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2015
Friday March 27th 2015 saw the final stage in the twinning of Didcot and Planegg, when the twinning document was signed by the Mayor of Planegg, Heinrich Hoffman, and Didcot Town Councillor, and previous mayor, Axel Macdonald. Axel is also Chair of Didcot Twinning Association. Following the formal part of the ceremony, the nine visitors from Didcot and their German hosts were entertained with traditional Bavarian folk music and then served with a delicious meal of local specialities. There was also an opportunity to try the ‘strong beer’ that, in this area, was drunk during Lent so that the monks who brewed it could sustain their fast without going hungry.
The following day we assembled in Marienplatz, in Munich, in front of the impressive Gothic Rathaus, arriving just in time for the full performance from the mechanical clock. In the ensuing guided walk around Munich’s historic centre we learnt of the rivalry between the city’s two main football clubs, the unreliability of some myths, the importance of siting your city on an important trade crossroads and how beer funds charitable works in the city. It was impossible to ignore that flags were flying at half-mast following the tragic loss of life in the Germanwings air accident.
The tour ended at the Oktoberfest and Beer museum with lunch, a beer tasting and a tour of the museum.
The rest of the visit followed our usual pattern of unscheduled activities, leaving time to be spent with hosts. On Sunday, some ventured into the mountains whilst others explored more cultural venues. Perhaps most surprising were the surfers on the Eisbach, a side arm of the river Isar, where an artificial wave provides hours of fun for surfers and spectators alike.
All too soon the visit was over the Didcot group was on their way back to the airport and home. More interesting experiences enjoyed and more friendships formed and strengthened. Pretty much a normal twinning visit, then.
Planegg and Didcot seal Town-partnership.
Report of latest visit from Planegg – Successfully Twinned
Planegg -Planegg is now twinned with a fourth town: representatives from Planegg and English Didcot ratified the official twinning document in the Heide Volm building. The other towns twinned with Planegg are: French Meylan, Klausen in the South-Tyrol and Barenstein in Eastern Germany.A link with Didcot has already existed for two years, and reciprocal visits have already taken place. The English town sent nine representitives, headed by former mayor, town- councillor and member of the twinning-committee. Axel MacDonald. Planegg’s mayor Heinrich Hoffmann said (in English, naturally) that the official friendship with Didcot was something ‘unique’; and Planegg was now definitely ‘coupled’ with them. Meylan, which has been twinned with Didcot for many years, has for a while worked for the English to ‘come on board’. Hoffmann emphasized the importance of cultural exchange within Europe – above all, for youth. Axel MacDonald stressed in his delivery the similarities between the two communities: just as Planegg has the Max-Planck Campus in Martinsreid, so does Didcot have a thriving scientific environment. However (he said) it is not the scientific connection, but the friendship between the inhabitants of the two municipalities which is the most important factor.
Didcot has 22,000 inhabitants and is situated a few kilometres south of Oxford. The town hit the headlines a few years ago when environmentalists
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Didcot Twinning Association
Become a member Go on a twinning visit Sponsors Acccounts
Didcot Twinning Association was formed in 1999 to promote twinning activities in the town and surrounding villages. We organise regular contacts between local residents and our twin towns.
In addition we encourage societies and clubs in Didcot and surrounding areas to set up links with similar organisations in our twin towns.
Meylan
Meylan Town Council Meylan Twinning Committee
Officials in Meylan, France, first approached Didcot in the late 1990s and after several exploratory visits, an official twinning charter was signed in 1999. Since then there have been regular visits between the two towns. In addition to groups of residents from the Didcot area, we have also helped establish contacts between choirs, art groups, young people and schools. The Twinning ceremony in Didcot
Meylan is a town of around 18,000 people, covering 1232 hectares, in the Isère department of France, a few kilometres to the east of Grenoble. In the Gresivaudan valley, it is bordered to the north by the Massif of Chartreuse and dominated by the Saint Enard. Across the valley it faces the Belledonne. The inhabitants of Meylan are known as Meylannais.
The name derives from a large farm that was established in Gallo-Roman times on the ‘middle ground’ which now corresponds to several communities on the right bank of the Isère river, including modern Meylan. In the Middle Ages, Meylan was a small rural village and remained so for hundreds of years. During this time it was the site of the church serving four communities totalling 300 souls (Saint-Mury, la Bâtie, le Bouquéron et Meylan). By 1790 the population had risen to 1122 residents and it had become the principal town of the district, where large landowners and peasants farmed together. This agricultural lifestyle, based on growing cereals, hemp and vines, lasted right up to the 1950s, and the beginning of the urbanisation process. By 1970 the population had reached 10,000 and in order to facilitate further growth in the area, an association of local businessmen and elected councillors were allowed to create a ZIRST (Zone pour l’Innovation et les Réalisations Scientifiques et Techniques) in the town. This business park is now called the Inovallée (Innovation Centre).
Today the commune has 6 nursery schools, 6 primary schools, and 3 secondary schools.
