great movement of nations. First written account of Csaba is from the period of 1332 – 1337, in the papal tithe registers.  Back then, it was a village in servitude. Name of the city is derived from a personal name – Csaba, a name used at the end of the Arpad family rule.

When anti-Turkish wars were kindled in the 17th century, Csaba together with other surrounding regions lost its population and became military zones for several decades to come. After the expulsion of the Turks in 1715, settlers were coming back to the region, including Slovak families from among the highland people. Notwithstanding numerous fires and plagues, the number of inhabitants rapidly increased. Melioration works were completed and Békéscsaba was soon labelled the largest European village. In 1845, the city ransoms itself from the landlords and gradually becomes a centre of food industry, specialising in the cultivation of corn and raising pork, cattle, and poultry.

Industrial change of Békéscsaba began late. Steam-powered mill constructed in 1853, together with guilds and manufactures, signalled a definite industrial expansion - especially food, textile, and construction industries. Focus of the current industrial production is on food-conservation, meat, and dairy companies, as well as the production of non-alcoholic beverages. The famous csaba kolbasi originate in Békéscsaba.

 

KRAGUJEVAC (Republic of Serbia and Yugoslavia)

                                                                                                      www.kragujevac.co.yu

The city of Kragujevac is the economic, political, administrative, educational, and cultural centre of the Sumadija and other districts. It has a suitable geographic location in the central part of the country, only 140 km south of the capital of Yugoslavia – Belgrade.

Kragujevac, the fourth largest city of the Republic of Serbia and Yugoslavia, extends on the area of 845 square km, and its current population is 180,000. Mountains of Rudnik, Gledic, and Crni Vrh surround the city crossed by the Lepenica River.

History of the city goes back to the times from before the existence of the capital of Belgrade.  Numerous archaeological findings document the existence of early settlements in Kragujevac as early as in the Paleolithic era – 40,000 years ago. First written account of the city comes from the year 1476. Because of its location as a connection point of commercial routes, the city has been devastated by numerous wars and many of its inhabitants lost their lives. Kragujevac began its era of prosperity in 1818, when the prince Milos Obrenovic declared the city the capital of the new Serbian state and began to lay foundations of Serbia.   

It was in 1835, when the first Serbian Constitution together with first ideas of independent election democracy were declared. Kragujevac, being the capital, was a modern, developed centre of culture and education, similar to many European cities of the time. Establishment of the Canon Foundry in 1851 was a turning point in the city’s development history. A new era of the industrial development was coming. Dominant industrial sector developing in the 19th and 20th centuries was weapon production, with Kragujevac becoming the main exporter to Serbia. During the World Wars I and II, the city incured great losses on the lives of its people and was again considerably damaged. However, in the period after the wars, the city was able to develop its industry again remarkably well.    

Main industrial activities of local companies are passenger vehicles and trucks, hunting weapons, and textile and leather products. Since 1976, the city of Kragujevac has grown to be a University city – a centre or credible educational institutions and schools. Kragujevac overflows with rich cultural and historic wealth; it was mainly in the period of 1818 – 1841, when numerous cultural, educational, and scientific institutions were established.    

The city also witnesses to a dynamic development trend in sports. It is a place of rich tourism activities and tourist attractions, such as the Vrnjacka and Mataruska spas, the Karadjordie castle, famous churches of Saint George and Topola that are only 40 km away, old monastery at Kalenic (cca 50 km), the Arandjelovac spa, and others.