Our twin town is Hachenburg which is situated in the Westerwald region of Germany. The Town has many similarities with Higham Ferrers in that it has a well preserved Town centre with many beautiful old buildings in a style called fachwerke in German and half timbered in English. The town is in the heart of a beautiful region and has an area close by called the Kroppacher Schweiss which is an area very reminiscent of Switzerland with small villages nestling in wooded valleys, and the magnificent abbey at Marienstatt which is nearby.
The town lies about 95 kilometres to the east of Cologne and is an ideal touring centre.
There is a Twinning Group which organises visits on a bi-annual basis with a group visiting Higham Ferrers on the alternate years.
Tel: 07875 337 404
Email: compiforce@yahoo.co.uk

Higham Ferrers and Hachenburg have been twinned for 35 years. In August the Twinning Association visited Hachenburg to celebrate this anniversary.

It was a very successful visit. Twenty-four people travelled to Germany on a luxury coach from RB Travel. Roger Bull the owner was the driver. He has been involved in twinning for many years, so although working he and his wife Pauline took full part in the exchange.

Most of the group stayed with hosts in Hachenburg and the surrounding villages. They always make the Higham party very welcome.

On the first day, the Germans organised a tour of Hachenburg. It is a really pretty town with many half timbered houses and cobbled streets. On the same day there was a reception at Hachenburg's famous brewery.

At this reception a gift was presented by Cllr Chris O'Rourke, Higham's Deputy Mayor on behalf of Higham Ferrers Town Council. It was presented to the Mayor of Hachenburg, Stefan Leukel to mark the 35^th anniversary of the twinning partnership.

The following day there was a trip to a castle with a butterfly farm with everyone English and German travelling by coach. On the way back they enjoyed a meal in Marienstatt, which is an abbey near Hachenburg with a private grammar school and beautiful gardens. The next day they were treated to a barbecue at the oldest inn in the region. Herr Hendrik Hering was also in attendance. He signed the original agreement between the two towns as Mayor of Hachenburg. He is now the President of the State Parliament of Rhineland Palatinate.

At the barbecue the Rise up choir sang songs from the Beatles, Leonard Cohen and others in English to entertain the group.

Many travelled for the first time and they were overwhelmed with the friendly reception and warm welcome. Others stayed with hosts who they had been friends with for many years. Group trips occur every 2 years and the Germans visit in the alternate years and where possible are hosted by English families.

The idea of twinning is to foster understanding and create goodwill between two communities. If anyone would like to find out more about the Higham Ferrers Twinning Association, they can contact the Secretary, Gill Mercer on compiforce@yahoo.co.uk.

Higham Ferrers Twinning Association organised a very successful visit from their twin town of Hachenburg from 13th to 16th July. The partnership between the two towns has existed for 34 years and is alive and kicking.

30 visitors from Germany visited Higham and were greeted by the Mayor, Cllr Vijay Paul at a reception. They were fascinated by the history of the town with the Mayoral robes, the mace, and the clerk and sergeant in full costume.

They also had a barbecue in the gardens of the wonderful historical gem of Chichele Collage after having a tour of the historical sites of Higham Ferrers.

The following day the whole party visited Rutland Water and were treated to a cream tea on board the Rutland Belle. Everyone really enjoyed this treat.

After Rutland Water they visited Oakham and marveled at the sites including the new statue of Queen Elizabeth II with her corgis, the museum and the collection of horseshoes in the Castle.

Many of the visitors stay with friends they have made through the Twinning visits over the years. Gill Mercer the Secretary of the Association said

"We like to encourage staying with families as that allows them to create real friendships and understand how we live.

Every other year they visit us and the next year we visit Hachenburg. It is a lovely small town in the region called the Westerwald. It is about an hour from the Rhine and typically we visit the Rhine during our visit.

If anyone would like to accompany the visit next year the group plan to go to Germany from 14th to 18th August 2025. We normally travel by coach which allows us to get to know each other on the trip. Our coach company RB Travel provides a luxury coach for the trip and they look after us very well. Where possible accommodation is in a family but hotels are available as an alternative."

If anyone is interested to hear more, please contact Gill Mercer on 07875 337 404 or email compiforce@yahoo.co.uk