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n 1984 interested members of the town along with the Town Council investigated the possibility of Thornbury twinning with another town in Europe of approximately the same size and character as Thornbury. Eventually it was discovered that Bockenem in the Hildesheim District of Lower Saxony fitted the criteria. It is easily accessible but most importantly, the people were warm and friendly with a genuine desire to twin with Thornbury. So, in Thornbury on 13th September 1986 and in Bockenem on 25th October of that year, charters were signed and twinning began.

The nearest large town is Hildesheim itself and the nearest city is Hannover, about 50 km distant. Like Thornbury, Bockenem is close to a motorway, in its case the E4 Hamburg to Kassel autobahn which gives it excellent communications with other parts of Germany and the ferry ports. There are a number of local links with this part of Germany in that Bristol is twinned with Hanover, Weston-super-Mare with Hildesheim and Yate with Bad Saltzdetfurth, which is almost exactly the same distance from Bockenem as Yate is from Thornbury.

The countryside surrounding the town is basically flat and a patchwork of arable fields. This area of plain is roughly triangular in shape and on all three sides there is higher, more wooded terrain within 5 or 6 km. To the south-east, at about 12 km, the land rises more steeply into the foothills of the Harz Mountains. The most striking feature of the area of plain is the lack of isolated buildings. Between the neat villages and hamlets there is nothing but fields immediately prompting the question “Where are all the farms?” The answer is that they are in the villages and in Bockenem itself. This was discovered by some surprised visitors from Thornbury staying in a house in the very centre of the town, only a few yards from the Rathaus (Town Hall), when they were awoken on their first morning by the sound of cows being milked immediately below their bedroom. Thornbury

Bockenem itself is smaller than Thornbury but within the area administered by the Town Council there are 17 villages and hamlets which bring the total population nearer to that of Thornbury. Bockenem is a town which has grown with new residential development, and also like Thornbury, there is an industrial estate at one end of the town. The first years of twinning saw numerous exchange visits with many friendships being made, giving a firm indication that the twinning will continue to thrive and grow.

The Twinning Association encourages and supports exchange visits by groups organisations, families and individuals. Visitors to Bockenem usually stay in the homes of members of the Bockenem Twinning Association free of charge, and similar hospitality is offered to German visitors to Thornbury.

For further information contact the Secretary, Thornbury Twinning
Association, Town Hall, High Street Thornbury. 01454 412103