Twin Town Association Elgin (Scotland)

One of the oldest town - twinnings in Germany was established in 1956.
The representatives of both towns wanted to mark the end of the postwar era and to signal the coming of a new epoch characterized by peaceful cooperation and friendship between the nations of Europe.
Elgin is situated in the North-East of Scotland, only six miles away from the sea, and it has a population of about 25,000. With the reform of local government in 1974, Elgin lost its status as an independent borough. It was incorporated into Moray District and is now the seat of the District Administration. Moray is known for its mild climate and pleasant landscape. The ruins of what was once the most beautiful cathedral in Northern Britain are still an important sight to see for every visitor. Moray´s economy is dominated by the numerous well-known whisky distilleries and by agriculture.
Even though the two towns are 2000 miles apart, the enduring friendship manifests itself in a wealth of contacts between associations and schools. Today there is hardly an association or club in Landshut that has not yet struck up friendly relations with its Scottish counterpart. The reason may be that there is a certain affinity between the mentality of the Scots and that of the Bavarians, which is in a tongue-in-cheek way seen as a consequence of the fact that the Scots have had "problems" with the English similar to those the Bavarians have had with the "Prussians" from the North of Germany.
In 1986 the Elgin-Landshut Twin Town Association was founded in Elgin and one year later the "Verein Landshut-Elgin" was established in Landshut. Today the Landshut Association has about 270 members. In spite of the great distance between the two cities, there are annual trips to the twin towns. The groups from Landshut travel to Elgin in the even years and the Elgin people come to Landshut in the odd years. Thus giving the Scots the opportunity to enjoy the mediaeval festival of the "Landshuter Hochzeit 1475" (Royal Wedding of 1475). In 1996, at the 40th anniversary of the twinning, a brass plaque was installed in the pavement in front of Landshut´s Town Hall as a symbol of the friendship between the two cities, and it has its counterpart in the pedestrian precinct of Elgin.