International Relations

The European city of Bocholt is located in Westmünsterland and on the Lower Rhine and shares a border with the neighbouring Netherlands. Bocholt is twinned with Aurillac and Arpajon-sur-Cère in France (since 1972), with Rossendale in Great Britain (since 1952 - exchange of twinning documents in 1977) and with the Belgian municipality of the same name Bocholt (since 1952 - exchange of twinning documents in 1980).

On 14 May 2022, the European city concluded an official town twinning agreement with Akmene in Lithuania. A declaration of intent to form a friendship with the city of Vlora in Albania was signed on the same day as part of the European City Festival. There has also been a friendship with the Chinese city of Wuxi since 1985, which reached the next level with the signing of a declaration of friendship in 2003.

The City of Bocholt's International Advisory Committee currently provides political support for international and cross-border relations. The city has maintained this committee since around 1975, when it was founded as a town twinning working group. This political commitment supports the visibility of city friendships and partnerships as well as cooperation with the neighbouring Netherlands in the public eye and at state, federal and EU level.

The personal link between administration, politics and associations with regard to "good bridges" is important. Personal commitment in co-operation with volunteers in partnership work helps the European City of Bocholt to progress in this area. For example, the City of Bocholt's European Affairs Officer also works on a voluntary basis as a board member in all German-foreign societies that have written the maintenance of city friendships and partnerships into their statutes.

In this way, she can contribute to steering and mediating between the societies and the city's initiatives and to furthering the partnership commitment. For example, a representative of the citizenship also takes part in the delegation trips to the friendly and partner cities. It is important to Europastadt Bocholt that twinning visits and delegation trips are accompanied by representatives from civil society and are not perceived as "political tourism".

To date, the content of city friendships and partnerships has focussed on these areas:

• Culture and history
• youth
• languages
• Economy

Bocholt - the Belgian twin town in Flanders is located in the province of Limburg on the Belgian-Dutch border. Bocholt has a population of 13,800.

Of these, 90 percent come from the neighbouring Netherlands. The rural twin town has an area of 5,934 hectares. It was first mentioned in 1162 and has been called Bucolt, Bouckhout, Bocholz and Bocholt over the centuries.

Friendly relations with the city of Bocholt officially began in 1952 - even though there had been earlier contacts between the two Bocholts due to the war. The twinning documents were exchanged in 1980.

Rossendale - the English twin town is a district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It comprises a number of former mill communities located in the valley of the River Irwell in the industrial north-west of England.

The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 from the boroughs of Bacup, Haslingden, Rawtenstall, part of the borough of Ramsbottom and the borough of Whitworth. Rossendale borders Greater Manchester and Calderdale. The district of Rossendale covers 138 square kilometres and has a population of around 67,000.

The Bocholt partnership with Rossendale was initiated by British soldiers immediately after the Second World War. The first official youth exchange between the two twin towns took place in 1952. In 1977, the long-standing, close and friendly relationship between the two towns was sealed with the exchange of twinning certificates.

The Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft Bocholt e.V. (German-British Society Bocholt e.V.) is particularly responsible for relations with Rossendale in Bocholt.

Aurillac - the French twin town in the green heart of France has around 26,000 inhabitants. It is located on the largest volcano in Europe, which boasts breathtaking landscapes. The city is the seat of the prefecture of the Département of Cantal with a central function. The majority of administrative and service centres, shops and cultural and sports facilities are concentrated here.

The town of Aurillac is renowned for its quality of life, its gastronomy, its cultural offerings, its outdoor sports, its festivals and its architectural charm. Aurillac is the European capital of the umbrella. Bocholt and Aurillac were twinned in 1972, when Aurillac celebrated its 1,000th anniversary and Bocholt its 750th anniversary.

In Bocholt, the German-French Society Bocholt e.V. is particularly concerned with relations with Aurillac.

Arpajon-sur-Cère - is a neighbour of Aurillac and is located in the south of the department of Cantal in the Auvergne in the Massif Central. This geographical location and the green surroundings near the mountains make it a place where people like to live, travel through and spend their holidays.

In 1972, Arpajon-sur-Cère joined the partnership with Bocholt. Aurillac and Arpajon joined forces in an inter-communal working group and fulfilled a number of communal tasks together. Today, Arpajon-sur-Cère is independent and thus the second French twin town of the city of Bocholt.

