Aberystwyth Council

Town Twinning

Aberystwyth is twinned with four towns, St Brieuc (in Brittany, Sant Brieg in Breton), Kronberg im Taunus (in Germany) and Esquel (in Patagonia, Argentina) and most recently twinned with Arklow (in Ireland) in 2016. Each of these twin town links have a representative committee which comprises of volunteers from various organisations who are passionate about strengthening the relationships with our international cousins. The four committees receive a yearly fund from the council and raises further funds from their own membership.

St Brieuc (Sant Brieg)

  • St Brieuc is Aberystwyth's oldest twin town where the relationship was established in 1974.  The town is named after the Saint Brioc who came from Wales and is the origin of the Breton name Sant Brieg, as the two languages are closely related.
  • St Brieuc is located on Brittany's north coast around the centre of a bay and has two rivers running through the town called Goued and Gouedig which converge around the town's port.
  • The town has a population of nearly 46,000, has a Brythonic Celtic language and a bilingual education system.

If you would like to find out more about St Brieuc, then why not visit the official tourism website.  There is a twinning committee which meets frequently in St Paul's Methodist Centre on Queen's Road to discuss and organise various events and twinning activities.

Kronberg im Taunus

  • The town of Kronberg im Taunus is located in the land locked state of Hesse with a population of nearly 18,000.
  • Kronberg im Taunus has a thirteenth century castle which was completed only some sixty years before the one in Aberystwyth.
  • Kronberg im Taunus is home to a museum, a vibrant arts community with several galleries, a successful market and a long established evangelical church community.

More information is available on the Aberystwyth Kronberg Twinning website. Kronberg im Taunus has tourist information available (in German) on their website.

Esquel

  • The Aberystwyth and Esquel People in Partnership Association (AEPPA) was established in 2008 to promote twinning between Aberystwyth and Esquel. In 2009 a delegation led by Sue Jones-Davies, the then Mayor of Aberystwyth visited Esquel, where a formal Act of Twinning was signed by Sue and Rafael Williams, Esquel’s Mayor.
  • Esquel is a university town was established by the Welsh colonists in Argentina. The first Welsh contingent left Liverpool on board the ship Mimosa and landed at Porth Madryn on 28th July, 1865. However, the land in which they arrived was a largely dry wilderness. Through hard work and grim determination they went on to irrigate the land in the Chubut valley and later to colonise Cwm Hyfryd in the foothills of the Andes, where the town of Esquel is located.
  • The town of Esquel is home to a community of Welsh language speakers and has hosted several Eisteddfod festivals.
  • Esquel has a terminus for a preserved narrow-gauge steam railway called the Old Patagonia Express.
  • You can follow the activity of the Esquel committee on Facebook or contact Stephen Tooth on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Arklow

  • Arklow is a coastal town in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. It has forged a close relationship with Aberystwyth through the Celtic Challenge boat race in which teams from both towns row competitively across the Irish sea from Arklow to Aberystwyth, a distance of about 90 nautical miles. It is the world’s longest true rowing race and has been the basis of friendship and cooperation between the two towns for many years.
  • The charter of friendship between the towns is was signed in 2016 and marks an important milestone in this close relationship as twin towns.
  • Both towns have a strong nautical tradition and it has been through the efforts of their rowing fraternities that this strong friendship has been forged.
  • Please contact Aberystwyth Rowing Club on Facebook to get involved.