News

** Having given two enlightening presentations on the run-up to the recent formation of the new German government, Dr Mark Allinson and Dr Christophe Fricker of University of Bristol gave us an informative and entertaining presentation on the new political landscape in Germany, in some contrast to the situation in the UK. The most evident change from the past is the fact that there is now effectively a six-party system in Germany, so that the former Volksparteien (catch-all) parties, the CDU/CSU and SPD no longer command the large majority of the votes (as the Conservatives and Labour still...

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** Surprisingly perhaps, in recent months we have managed to have three face to face convivial gatherings: firstly we had a Reunion Dinner in July 2021 in the very pleasant outdoor terrace surroundings of the recently refurbished Eastfield Inn, Henleaze. Unfortunately some members, including the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, had to cancel due to Covid issues, but still there was a good number of us who were delighted to get together again after a gap of 18 months. We returned to the Eastfield again in November for a lively dinner and skittles evening – about 15 of us enjoyed a very...

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** We were delighted to be able to hold the AGM in October 2021 in the newly designated Hannover Room in City Hall, with the Lord Mayor, Councillor Steve Smith, presiding. At the meeting we welcomed a new Treasurer, Irena Roskiewicz, and were treated at the conclusion of the meeting to a most interesting presentation by Faye Keane, Creative Programme Lead for Young Bristol. Faye plans to lead a group of young people on a return visit to Hannover in April 2022, our anniversary year, with funding obtained from UK German Connection. She described a range of activities including photography,...

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** Crofton Gane was a man of many parts: Quaker, design pioneer, businessman, furniture salesman, philanthropist and also, in our context, one of the five men whose mission to a winter-battered Hannover in 1947 led to the creation of the Bristol-Hannover Council and one of the first and most enduring of city twinnings. Acknowledgement of Gane's full-hearted contribution to the life of Bristol has been recognised with a blue plaque at the College Green site of his furnishings showrooms. The plaque was unveiled on October 16 by Penny Gane, his grand-daughter, in the presence of around 30 representatives...

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** A City Hall ceremony on June 24th - presided over by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Steve Smith, who is ex officio president of all Bristol’s twinnings – saw him unveil two plaques in the foyer, as well as seven new door signs and framed information panels in each room about Bristol’s twin cities. The two plaques accompany the coats of arms of Bordeaux and Hannover, which were hung for the 40th anniversary of the link with those two cities. The seven meeting rooms are now identified by the twin city to which they are dedicated and the Council’s booking system is being upgraded to ensure...

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** This coming spring will see Young Bristol’s Youth Voice group visit Hannover following on from an exchange visit to Bristol in Summer 2019. The trip has been a long time in the making, but with funding secured from UK-German-Connection, we will begin linking on with our Hannoverian counterparts from February 2022. The Youth Voice group are Young Bristol’s youth advocacy group, made up of members from across our club network. The young people will initially meet online to get to know each other through games, language quizzes, and shared content such as ‘a typical day in the life...

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** Kai von Pahlen, the the German Honorary Consul in Bristol and a BHC committee member, has launched a German Club at Castle Primary School in Keynsham. The club offers each pupil the chance to develop a pen friendship with a German child and to pick up the basic language skills needed to draft a letter to their new pen friends. The letters include information about the pupils, such as hobbies, favourite foods and the jobs they want to do some day. Shared history between England and Germany is also included - ranging from the first arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain to the royal houses...

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** Hannover Quay is now formally marked and signposted once more. The Quay on Harbourside, an area originally known as Canons Marsh, was named after our twin city back in the mid-1990s along with the Bordeaux and Porto Quays. Bristol City Council policy officers Stephen Hewitt and Dammy Legrand worked with the planning and Legible City teams to make it happen. The original signs were unveiled during the 50th anniversary of the twinning by the Lord Mayor and the Oberbürgermeister. The sign was damaged more than a year ago but has now been replaced by a more robust replacement - looking...

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** Jill Gallard CMG, HE Ambassador to Germany, commented positively on the significance of twinning in the post-Brexit situation during a webinar organised by the British Chambers of Commerce in Germany. The first British female ambassador to Germany considered the twinning movement as now more important than ever without the input of the Brussels EU structures. She said no new support funds were yet available but new candidates were in the pipeline. She felt that personal connections, such as those in the spheres of education and business, were very important, and hoped that a new two-way...

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** BHC member Colin Evans delivered another in his long-running series of talks on German art, taking as his subject City of Women: Female Artists in Vienna 1900-1938. Some 25 members and friends were fascinated this time to hear about and see the work of artists of whom most of us had not heard before. We looked at some outstanding art produced by women in Vienna in the first half of the 20th Century. Although facing the usual obstacles for women at this time, they chose to not to fight but to work their way around them. Denied entry to the Academy, many took private lessons from the teachers...

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