In Bocholt, the German-French Society Bocholt e.V. is particularly concerned with relations with Arpajon-sur-Cère.

Akmenė - the district of Akmenė was founded in 1949 in the north of Lithuania. Its area is 84 square kilometres. Akmenė has around 28,000 inhabitants and is located on the Latvian border. There are three towns: Naujoji Akmenė, Akmenė and Venta. The district also includes the municipality of Papile, the municipality of Kruopiai and more than 165 villages.

The town of Naujoji Akmenė is the administrative centre of the region. The total area of the district is 844 square kilometres. As the soil in the district is very fertile, it offers favourable conditions for agriculture and livestock farming. Akmenė district is a place of discovery at every turn, both in terms of natural history and the district's legends. In the mid-1990s, the city of Bocholt and the Akmenė district signed a declaration of friendship.

Contacts and friendships between the Lithuanian and German people developed from these initial aid transports. On 16 June 2000, the Akmenė district and the city of Bocholt signed an official friendship agreement to strengthen and further promote the good relations between the two cities. On 14 May 2022, the official town twinning between Bocholt and the Akmene district was sealed with the exchange of town twinning certificates.

Wuxi - Wuxi, a city of millions, was called Xinwu, Laiangxi and Jinjui in ancient times. The city is located in eastern China, south of Jiangsu Province and in the plain of the Yangtze River Delta. It has a population of around 7.5 million and covers an area of 4,600 square kilometres.

It consists of seven urban districts and two independent cities. Wuxi is mentioned in written records dating back more than 3,000 years and has more than 2,500 years of urban history. In 1949, Wuxi City and Wuxi County were founded. To date, the city has been honoured with national awards, such as the environmental protection, culture and happiness city of the People's Republic of China.

Wuxi combines the beauty of rivers, lakes, rocks and caves and is one of the 50 most important tourist cities in China, easily accessible by road and rail from all directions and all major Chinese cities. The friendship between the Chinese city of Wuxi and the city of Bocholt began in 1985 with the visit of the then Chinese ambassador to Germany. In October 2003, the city of Bocholt and the city of Wuxi signed a declaration of intent for a friendly exchange. In 2025, the two cities celebrated their 40-year friendship with a citizens' trip, among other things.

The Deutsch-Chinesische Gesellschaft Bocholt e.V. (German-Chinese Society Bocholt) is particularly involved in relations with Wuxi in Bocholt.

Vlora is a coastal town and municipality in southern Albania. It was here that the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on 28 November 1912. Founded as an ancient Greek colony in the 6th century BC under the name of Aulon and continuously inhabited for about 26 centuries, the city is home to the harbour of Vlora, the University of Vlora and is the most important economic and cultural city in southwestern Albania.

The distance to the capital Tirana is 135 kilometres, while it is only 72 kilometres from Italy and 77 kilometres from Greece. The total population is around 150,000 inhabitants in a total area of 616.85 square kilometres. More than 5,500 companies operate in the municipality of Vlora, providing services to more than 150,000 inhabitants in winter and more than 300,000 in summer. The city of Bocholt and the city of Vlora signed a declaration of friendship on 14 May 2022.

Verkhniodniprovsk is located in the Ukrainian oblast of Dnipropetrovsk on the Dnieper River and is the administrative centre of an urban territorial community. The city can look back on a long history and was granted city rights in the 19th century.

Today, like many municipalities in Ukraine, Verkhniodniprovsk is under the heavy burden of the Russian war of aggression. Although the city is not located directly on the front line, its proximity to the war characterises the everyday lives of the people, the administration and the municipal infrastructure. The Ukrainian municipality has a population of 42,000, including internally displaced persons.

Bocholt therefore entered into a solidarity partnership with Verkhniodniprovsk in October 2023. Initial digital contacts were followed by a face-to-face meeting at the German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference in Leipzig.

Since then, the two cities have been in regular contact to coordinate specific aid, including medical supplies, support for schools, transport options and issues relating to municipal services of general interest.

With the solidarity partnership, which will run until 31 December 2026, Bocholt is sending a signal of European solidarity and practical support for the people of Verkhniodniprovsk.