8:30am Thursday 17th June 2010
By Dave King
TWINNING: What a lot of rot. A self-serving junket abroad, probably paid for by council taxpayers’ money, which does little to enhance the lives of those back home. So say the harsh critics.
A lot was made last year of Swindon’s twinning link with Walt Disney which heaped spoonfuls of national and international media attention on our town.
We’ve yet to see whether this particular twinning link is one of mere commercial opportunism or if there can be a genuine two-way partnership between Swindon and Florida.
Will the cash-rich Disney Corporation leave a legacy in Swindon – maybe an out-of-town mini theme park or perhaps a children’s museum? And what, in return, can Swindon offer to the burghers of Orlando? However, visit Swindon’s Polish twin of Torun and there they take twinning very seriously.
In fact, this historic and very beautiful town, which lies just 90 miles south of the Baltic port of Gdansk, has no fewer than 10 very active partnerships with Philadelphia, USA; Göttingen, Germany; Leiden, Netherlands; Hämeenlinna, Finland; Kaliningrad, Russia; Cadca, Slovakia; Novo Mesto, Slovenia; Lutsk, Ukraine and Odense in Denmark, plus Swindon.
If truth be told, one senses the good folk of Torun would like to do more with their English twin by fostering a stronger partnership.
They want to forge closer links with schools and businesses, and develop stronger cultural and sporting ties, such as the staging of photographic and art competitions.
When one civic leader was asked why they had not visited Swindon before, they answered “because we haven’t been invited.” Now there’s a thought!
I visited Torun last week with a 30-strong group from Swindon, who included two former mayors, Stan Pajak and Ray Fisher, along with the director of cultural development with Forward Swindon, Mike Pringle.
Oh, and by the way, we all paid for our own airfares, food and accommodation, though in terms of cost of living, eating out was tremendously cheap.
Mike, who had previously run just one 5km race, took part in a half marathon raced in sweltering heat from just outside Torun to the neighbouring town of Bydgoszcz. Along with Stan, myself and Will Pomponi, we were greeted at the finish by an unusual post-race feast of pea and sausage soup and bread, with glasses of beer.
The trip to Torun was an eye-opener. Much of the main part of town is nothing special to look at; houses, high-rise flats, shops and factories.
But head into the historic part of Torun where you are greeted by a sea of history dating back to 1233 – and we thought Swindon had history!
What is amazing is that here is a town which 70 years ago was under Nazi occupation and yet, while other Polish cities were completely destroyed, Torun was spared extensive damage.
In 1997, Torun was named a United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organisation World Heritage Site, and it is hoping to become Europe’s capital of culture in 2016.
Sitting close to the fast-flowing River Wisla, its banks bursting through heavy rainfall which has inflicted flooding to large parts of Poland, lies the impressive remains of a castle which was effectively destroyed by Torun residents in 1454 as part of an uprising against the unpopular Teutonic Knights.
Torun is a town which enjoyed a golden age of economic prosperity during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Its most famous son is the astronomer Nicolas Copernicus who, 400 years ago, proved that the Earth moves around the sun to usher in a new era of modern astronomy.
The town has its own leaning tower on Krzwa Wieza Street. Legend suggests that one Teutonic knight who, besides being a soldier of the Christian faith, also adhered to a vow of chastity, was caught carousing with a woman.
The knight’s punishment was to build a leaning tower which would remind townspeople of the error of his ways.
Torun also describes itself as home to gingerbread, with the museum displaying gingerbread moulds dating back to the 1300s.
The story goes that a Torun housewife was making her daily pastry having drunk too much mead. The tipsy woman accidentally poured honey instead of kvass – a fermented drink made from rye bread – into her batter and the result was the first batch of gingerbread.
All this is captured in the Old Town with a string of stately red-brick buildings dating back a century or two.
Even the more modern offerings have been sympathetically designed to fit in with the historic ambiance of the place.
So what can Swindon learn about this twin town? We also have links with Salzgitter in Germany and Ocotal in Nicaragua.
Stan Pajak, together with Marek Sarnowski, a leading figure in the Polish community in Swindon, formed the partnership with Torun in 2003.
“Our third major visit to Torun proved, in many ways, to be the best yet,” said Stan.
“The friendship, attractions and opportunities have grown since our initial partnership was formed in 2003.
“Torun is one of the most beautiful cities in Poland with a background of Teutonic knights and Copernicus, to the latest innovative centre for contemporary art. “The historic city is awash with reasonably-priced excellent restaurants and bars to tempt the traveller. Access has never been easier and the knowledge of English never more widespread.
“The welcome we received from Torun’s vice-president who presented our group with a basket of the city’s famous gingerbread symbolised the open door and opportunities we have to further our links with his city.
“Sport, tourism, culture, art, shopping, business and just fun are wonderful mediums to further our relationship and as our visit proved they are all there in rich abundance.”
Two things stood out for me.
It was interesting to walk around Torun’s impressive-looking Centre Of Contemporary Art, which was founded in 2008 thanks to subsidies from the European Union and Poland's Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
At first glance, it is the sort of building we should have in Swindon to house the town’s art collection, which remains hidden away. But then reality kicks in.
Walking around the building with Mike we agreed that a museum like this in Swindon would become a white elephant.
As impressive as the Torun Centre of Contemporary Art is, visitor numbers are not high.
But seeing this building was a reminder Swindon needs to do something more with its heritage and art – and be clever with it. I would like to see more done with Steam to incorporate art exhibitions to bring more visitors through the door.
But secondly, walking through the cobbled streets of the old town on a sun-kissed evening, sharing a meal outdoors in a pleasant and unintimidating environment was a heaven-sent pleasure.
Parts of the town were pedestrianised, the shops opened until late, and one wonders whether we should look to do something like this in Swindon; maybe in Wood Street in Old Town.
Why not encourage a café culture, somewhere safe to eat and drink on an evening?
What is twinning all about? It is about sharing ideas, information and gaining a greater understanding of each other’s cultures.
We don’t have to accept the grass is greener on the other side, but we can still learn to make Swindon a better place.
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