France/Potigny: 26 Poles spend a week together to celebrate 30 years of twinning

To mark the 30th anniversary of the twinning, the Potignais committee (Calvados) has concocted a Breton program for its friends in Jutrosin (Poland). Festive and official events will punctuate the stay.

Since 1993, when the twinning charter was signed between Jutrosin (Poland) and Potigny (Calvados), meetings between members of the Polish and French committees have alternated on an annual basis. The health crisis put a stop to this regularity, so that "there has been no real exchange since change since 2020", emphasized Marie-Neige Fichet de Clairfontaine, the Potignais president, as she welcomed the "friends from Poland" on Monday. Mayor Gérard Kepa, referring to the "four years we haven't been able to get together normally", expressed his "heartfelt sorrow" at the reunion.

For the 20th anniversary of the twinning, already celebrated in France, the Poles were offered a three-day tour of Paris. For the 30th anniversary, the committee decided to head west, taking the 26 travelers from Jutrosin to Brittany for the first part of a trip lasting until July 17, 2023. Passing through Villedieu-les-Poêles (Manche), for a stopover at a foundry, they then enjoyed two days in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine), before visiting Dinan (Côtes-d'Armor) and the not-to-be-missed Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche) on the way back.

Thirty years of twinning

Three decades of twinning have created powerful links, which were highlighted by two of the historical players in this rapprochement. Andrzej Musielak, the founding president of the Polish committee, who is still in office, expressed his "joy at being able to stand side by side again and share a very enjoyable program."Zbigniew Koszarek, mayor of Jutrosin until 2018, who signed the charter in 1993 and has been present on every trip to France, praised "a twinning that is still young and strong.

An official moment was set aside to celebrate this ^30th anniversary: a reception at the town hall on Friday morning. But the second half of the trip was dominated by festivities, with the host families, a dinner-dance - this time open to all - and participation in local events organized for July 14th. The program will culminate in a fireworks display.

Source: www.ouest-france.fr