GUILDFORD-FREIBURG ASSOCIATION
Reply to: 27 Austen Road
Guildford
GU1 3NP
Tel: 01483 531472
e-mail: peterslade@ntlworld.com
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Guildford-Freiburg Association
NEWSLETTER
Spring 2009
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN
In September 2009 Guildford andFreiburg will bie been twinned for 30 oo
years. At the official twinning ceremony in 1979 the Mayors of Guildford
andFreiburg signed a Deed of Partnership |asa token,and |promise of lasting
friendship between the two communities and. an encouragement to regular a
“mutual liaison, to exchange ea eben atoude as teks teeter S
of«our citizens in every sphere.
|
ihope that all our readers will agree that a Newslett ; iemonscrates:that :
-Guildford’stwinning with Freiburgis fulfillingthose«aims. Itsaccountsof the a
many activities and events arranged by the Association or by other ‘groups in :
Guildford that have taken place over the past year demonstrate the ongoing
strength a the partnership = our twin ay.
_ But of course we could do more. Aswe move
be for eh ate ioe e
partnershipwith Freiburg it wouldbe good tto see ev ‘more of Guildford’s —
citizens andgroupsparticipating initWe’d love to 7 ir from — who'd
liketo contribute. :
oe
"Finally some thanks. To Ros ce whose sacelicne initiatives td school :
- liaison have led to increased contacts between Guildford andFreiburg,schools.
ToKatie Butcher who has managed our social programme withher customary
flair. To Hilary Mills for her sterling work as ourSecretary. To Barbara Ford
_ for her expert editing of the Newsletter.ToMichael Gorman for his workas
Membership Secretary and for careful husbanding of our financial resources.
To Wolf Pietrek for his help with our Christmas market andiin otherways.
To Susan and Brian Lewis whose hard work helped make the Partner Cities
Market a success and who have used their linkwith Freiburg to great effect
to helpinmany other ways. And to all those,inthe Association and outside—
it, who have madevaluable contributions to makingthe twinning a reality. |
Peter Slade -
CONTENTS
History :
Young People’s Activities :
Green News :
Football:
Society :
Schools Liaison
A Young Engraver
23 Years of Twinned Football
Guildford Boys Play Football in Freiburg Again
Music :
Freiburg Choir Sings in Guildford
Guildford Friary Brass Band in Freiburg
Literature :
A Novel Event in Freiburg
Film :
German Film Festival
Guildford-Freiburg Association Newsletter
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Tracking Down a First World War POW Camp
Guildford Participates in Energy Meeting in Freiburg
Is Germany on the Road to an Eco-Friendly Future?
Anti-Social Behaviour in Guildford and Freiburg
50 Years of the Freiburg Anglo-German Club
To Market, To Market:
Christmas Market in Guildford
Guildford at the Partner Cities Market
Social Events :
German Dinner
Summer Party
Coming Events
boys and approximately 60 adults. Most travel by coach and
some fly out. Boys are placed with German families and parents
generally stay in a hotel or guest house —as is the case when the
Freiburgers visit Guildford.
The English visitors are astounded by the Blau-Weiss Club’s
outstanding facilities - clubhouse, live-in groundsman, etc.
Matches are held on the Friday and Saturday of the trip and trophy
matches and a dads’ match take place on the Sunday. A reception
for Guildford visitors has been held by a member of the Freiburg
City Council for many years and since the late 1990s the Mayor
of Guildford has hosted a reception in the Guildhall, which has
been much appreciated.
Both Guildford and Freiburg families
are pleased to accompany their guests on trips to attractions in
We received a formal welcome from Ulrich von Kirchbach,
Freiburg’s Biirgermeister responsible for Youth and Culture,
who acknowledged our continued contribution to the
Guildford-Freiburg twinning. During the weekend the players
were entertained by their host families, leaving the adult group
free to use the hired coach for a guided tour or the area, a
trip to Titisee in the Black Forest and to see Schaiunsland and
Feldberg in the snow.
Fortunately the snow held off long enough for us to play both
Friday practice games and the Trophy games on Sunday. But
by Sunday evening the pitch was covered in snow and certainly
unplayable. On Monday there was a coach trip through the
the surrounding area.
snow-covered mountains. By far and away the highlight for the
adult group was an excellent night out at Strausse, a rustic style
By the end of each visit to Freiburg strong friendships have been
setting.
forged, an understanding of the hosts’ lifestyle and culture has
developed, and most boys would like to stay longer in Germany.
The boys return to the UK with many stories and younger players
eagerly anticipate their chance to joinatrip.
restaurant, where we tried a menu of local food in a barn-like
The football
Oh yes — the football. We lost three games and won one. Was
that what we went for? As ever the experience of a visit to our
twin town and its people, customs and snow-covered mountains
left us all with excellent memories
Easter 2009 will see the Blau- Weiss footballers visiting Guildford
and plans are already in the making for the return to Freiburg in
GUILDFORD BOYS PLAY
2010 to mark the 25th exchange. Watch this space!!
Phil Dyas
FOOTBALL IN FREIBURG AGAIN
Chairman of Guildford City Boys Football Club
Now Phil reports on last year’s match:
The annual matches against Freiburg’s Blau Weiss club are
traditionally played at Easter, but in 2008 the early date of Easter
caused no end of a headache. In Germany all the Freiburg players
were off school for the two weeks either side of Easter Sunday. But
English schools held their mid-term holiday in April. Fortunately
some of the Guildford schools with boys in the teams, recognising
the cultural significance of out trip, gave permission for time off
school. In the end we were able to take 54 players and 56 adults
to Freiburg.
As ever the players and their team managers travelled by coach.
