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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 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.
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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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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