Twinning and Vienenburg
The town of Forres has strong formal links with the German town of Vienenburg, which lies close to the Harz Mountains, and with which it has been twinned since 1984. There are Twinning Associations in both Forres and Vienenburg which oversee much of the joint activities of the two communities. In addition to this, the Culbin Singers have developed a lasting friendship with the community in Vienenburg, and especially the Choir and Trombone Band of the Evangelischkirche in the German town. The musicians have been strong supporters and participants in the twinning link since its establishment, with a number of exchange visits between Forres and Vienenburg over the past twenty-two years. .
The most recent of these took place at the beginning of April 2006, when a group of almost thirty members of the Culbin Singers and friends travelled to Vienenburg for a week long visit. Some of the highlights of the week, which culminated in a joint concert in the Kirche, appear below.
The Culbin Singers
Forres, Moray, Scotland
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2006 Exchange
Most of the group travelled out by coach and ferry. A few set out on Saturday 1 April flying from Aberdeen to Hannover, arriving in Vienenburg later the same day.
They were there in the car park outside the Railway Station in Vienenburg to help welcome the main group the following day, when they arrived in the early evening.
Time to renew acquaintances as the Singers stepped off the coach to meet the families who were to be their hosts for the next five days.
On Monday, the group travelled to Berlin - suitably dressed against the cold rainy day, some in national dress!
The group was treated to a tour of the famous Reichstag building - the rain has started by the time they left down the steps of the main public entrance.
The group got together again first thing on Tuesday outside the church in Hornburg, a small village just a few miles from Vieneburg, and which has a spectacular historic church and half-timbered houses. The guided tour around the village was mostly in bright sunshine, with just a few intermittent hail and snow showers!
The joint concert due to take place on the Friday evening, with the Culbin Singers, Kirchenchor and Posaunenchor (trombone band) was suitably advertised on a poster in the village.
The joint choirs had a rehearsal in the Vienenburg church on Tuesday afternoon.
The conducting was shared by Carola Brinkmann and Alistair Hardie.
The Burgermeister's office held a reception for the choir on Wednesday morning, with the opportunity for all guests to sign the Visitors' Book, and to receive a gift of Wurst and Schnapps commemorating the 700th Jubilee of Vienenburg, which takes place later in 2006.
Douglas Murray, Choir President, was officially greeted by the deputy Burgermeister.
On Wednesday afternoon the visitors were taken on a guided tour of the schnapps distillery and factory at nearby Woltingerode. Located in a former monastery, the visit included a tour of the ancient chapel, which is still used for church services during the summer months only, as it is unheated. It afforded a welcome opportunity to sit down, and take in the atmosphere.
There was also the chance to purchase the product - after sampling it of course!
The Distillery generously gave us all a free mug as well!
On Thursday morning the group was taken to the underground mining museum at Rammelsberg, near Goslar, Vienenburg's nearest large town neighbour. Goslar is a town with plenty of history, and its wealth was built upon the riches from mining the nearby mountain deposits of copper, tin, lead and silver.
The underground tour of the mine passages and machinery - still in working order- captured the interest and imagination of all the group.
After the visit to the museum, the group was given the rest of the day to explore the town of Goslar. This of course included the chance to stop for lunch.
Thursday ended with a supper and ceilidh in the community hall at Lochtum, another of the small villages that lies close to Vienenburg.
The ceilidh also gave the opportunity for the exchange of gifts between the two choirs, and to thank all those, from both Forres and Vienenburg, who had helped make the visit such a success.
There was also the opportunity to present entertainment of all sorts - including some outrageous over-acting by members of the Culbin Singers!
Most members of the choir took part - one way or another!
The concert took place the following evening. It
included music by both choirs and the trombone band, and ended with Bach's
'Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring' sung in German, then English. Click
here
to listen - but please don't expect CD quality sound - the
concert was recorded on a pocket-held MP3 player. Please do NOT try to downlod
this file unless you have a high-speed (broadband) internet connection!
The concert venue was the Evangelische Kirch in Vienenburg.
The following morning, everyone set out on the journey home to Forres. The main group travelled by coach, while the remainder made ths short journey to Hanover for flights back to Aberdeen.
Click here to go to
Vienenburg's own web site
These pages © 2006, A & M Joyce, Forres, and The Culbin Singers.
