France/Twinning between Eymoutiers and Niederbronn-les-Bains in the Bas-Rhin, the fruit of a shared history

The commune of Eymoutiers is now twinned with that of Niederbronn-les-Bains (Bas-Rhin), sealing a link dating back to the Second World War.

At a time when witnesses of the era are gradually disappearing, a twinning agreement was formalized at the end of November between the communes of Eymoutiers and Niederbronn-les-Bains (Bas-Rhin).

The link between the two towns has its origins in the Second World War: as Nazi troops invaded Poland in September 1939, the population of Niederbronn-les-Bains was forced to evacuate to Eymoutiers as a matter of urgency. 2,400 Niederbronnois left their homes, only to return in 1940.

"Not a coincidence

"This twinning did not come about by chance, nor was it simply an administrative rapprochement. It is the culmination of a shared memory, forged in the ordeal and heartbreak of exile, then consolidated by hospitality, dignity and fraternity", hailed the mayor of Eymoutiers during her speech in Bas-Rhin.

During the war, the commune of Eymoutiers opened its homes, its farms, its schools and above all its heart," continued Mélanie Plazanet. We know that it wasn't all plain sailing. Languages collided, cultures were discovered. Families were uprooted by the unknown and deprived. In spite of this, a fraternity was born. It grew. It endured. It was passed on.

Passing on the memory

At the end of November, a delegation of around thirty Pelauds was received in Niederbronn-les-Bains to formalize the twinning, unveil the Eymoutiers coat of arms in a symbolic place in the commune and pass on the memory of the past.They also visited the German military cemetery, a place that will be remembered forever.

The aim of the twinning is to perpetuate the memory of the commune's history, but also to enable "school exchanges or sporting, associative and cultural encounters", he declared at the Eymoutiers town council meeting.

Source: www.lepopulaire.fr/