Twin City: Cormeilles

The picture shows citizens of Cormeilles and Düren-Arnoldsweiler united during festivities in Cormeilles.

A trip to Normandy (France) in 1967 lead the folk dance group of the gymnastics club of Arnoldsweiler to the little town of Cormeilles. Here they performed and received a warm welcome. The young Germans returned to Düren with an invitation from Cormeilles' mayor, to establish a twinning between Cormeilles and the at the time still independent community of Arnoldsweiler. With the invitation, the mayor expressed the good will to reach out to the Germans for reconciliation after the past wars. After corresponding decisions of the councils, the twinning was officially established in June of 1970. In the partnership documents, both sides express the desire to contribute to peace and European unification.

Arnoldsweiler became a municipal district of Düren on January 1st, 1972. Within the framework of the municipal reorganization, the partnership with Cormeilles is continued by the City of Düren and kept alive by the citizens of the district of Arnoldsweiler and representatives of the City of Düren.

Students, Senior citizens, athletes of different kinds, fans of carnival, musicians, and of course politicians and administrators, as well as members of both twinning committees have visited each other since the existence of the partnership between Cormeilles and Arnoldsweiler. For years a popular tradition has been the visits for carnival processions in Arnoldsweiler and for the procession for Ascension Day in Cormeilles, with the participation of the guests.

Depending on the route you choose to take, you can reach Cormeilles from Düren in six to eight hours. The city with about 1,100 citizens lies surrounded by hilly meadows with apple trees, whose fruits are used for the production of Calvados, Cider, and apple juice. Nearby, famous cheeses are produced.

www.cormeilles.com