North Tyneside Twin Towns
North Tyneside Council is currently twinned with five towns: (1) Frederikshavn, Denmark; (2) Mönchengladbach, Germany; (3) Oer-Erkenschwick, Germany; (4) Halluin, France; and (5) Klaipéda, Lithuania.
Frederikshavn, Mönchengladbach and Oer-Erkenschwick have been twinned with the authority since its formation in 1974.
Frederikshavn is a town in Northern Denmark surrounding a small fishing port. Its main industries are fishing, small craft building and repairs, farming and cottage industries. Formerly twinned with the old borough of Tynemouth.
Oer-Erkenschwick is a town whose major industries are banking, mining, forestry, farming and pre-packed foods. Was formerly twinned with the old borough of Longbenton.
Mönchengladbach is a lively town with a 1000 year history. It has a population of 270,000 and is the largest town on the left bank of the Lower Rhine. Its main industries are textiles, textile machinery, electrical engineering, entertainment, electronics and food producing factories. Formerly twinned with the old borough of Wallsend.
Halluin was twinned at a ceremony at St Mary’s Island, Whitley Bay, on 8 July 1994. It is a small French town situated on the French-Belgium border, one third of the town is actually in Belgium. However, the whole town is administered by a French local authority. Its main industries are tourism, waste management, cottage industries, carpet manufacturing and farming.
Klaipéda was twinned with North Tyneside on 27 October 1995. It is a sea port town on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The town has a population of over 200,000.