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96-520: The villages of Březové, Chudobín, Myslechovice, Nasobůrky, Nová Ves, Rozvadovice, Savín, Tři Dvory, Unčovice and Víska are administrative parts of Litovel. Litovel is located about 16 kilometres (10 mi) northwest of Olomouc . It lies in a flat agricultural landscape of the Upper Morava Valley lowland. The highest point is the hill Šumina at 418 m (1,371 ft) above sea level. The Morava River and six its branches flow through

192-490: A "similar attitude towards food," whereas Chicago 's link with Warsaw , Poland began with Chicago's historic Polish community . The twinning of Indianapolis with Monza , Italy, is due to both cities' long association with auto racing . A twin towns program was instituted in the United States in 1956 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a citizen diplomacy initiative. Sister Cities International (SCI)

288-519: A "tuning" partnership based on a shared musical heritage and culture offer, at the initiative of Bristol Mayor George Ferguson . Annecy , France and Nerima , Tokyo have for several years shared a partnership based on their "co-existent animation industry". Toledo, United States twinned with Toledo, Spain in 1931, and was the first city in North America to engage in town twinning. Vancouver, Canada twinned with Odesa, Ukraine in 1944,

384-534: A common etymology . These similarities usually arise from sharing the same or related language or having been a colony or previously conquered. The twinning of towns and cities is sometimes done for political purposes. The Hungarian city Gyöngyös was twinned with the Azerbaijani city of Shusha in 2013, signing the twinning agreement with representatives from the Azerbaijani government; Hungary recognised Shusha as de jure part of Azerbaijan , even though it

480-575: A factory in the Republic of Karelia in Russia and offered the same profit-sharing plan to its Russian employees. China's sister city relationships are managed by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries , a united front organization. Sister city initiatives are an increasingly widespread mechanism for Chinese public diplomacy . From the early 2000s until 2024,

576-401: A hierarchical relationship. In the 2010s, Tokyo began to actively promote 'city diplomacy' with other global cities at the initiative of governor Yoichi Masuzoe . Relationships between communities can also arise because of shared names; they may be named after one community (as in the case of Córdoba ), they may share names (as in the case of Santiago de Compostela ), or their names may have

672-611: A link that still exists. Since 9 April 1956 Rome and Paris have been exclusively and reciprocally twinned with each other, following the motto: "Only Paris is worthy of Rome; only Rome is worthy of Paris." Within Europe, town twinning is supported by the European Union. The support scheme was established in 1989. In 2003 an annual budget of about € 12 million was allocated to about 1,300 projects. The Council of European Municipalities and Regions also works closely with

768-523: A procession of proletarians rather than saints. After the war, the government participated in the expulsion of ethnic Germans from the country, following the Allied leaders' Potsdam Agreement , which redefined the Central European borders, although many of these people's families had lived for two centuries in the region. There were the statue of the first president T. G. Masaryk reconstructed as

864-409: A sort of international relations that works in parallel to the conventional system involving embassies, ambassadors, and treaties negotiated at the level of nation states . According to Rodrigo Tavares , the earliest formal attempts to establish city diplomacy across national boundaries took place in the 19th century. Only a handful of cities were involved in the 19th-century efforts; it was not until

960-534: A symbol of come back of democracy on Masaryk street after "velvet revolution" in 1990. Its inner city is the third-largest urban monument reservation in the country, after Prague. The Olomouc agglomeration was defined as a tool for drawing money from the European Structural and Investment Funds . It is an area that includes the city and its surroundings, linked to the city by commuting and migration. It has about 401,000 inhabitants and also includes

1056-546: A twin town. Twinned towns are often chosen because of similarities between them; thus about 15 towns in Wales are twinned with towns in Brittany , and Oxford is with Bonn , Leiden , Grenoble and other university cities. In Italy, two sets of twins are Rovigo with Viernheim , and Bedford with Tulcea . Many former West German cities are twinned with former East German cities; these twinning links were established before

