The town and commune of Szamotuły has twinned with other towns since 1989, when the first official cooperation agreement was signed between Szamotuły and a German town of Gross-Gerau.

 

The signing of the official cooperation agreement with the Germans has introduced our town into the circle of cooperating towns:

which have been associated in a partnership group since 1959. The successive partnership agreements between Szamotuły and the afore mentioned towns were signed in the following years:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the contracts the parties agreed to create a good atmosphere and appropriate conditions for establishing a broad exchange in the field of cultural events, sport and tourism, farming and foresting, environment protection and youth exchanges. They also agreed to share experience in the fields of local administration, social policy and healthcare.

 

Within the limits of the partnership cooperation the European Festivities are organized regularly every year in another town. About 60 - 80 participants from each town take part in the event. Apart from the official representatives of the town authorities there are also folklore groups as well as sports and dance clubs.There are also youth camps organised by the partnership towns that are - like the European Festivities - held every year in one of the towns. The youth participating in this event are 15-17 years old. In 1996 the International Youth Camp was held in Szamotuły.

 

Another event that takes place regularly is the Spring Fair in Brignoles. During this fair craftsmen from the partnership towns present their articles.

 

Every autumn a conference of partnership town mayors and other persons responsible for the partnership cooperation is organized. The conference is devoted to the assessment of the course of events of the year and the plans for the future cooperation in the coming year are formulated.

 

Apart from the afore mentioned regular events, there is a number of meetings organized within the limits of partnership cooperation, for example an exchange of local civil servants - the representatives of the Population Department and The Registry Office have been exchanged so far. Librarians, school youth, bridge club members, chess players and tennis players also went on exchange visits.

 

The scope of the cooperation, its steadiness and a long-term duration won the appraise of the European Commission in Brussels who by awarding "Golden Star Awards" in 1995 to ten most conspicuous groups of partner towns gave one to the group of Gross-Gerau, Tielt, Bruneck, Brignoles, Szamotuły.

 

In Poland only Szamotuły and Gdynia are among the proud winners of the Town Twinning Golden Stars Awards. In 2002 the Council of Europe awarded ‘The European Diploma’ to Szamotuły in recognition of its service in promoting the idea of Europe.

 

 

Golden Star Awards

 

 

European Diploma

 

 

Apart from the already mentioned towns, in 1991 Szamotuły signed the cooperation agreement with

At the beginning the partnership cooperation was very close. Yet, in the course of time it has weakened, especially in the case of the Dutch town of Oud en Nieuw Gastel, which after a local administration reform was incorporated into a new commune of Halderberge. Lately, however, the contacts with this commune have been strengthened. In May 2001, during the Szamotuły Days the partnership agreement was formally renewed.

 

The relations established with partner towns bore fruit in the form of material and financial help, especially in the difficult years at the beginning of political system restructuring, which began in Poland in 1989. Gross-Gerau played a distinguished role in helping Szamotuły in this field. Several times the financial help and material gifts were given to orphanages in Szamotuły, Lipnica, Otorowo, and to the hospital in Szamotuły as well as to the Total Abstinence Association "Czas", the Social Care Centre in Szamotuły, the Polish Red Cross and the Polish Committee for Social Aid.

 

Material gifts were handed over by other countries, too, for example The Fire Station in Szamotuły received a fire engine and other fire equipment from Holland, Tielt gave various material gifts and from Kinn (Sweden) farmers received second-hand farming equipment. The town of Bruneck gave a school bus.

 

An interesting proposal was put forward by a group of towns:

It was suggested that sports and language camps be organized every year in one of the partnership towns. The first camp of this kind was organized in 1995 in Kinna and the ensuing ones - in 1996 in Sofia, and in 1997 in Apolda. The programme included sports activities, camping, canoeing races, and daily English classes. Since 1998 Szamotuły has not participated in the programme due to the lack of the financial means.