Calne - Eningen 35th Anniversary
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| Image via Eningen unter Achalm (schwaebischealb.de) |
Calne twinned with Eningen in 1988 through the driving
forces of Don Wiffen representing Calne and Jürgen Steinhilber for Eningen
, both mayors of their respective towns at the time.
In 1987, the Calne Silver Band visited Eningen, delivering enthusiastically received concerts together with the Musikverein Eningen, as a result of which a group from Eningen and others, consisting of Mayor Steinhilber and some local councillors, visited the town of Calne in September 1987. It was decided to enter into an official partnership, which was to be sealed over the weekend of 26–29 May 1988 in Calne.
Unfortunately, the partnership deed was not signed together, because a strike by the ferry crews of the P&O line in the Channel ports led to kilometre-long truck traffic jams. The truck drivers therefore blocked the entrances to the ferry ports. A closed trip of a group was therefore not possible.
In Calne, the disappointment about this cancellation was great.
Nevertheless, the documentary confirmation of the partnership between Calne and
Eningen was initially carried out unilaterally in Calne's town hall. The
document, signed by Don Wiffen, was brought to Eningen and others by the
Weigelt couple from Bempflingen (member of the Eningen hunting horn blower
comradeship), who were visiting Calne at the time.
During a ceremony on 29 May 1988, the partnership deed was signed by Mayor
Steinhilber. This date is therefore the official founding date of the town
twinning Calne – Eningen and others.
Eningen is situated in Swabia, Germany and nestles in the countryside between
the exposed mountain peak of the Achalm and the sheer drop of the Swabian Alb,
rich in forests and rocks.
It is a state-recognised health resort and has about 10,250
inhabitants.
There were settlements in the area as early as the Neolithic
Period. Eningen itself is first mentioned in a document dated 1090 as a
possession of the Counts of Achalm. The peddling trade, for which it became
famous, arose out of the poverty and plight caused by the 30 Years’ War,
reached its peak in the first half of the 19th Century.
Today, Eningen is a pretty and lively community. It is an
ideal starting point for hikers, and the Eninger Weide recreational area
includes game reserves with deer, wild boar and mouffon. There is also a museum
dedicated to the artist Paul Jauch, who lived in Eningen from 1913 until his
death in 1957.
For further information on Eningen and its facilities, follow the Links at the Eningen Links Page.