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1152-410: Is 532.3 millimetres (20.96 in), of which July is the wettest with 78.7 millimetres (3.10 in), while February is the driest with only 21.5 millimetres (0.85 in). The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from −27.9 °C (−18.2 °F) on 25 January 2006 to 37.2 °C (99.0 °F) on 3 and 8 August 2013. As early as the 7th century, a gord of the early Slavs developed in

1248-780: Is a rugby club, playing in the third-tier competition. On the north west side and adjacent of the Andrův stadion was a facility called the Spartakiad Stadium, which was built after World War II. The stadium was used for various purposes and promoted the Spartakiad , most notably during the 1950s and 1960s. The site also held motorcycle speedway and hosted a final round of the Czechoslovak Individual Speedway Championship in 1964, 1968 and 1969. Olomouc contains several large squares,

1344-523: Is a scale model of the entire old town in bronze. Asteroid 30564 Olomouc was named after the city. Olomouc is twinned with: Sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of international links between municipalities akin to what are known as sister cities or twin towns today dating back to

1440-471: Is also the centre of the ethnographic region of Haná . As a student city with 2nd oldest university in town, Olomouc offers many cultural events and festivals: Academia Film Olomouc , Festival of Animated Film (PAF), Divadelní Flora and many others. There are several theatre venues (including Divadlo na cucky, Divadlo Tramtarie or Divadlo K3). Cinema is represented by a single screen Kino Metropol (opened in 1933) and three multiplexes. Palacký University,

1536-586: Is an important railway junction. The city is connected with Prague , Ostrava , Brno , Zlín and Břeclav . Passenger trains of all categories operated by České dráhy , RegioJet and LEO Express make stops there. The city is the home of the Moravian Theatre Olomouc ( Moravské divadlo ) and the Moravian Philharmonic ( Moravská filharmonie Olomouc ). In 2023 it was decided, they will be merged in one institution. Olomouc

1632-561: Is an important stop for migratory birds and is home to one of the largest colonies of black-headed gulls and Mediterranean gulls in the country. Olomouc's climate is classified as humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ). Among them, the annual average temperature is 9.6 °C (49.3 °F), the hottest month in July is 20.3 °C (68.5 °F), and the coldest month is −1.4 °C (29.5 °F) in January. The annual precipitation

1728-532: Is decorated with four ceramic mosaics designed by Jano Köhler , which depict scenes from the history of the town. The Church of Saints Philip and James is the probably the oldest church in Litovel. Its existence was first mentioned in 1342. It was completely rebuilt after in the early Baroque style in 1692–1694. The Church of Saint Mark was originally a Gothic church, also first recorded in 1342. The extensive renaissance reconstruction took place in 1529–1532, after

1824-415: Is in a separate smaller painting (above its main one) showing a beech tree, intended as a symbol of prosperity and from which Carshalton Beeches in the borough derives its name. Another example of the use of public art is the wall sculpture of the partner cities of Munich , Germany. A recent study has concluded that geographical distance has very little, if any, influence upon communities' selections of

1920-455: Is known especially for the food industry. In the village of Tři Dvory is located a factory of Adriana , a manufacturer of pasta, and Brazzale , a cheese-producing company which has here one of the largest hard-cheese producing factories in the world. Litovel is also known for its brewery . The tradition of brewing beer here began in 1297. Pro-Ject brand turntables and audio equipment are manufactured in Litovel. The D35 motorway (part of

2016-447: Is twinned with Dorval, Quebec ; Huai'an, China , and Neyagawa, Osaka , Japan. Town twinning begins for a variety of reasons. Generally, partner towns have similar demographics and size. They may arise from business connections, travel, similar industries, diaspora communities, or shared history. For example, the partnership between Portland, Oregon and Bologna , Italy arose from shared industries in biotechnology and education, and

