The friendship between Alkmaar and Bath is the first in Europe, and perhaps the oldest in the world. How did this historic bond come about again? The Jewish Alkmaarder Eli Prins hopped on the last boat to England in May 1940 in IJmuiden to escape the nazi regime, settled in Bath and raised awareness for his ailing hometown through lectures and fundraisers. For these fundraisers, an old street organ was used, which was donated to Alkmaar by Bath after the war.
Since 1945, dozens of exchanges in the field of culture, education, sports and knowledge exchange have taken place with hundreds of participants, including even two marriages!
Order a book
The Dutch-English writer Aletta Stevens described this story in the book ‘Escape to Bath’. You can order this book now for only € 10.00 including shipping costs via the order form below. Payment can be made by bank transfer to bank account number NL 61 RABO 0376430931 in the name of Alkmaars Uitwisselings Comité o.V.V. Escape to Bath of Aletta Stevens.
English (UK) 
Nederlands