Once again we chose to use a German coach company who
charged two-thirds of the quotes from UK local companies
for the same trip — although effectively making four full trips.
Driven once again by our good friend Johannes we received
excellent service and use of the 72-seater coach over the entire
weekend. The rest of the group flew from Heathrow to Basel,
with an arranged pick-up to take us to our hotels.
MUSIC
FREIBURG CHOIR SINGS IN
GUILDFORD
In November the Freiburg Bachchor joined Guildford’s Vivace
Chorus and Romsey Choral Society in a performance of
Verdi’s Requiem. Often considered as the composer’s supreme
masterpiece, it was first performed in St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice
and last November’s performance in Guildford Cathedral was a
worthy successor. The Requiem was composed in remembrance of
the poet Manzoni, whom Verdi greatly revered, and it was fitting
that this performance was dedicated to the memory of Vernon
Handley, a past musical director of the Guildford Philharmonic
Orchestra..
The snow
The adult group stayed as usual in our favoured hotels in
Lehen - the Bierhausle and the Hirschengarten which were as
ever hospitable and good value. Also as usual the players were
accommodated with the Blau-Weiss players’ families and received
excellent care. The early Easter dates presented a new and
welcome sight - snow on the outlying low hills around Freiburg
The combined choirs, four excellent soloists and the Brandenburg
Sinfonia under the baton of Jeremy Backhouse ensured that,
from the breathtaking pianissimo of the opening, through the
vast ranges of dynamic and emotional intensity which culminate
in the utter stillness of the final ‘Libera me’, there were forces
and the prospect of more to come had many of the boys (and
some of the parents) quite excited about the suggested trip to
capable of providing all that Verdi could have required. The
Schauinsland.
- the three choirs sounded as if they always sang together. Their
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conductor melded these forces together into a seamless whole
Guildford-Freiburg Association Newsletter
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choral discipline was excellent and they rose to every challenge
two encores the band were rewarded with a standing ovation
of dynamic, range and emotion.
from an appreciative audience that included members of the
Extracted from Gillian Ramsden’s review in the Surrey
club. Afterwards, band members were able to chat with members
of their twin town band and audience over some excellent local
Guildford-FreiburgAssociation and the Freiburg Anglo-German
Advertiser
wine very kindly laid on by the Freiburg International Office. The
GUILDFORD FRIARY BRASS
BAND IN FREIBURG
gifts of two magnums of champagne and two boxes of wine were
also very much appreciated!
Fun at the fest
Over the weekend the band were delighted to participate in the
Waldbronn Kurparkfest, a two-day music festival that attracts
several thousand visitors every year. The band gave two concerts,
one on Saturday evening and another on Sunday lunchtime, and
managed to attract quite a crowd. Host band, Edelweiss, ensured
that members of Friary were very well looked after, plying them
with locally brewed beer and schnitzel at every opportunity.
The festival itself featured many different musical groups
Stephanie Westwood, a member of the band, shares her experience
with us:
Friary Guildford Brass Band were full of Zufriedenheit (happiness,
satisfaction) after a very successful trip to Germany last September.
Basing themselves in the Land of Baden-Wiirttemberg the band
(including an excellent concert by Edelweiss), with over 40 stands
selling a wide variety of food and drink, and a superb firework
display on Saturday night. On the second day, the mayor of
Waldbronn presented the Friary Guildford band with a 300-year
old tile from the roof of the oldest house in Waldbronn - we hoped
that this didn’t leave somebody with a hole in his roof!
gave concerts in Freiburg and Waldbronn to very welcoming and
receptive audiences.
A long journey
After a Wednesday evening rehearsal and a pre-tour curry, band
members helped load all nooks and crannies of a Safeguard
coach with suitcases, uniforms, brass instruments, percussion
and the kitchen sink before setting off on their 550-mile journey
Many thanks
Trips such as these strengthen international and local relationships
and improve the standard of the Band, and the Band would like
to thank all those involved in making the trip such a success.
Particular thanks go to the Guildford-Freiburg Association (who
provided some financial assistance), the Freiburg International
Office, and Edelweiss Band.
across Europe. Despite the prospect of a twelve-hour journey
Stephanie Westwood
in a confined space, band members were in high spirits. A 4am
Friary Guildford Brass Band
ferry crossing from Dover to Calais, stops for refreshments, and
a devilish quiz helped to make the journey pass swiftly, with
the band eventually arriving at the hotel in Ettlingen at around
4pm.
Strengthening ties with Freiburg
On Friday the band left their hotel early to spend a day in
Freiburg, some band members revisiting old haunts and others
visiting the beautiful town for the first time. After an enjoyable
day sightseeing, band members were treated to a short traditional
programme from the Freiburger Rathausmusik Band, who
were celebrating their 10th anniversary, before giving a concert
themselves at the Biirgerhaus in Zahringen, one of Freiburg’s
nearby villages.
LITERATURE
A NOVEL EVENT IN FREIBURG
Guildford writer Irene Black gave readings from her work in
Freiburg and enjoyed her sightseeing:
In June 2008 I was invited to give readings from my novels
‘Darshan’ and ‘The Moon’s Complexion’ at the municipal library
in Freiburg during their Literary and Musical programme as part
of their annual “Twinning Market’. My writing and publishing
colleague, Jennifer Margrave, a Guildford solicitor, came along
too, to spread the word about Goldenford Publishers Ltd and
our books (and to help carry them!).
A varied programme from the Friary Guildford Brass Band,
directed by Chris King, led to rapturous applause, and after
Guildford-Freiburg Association Newsletter
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Our charming host, Herr Steimel from the Freiburg Stadtbibliothek,
met us off the airport bus late on Wednesday afternoon and taxied
us to the Goldene Krone guesthouse where the delightful lady
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