Meylan is also benefits from a local television station, TéléGrenoble (you can watch this on http://www.telegrenoble.net/) and the Hexagone Theatre, a joint project between Meylan and central government. The theatre’s role is to provide a venue for local contemporary cultural events but also to attract artists with a national recognition.
The stunning mountainous scenery in the area is in sharp contrast to the rolling hills and gentle valleys of South Oxfordshire but both towns lie in areas with a long history of high energy physics research, which prompted the first twinning overtures.
Click on photo to start slide show
Planegg
Didcot twin in Planegg
Twinned with Planegg in 2013
Since July 2013, Didcot has also been twinned with Planegg, Germany. This small Bavarian town (pop around 11,000) lies southwest of Munich on the banks of the river Wurm. Planegg has been twinned with Meylan for more than 25 years and this summer saw the completion of our twinning ‘triangle’. The Planegg area is also linked to world class science establishments, in particular with biotechnology
Planegg is a municipality covering 10.63 square km in the District of Munich, in Bavaria. It is located on the river Würm, 13 km west of Munich (centre). Although neighbouring communities were mentioned earlier, the first appearance of Planegg in written documents occurred in 1409. This document refers to the sale of Planegg to the Bavarian Duke, Wilhelm III, who between 1409 and 1423 also bought the villages of Großhadern, Martinsried, Forstenried, Fürstenried, Neuried et Gräfelfing. At this time Planegg became the stronghold of the Würm valley.
Th castle of Planegg remains an important feature of the town. The original fortifications on the site were probably upgraded between 1415-1420 while the chapel of St. Magdalena was added in 1617. A copper engraving by Michael Wening done in about 1701 shows a complex construction with a characteristic onion dome. Further development, about 30 years later, expanded the castle and gave it its current Baroque appearance. The castle grounds, traversed by the Würm, were originally modelled on a French style park but were transformed around 1800 to the current the English landscape style.
At the end of the 19th century, due to its gentle climate and the clean waters of its river, Planegg attracted a large number of foreigners searching for a healthier lifestyle. The opening of the Pasing-Starnberg railway line in 1854 brought more residents of Munich into the town for rest and relaxation.
By 1930 the church at Martinsreid was inadequate to serve the growing population of the area and a new place of worship was built in Planegg. By the 1970s, the Max Planck Institutes for Biochemistry and for Psychiatry were based in the area and enjoyed international repute. This was reinforced by the three Nobel prizes won by scientists working in these institutes. Adolf Butenandt shared the prize for Chemistry in 1936 for his work on isolating sex hormones. Feodor Lynen, who gave his name to the secondary school in Planegg, shared his prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1964 for work on the metabolism of fatty acids while Robert Huber shared the Chemistry Prize in 1988 for his work on understanding the 3-dimensional structure of the reaction site in photosynthesis. Today the area of Martinsreid houses a number of research laboratories as well as department of the Ludwigs-Maximilian Science University of Munich.
(Latetest Planegg news letters)
Location
Planegg bordered to the southwest by the city of Munich and is situated in a privileged location between the city and the Bavarian Alps.In good weather you can Planegg from the Alps with the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. In between lies the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, the outstanding quality of living highest standards.
The city of Munich is easily accessible via the S-Bahn line S6 within 20 minutes. Here all information about public transport. Planegg from each destination located in the district of Munich can be reached within an hour by car. In a short time, all major highways in the region can be achieved by Planegg out.
By car
Planegg is connected to all major highways in the region. It has access to the motorway Munich-Garmisch (A 95, exit Furstenried) motorway Munich-Lindau (A 96 exit Germering), Munich-Stuttgart (A8).
From the airport Planegg is on the ring road North (A99 exit München-West to achieve Lindau, exit Germering) in 30 minutes.
By train
Munich’s main train station with its hub of the South and provides connection to the national and international long-distance travel. From Munich main station you can take the S-Bahn 6 Tutzing in about 20 minutes to Planegg.
Take the S-Bahn
The Planegg is connected to the S-Bahn network of the MVV. On the S-Bahn line Munich-Planegg-Tutzing every 20 minutes, the S-Bahn line S6. Planegg belonging to the inner tariff zone of the MVV and is inexpensive to reach.
Opening times switch on Planegg Train:
Monday – Friday 08:00 – 13:00 clock.
With the subway
Planegg is connected via bus 266 to the underground network of the city of Munich. From the metro station Grosshadern (U6), which is conveniently located within minutes by bus, and it takes 12 minutes to the heart of the metropolis.
By air
Munich Airport is accessible from Planegg in about 30 minutes by car. By public transport Munich Airport is also well connected to Planegg. The airport S-Bahn lines S1 or S8, you can quickly reach the line S6 from the holding station Munich-Laim and at all other stops on the S-Bahn main line. Alternatively you can relax Augsburg Airport and Memmingen Airport. Augsburg Airport is accessible by car via the A8 towards Stuttgart in about 45 minutes.
http://www.planegg.de/index.php?id=0,1
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