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2112-684: The Czech First League . Its reserve team, SK Sigma Olomouc B, plays in the Czech National Football League . Sigma Olomouc plays its home matches at Andrův stadion with a capacity of 12,474 seats, which regularly hosts international matches as well. The second football club in the city is 1. HFK Olomouc . The city's ice hockey club is HC Olomouc , playing in the Czech Extraliga (top tier). It plays its home matches at Zimní stadion Olomouc . RC Olomouc

2208-557: The Czech National Revival . The university was fully restored in 1946; it was renamed Palacký University of Olomouc . The university plays a very important role in the life of the city: with over 25,200 students (including those at Moravian College Olomouc), Olomouc has the highest density of university students in Central Europe. Many of the city's services are student-oriented. They close during holidays and

2304-700: The European route E442 ) from Olomouc to the Hradec Králové Region runs through the town. Litovel is located on the railway line Prostějov – Červenka . The town is served by three train stations: Litovel , Litovel město and Litovel předměstí . The historic town centre is formed by the Přemysl Otakar II. Square and its surroundings. It was delimited by the Morava and its branches, and by town walls, which remnants are preserved. The landmark of

2400-547: The Olomouc Orthodox Church , consecrated to Saint Gorazd  [ cs ] , and the Mausoleum of Yugoslav Soldiers . This monument commemorates 1,188 Yugoslav soldiers who died during World War I in local hospitals after being wounded on battlefields. The principal secular building is the city hall, completed in the 15th century. It is flanked on one side by a gothic chapel, now adapted and operated as

2496-557: The Roman gods Jupiter (image) , Mercury (image) , Triton (image) , Neptune and Hercules (image) . One features Julius Caesar , the legendary founder of the city (image) . In the 21st century, an Arion fountain was added to the main square, inspired by the older project. In front of the astronomical clock on the Horní ("Upper") Square, which is the largest square in Olomouc,

2592-794: The Swedes took the city and held it for eight years (1642–1650). In 1235, the Mongols launched an invasion of Europe . After the Battle of Legnica in Poland, the Mongols carried their raids into Moravia, but were defensively defeated at the fortified town of Olomouc. The Mongols subsequently invaded and defeated Hungary . In 1454 the city expelled its Jewish population as part of a wave of anti-Semitism, also seen in Spain and Portugal . The second half of

2688-657: The Thirty Years' War , in 1640 Olomouc was occupied by the Swedes for eight years. They left the city in ruins, and as a result it lost its predominant place in Moravia, becoming second to Brno . In 1740 the town was captured and briefly held by the Prussians . Olomouc was fortified by Maria Theresa during the wars with Frederick the Great , who besieged the city unsuccessfully for seven weeks in 1758. In 1848 Olomouc

2784-723: The World Economic Forum . In addition to C40, other organisations facilitating city diplomacy include the World Cities Summit , City Mayors Foundation , the Smart City Expo World Congress , the Strong City Network and 100 Resilient Cities. As of 2016, there were over 125 such multilateral networks and forums to facilitate international collaboration between different municipal authorities. A Bill introduced in

2880-497: The 10th century—if they were not only missionary bishops, but representatives of some remains of regular church organization, then it is very likely that these bishops had their seat in Olomouc. Centuries later in 1777, it was raised to the rank of an archbishopric . The bishopric was moved from the church of St. Peter (since destroyed) to the church of Saint Wenceslaus in 1141 (the date is still disputed, other suggestions are 1131, 1134) under bishop Jindřich Zdík . The bishop's palace

2976-530: The 15th century is considered the start of Olomouc's golden age. It hosted several royal meetings, and Matthias Corvinus was elected here as King of Bohemia (in fact anti-king) by the estates in 1469. In 1479 two kings of Bohemia ( Vladislaus II and Matthias Corvinus) met here and concluded an agreement ( Peace of Olomouc of 1479) for splitting the country. Participating in the Protestant Reformation , Moravia became mostly Protestant. During

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3072-581: The 1990s, when the Nottingham City Council in the UK considered installing a tram network, it consulted experts from its twin city of Karlsruhe , which has one of the most extensive and efficient tram networks in Germany. With assistance from Karlsruhe's specialist engineers, Nottingham completed its second tram line in 2013. In 2014, Bristol and New Orleans announced their intention to form

