France/Twinning Committee spent a week in Germany

Around thirty members of the Laudun échange amitié twinning committee headed off to Waldsolms, Germany, from July 6 to 13.

Every two years, a trip is organized as part of the twinning between the two towns. Waldsolms is a community of 4,660 inhabitants, located in a forested area of the state of Hesse, and comprises six villages. The French families received a warm welcome. Most of them have been taking part in these trips for many years, some of them since 1986, when the twinning was born. The group made several visits during the week, notably to the town of Brandoberndorf and the medieval town of Braunfels. They also travelled to Rhöndorf, near Bonn, and visited the home of Konrad Adenauer, the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, who, along with General De Gaulle, was the driving force behind Franco-German reconciliation. Bringing the families together is the result of the work of the two presidents of the twinning committees, Marianne Letourneur and Jean-Paul Martin. It is also supported by both municipalities. Roland Hörster, the new mayor of Waldsolms, recalled: "We planted a tree together. It is now growing in Waldsolms with roots that symbolize our growing friendship". Yves Cazorla, the mayor, joined the group mid-week, and backed up these words by adding: "This twinning is a bond of humanity that enriches us, brings us closer together and contributes to building this Europe of peoples that we want to be strong".

Source: www.midilibre.fr/