Alkmaars Exchange Committee

Bath Darmstadt Troyes Tata Bergama

Who are we

Alkmaar maintains city links with 5 European cities. Contacts with Bath began at the end of the Second World War, then 4 more cities were added.

The AUC (Alkmaar Exchange Committee) has the task of coordinating, stimulating and subsidizing exchanges between Alkmaar and its twin cities Bath, Darmstadt, Troyes, Tata and Bergama.

Around fifty exchanges take place each year, involving around 1,000 people.

Twin Cities of Alkmaar

A twin city is a place in another country, with which a municipality maintains friendly contacts. This connection is called jumelage. Often the contacts go so far that the partner cities assist each other over and over again. The city associations are maintained by the municipality itself and/or one or more private organizations within this municipality.

For many years, the Alkmaars Exchange Committee (AUC) has been the driving force behind the city's links with:

Bath (Great Britain), since 1945

Darmstadt (Germany), since 1958

Troyes (France), since 1958

Tata (Hungary), since 1985

Bergama (Turkey), since 2004

Exchanges

10APR

The bath Male Choir visits Alkmaar and performs together with Pop Choir Spot-On and Pop Choir Atlantis in the Kapelkerk

Bath
11APR

A number of members of the Bath-Alkmaar Twinning Association want to visit Alkmaar and its surroundings

Bath
20APR

Randers Budosporten wants to organize a tournament with judokas from Troyes and Tata

Troyes
05May

The Bath Grand Cru Petanque Club wants to visit the Alkmaar Petanque Association l'autre Chemin

Bath
07May

The Rotary club Bath visits the Rotary Club Alkmaar

Bath
17May

Students of the Murmellius Gymnasium visit the Eötvös Józef Gimnázium in Tata

Tata
23May

In Darmstadt, the Europäisches Wochenende and the Grenzgang are organized with participation from the twin cities

Darmstadt
01Jun

The Alkmaar Burn Brigade is in consultation with Park Lane Big Band about a joint performance

Bath
03Jul

In Darmstadt, the Heinerfest is organized, to which delegations from the twin cities are invited

Darmstadt
05Jul

The Regional Youth Orchestra Artiance visits the Youth Orchestra Tata

Tata
09Jul

Mayor Anja Schouten visits Bath in the context of the 80-year Urban bond

Bath
15Nov

The Arthur Troops Pipes and Drums Band Alkmaar gives a performance in London and then goes to Bath to give some performances

Bath
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ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF INTERNATIONAL URBAN EXCHANGE AND A LITTLE STREET ORGAN

In Alkmaar, on the corner of the Bierkade and the Keizerstraat, there is a small building with a simple brick Bell facade from the end of the 18th century. This seemingly simple building is in fact the cradle of the international urban exchange. At the time of the outbreak of the Second World War, the Prins family lived here in Alkmaar. Father Isaak and mother Rosette stay here until 5 March 1942, the day they have to leave Alkmaar. Daughter Rosa Prins, who married Herbert Cecil Tobin (an English editor) in 1936, leaves for England in 1939 and eventually they settle in Bath. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands the following year, his son Eli Prins fled the IJmuiden Harbour with a fishing vessel (De Jonge Jochem, chartered by Goudsmit, director of the Bijenkorf).

 

Arriving in England, Eli Prins seeks out his sister. Here he addresses the local Rotary Club with the request to do something for the helpless people in Alkmaar. Then, with a small street fee, money and goods are collected for this charity (more than 1000 English pounds). Not much later, Bath and Alkmaar formed a bond of friendship. This fact is seen as the first international city contact. The organ was moved to Alkmaar after the war. It now stands, after a restoration in Bath, in the Grote Kerk in Alkmaar. On August 11, the organ returns to the Hall of the town hall. Alkmaar and Bath are still Twin Cities. The film that was made about this special urban band can be viewed below.

Our brochure

View and download the AUC brochure

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