3168-533: The 2019 session of the US Congress would have legislated for a City and State Diplomacy Act to create a new Office of Subnational Diplomacy at the Department of State . H.R.3571 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): City and State Diplomacy Act. Recently, the field of city diplomacy has taken a step beyond city-to-city exchanges to target the facilitation of dialogue between cities and multilateral organs, such as

3264-589: The 6th-largest church organ in Central Europe. Church of Saint Michael is notable. The Neo-baroque Chapel of Saint John Sarkander stands on the site of a former town prison. At the beginning of the Thirty Years' War , the Catholic priest John Sarkander was imprisoned here. Accused of collaboration with the enemy, he was tortured but did not reveal anything because of the Seal of Confession and died. The torture rack and Sarkander's gravestone are preserved here. He

3360-449: The 9th century, the modern concept was first established and adopted worldwide during World War II . Throughout history, many cities have participated in various cultural exchanges and similar activities that might resemble a sister-city or twin-city relationship, but the first officially documented case of such a relationship was a signed agreement between the leaders of the cities of Toledo, Ohio and Toledo, Spain in 1931. However,

3456-483: The Battle of Stalingrad. The twinning between Coventry and Stalingrad was formalized in 1944 and, after the end of the war, similar links were established to foster friendship and understanding among former foes as an act of peace and reconciliation, with new twinnings between Coventry and German cities: Kiel as early as in 1947 and Dresden in 1956. In 1957, Coventry was officially twinned with Belgrade, even though

3552-512: The Dutch city was still occupied by the German Army in the final months of the war, and children from each city took part in exchanges in 1945 and 1946. Similarly, in 1947, Bristol Corporation (later Bristol City Council) sent five "leading citizens" on a goodwill mission to Hanover . Reading in 1947 was the first British town to form links with a former "enemy" city – Düsseldorf ,

3648-574: The Elbow-high to claim his rights to the Polish crown and was assassinated. With his death, the whole Přemyslid dynasty died out. The city was officially founded in the mid-13th century and became one of the most important trade and power centres in the region. In the Middle Ages, it was the biggest town in Moravia and competed with Brno for the position of capital. Olomouc finally lost after

3744-651: The French town; formal twinning charters were not exchanged until 1986. The practice was continued after the Second World War as a way to promote mutual understanding and cross-border projects of mutual benefit. For example, Coventry twinned with Stalingrad and later with Dresden as an act of peace and reconciliation, all three cities having been heavily bombed during the war. The city of Bath formed an " Alkmaar Adoption committee" in March 1945, when

3840-633: The Netherlands, the term is jumelage , partnerstad or stedenband ("city bond" when providing mutual support). In Greece, the word αδελφοποίηση ( adelphopiisi  – fraternisation) has been adopted. In Iceland, the terms vinabæir (friend towns) and vinaborgir (friend cities) are used. In the former Soviet Bloc , "twin towns" and "twin cities" were used, and in Russian, they use города-побратимы (sworn brother cities). The Americas, South Asia, and Australasia use

3936-468: The Olomouc Museum of Art. It has a tower 250 ft (76 m) high, adorned with an astronomical clock in an uncommon Socialist Realist style. The original 15th-century clock was destroyed at the end of World War II. It was reconstructed in 1947–1955 by Karel Svolinský , who used the government-approved style of the time, featuring proletarians rather than saints. This is also the reason why

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4032-460: The Přemyslid Palace), a Romanesque building built after 1141 by the bishop Jindřich Zdík . It remains one of the most precious monuments of Olomouc: Such an early bishop's palace is unique in Central Europe. The Přemyslid Palace, used as the residence of Olomouc dukes from the governing Přemyslid dynasty , stood nearby. Church of Saint Maurice , a fine Gothic building of the 15th century, has

