twin town
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twin town
A town or city that maintains an official partnership with another town or city in another country in order to promote cultural, economic, and social exchange.
Unsere Schule organisiert einen Austausch mit einer Schule in unserer französischen Partnerstadt Lyon.
Our school is organizing an exchange with a school in our French twin town of Lyon.
The word is a simple compound of 'Partner' (partner) and 'Stadt' (city/town). It therefore describes a city or town that has an official partnership with another city or town.
Jedes Jahr gibt es einen offiziellen Besuch in unserer Partnerstadt.
Every year there is an official visit to our twin town.
To describe the relationship between two cities, you use the structure '(Stadt A) ist die Partnerstadt von (Stadt B)' ((City A) is the twin town of (City B)). You can also say that two cities 'Partnerstädte sind' (are twin towns).
Florenz ist die Partnerstadt von Dresden.
Florence is the twin town of Dresden.
In the context of twin towns, people often speak of a 'Städtepartnerschaft' (town twinning / city partnership). Activities such as a 'Schüleraustausch' (student exchange) or cultural projects with the twin town are also very typical.
Die Städtepartnerschaft zwischen den beiden Städten besteht schon seit über 30 Jahren.
The town twinning between the two cities has existed for over 30 years.
sister-city partnership
'Städtepartnerschaft' and 'Partnerstadt' are closely related, but they do not mean the same thing. A 'Städtepartnerschaft' is the official relationship or cooperation between two towns or cities. A 'Partnerstadt' is one of the towns or cities in this relationship. The words can be confused because both appear in the same context, for example in cultural exchange or visits. When you are talking about the connection itself, you say 'Städtepartnerschaft'. When you mean the other town or city, you say 'Partnerstadt'.
Unsere Partnerstadt liegt in Frankreich und schickt im Sommer eine Jugendgruppe zu uns.
Our twin town is in France and sends a youth group to us in the summer.
Die Städtepartnerschaft besteht seit zwanzig Jahren und wird jedes Jahr mit einem Fest gefeiert.
The sister-city partnership has existed for twenty years and is celebrated every year with a festival.