4128-574: The Scottish village of Dull and the US town of Boring, Oregon , agreed to twin their municipalities to promote tourism in both places, playing on their names. Recently some towns have made novelty twinning arrangements with fictional or virtual locations. Wincanton , England is partnered with Ankh-Morpork from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld books . Town twinning has increasingly been used to form strategic international business links. For example, in

4224-677: The Thirty Year's War it was baroque modified. Litovel is twinned with: Olomouc Olomouc ( Czech: [ˈolomouts] ; German : Olmütz ) is a city in the Czech Republic . It has about 102,000 inhabitants, making it the sixth largest city in the country . It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region . Located on the Morava River, the city is the ecclesiastical metropolis and

4320-548: The US). In Japan, the international city relations may be split into multiple terms, such as Sister Cities, Friendship Cooperation Cities, Business Partner Cities (BPC), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Sister Ports / Friendship Ports, etc. China mostly uses the term "friendship cooperation cities" rather than "sister cities", as the Chinese words for sisters, "姐妹" (reading: jiěmèi, literally elder sister and younger sister), could imply

4416-527: The United Kingdom, the term "twin towns" is most commonly used; the term "sister cities" is generally used for agreements with towns and cities in the Americas. In mainland Europe, the most commonly used terms are "twin towns", "partnership towns", "partner towns", and "friendship towns". The European Commission uses the term "twinned towns" and refers to the process as "town twinning". Spain uses

4512-825: The United Nations. Not only cities and towns, but also provinces, states, territories, and regions enter into twinning agreements. For example, the Canadian province of Alberta has "sister province" agreements with Gangwon, South Korea (since 1974), Hokkaido, Japan (since 1980), Heilongjiang, China (1981), Jalisco, Mexico (1999), Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine (2004), Lviv, Ukraine (2005), Guangdong, China (2017), and California, United States (2018), as well as policy-oriented (as opposed to economic and cultural) agreements with Nevada, United States (since 2013), Missouri, United States (2015), and Texas, United States (2018). The earliest known town twinning in Europe

4608-540: The chief of which is adorned with the Holy Trinity Column , designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The column is 115 ft (35 m) high and was built between 1716 and 1754. The city has numerous historic religious buildings. The most prominent church is Saint Wenceslas Cathedral founded before 1107 in the compound of the Olomouc Castle . At the end of the 19th century, the cathedral

4704-496: The cities of Přerov and Prostějov . Public transport in Olomouc is provided by trams and buses. Local railway services from Olomouc main railway station to Senice na Hané and Prostějov make stops around the city. The first train arrived in Olomouc on 17 October 1841 from Vienna . In 1845, the first omnibuses connected the railway station and the center of Olomouc. In 1899, omnibuses were replaced with trams. The main railway station in Olomouc ( Olomouc hlavní nádraží )

4800-453: The city and, in 1897, built a synagogue . The Jewish population reached 1,676 in 1900. Olomouc retained its defensive city walls almost until the end of the 19th century. This suited the city council, because demolishing the walls would have allowed for expansion of the city and attracted more Czechs from neighbouring villages. The city council preferred Olomouc to be smaller and predominantly German. Greater expansion came after World War I and

4896-462: The city in the final weeks of the war, they shot at its 15th-century astronomical clock, leaving only a few pieces intact (these are held in the local museum). The city was restored to Czechoslovakia, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime with stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s. In the 1950s, the clock was reconstructed under the influence of Soviet government; it features

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4992-401: The city. The Bystřice flows into the Morava at the city centre. The Oskava briefly forms the northern municipal border, before it joins the Morava. Chomoutovské Lake, located in the northern tip of the municipal territory, was created by flooding a gravel quarry and has an area of 85 ha (210 acres). Together with the immediate surroundings, it is protected as a nature monument. The lake

5088-474: The clock's calendar represents some of the most important days of the Communist regime. Olomouc has unique set of six Baroque fountains. They survived in such number thanks to the city council's caution. While most European cities were removing old fountains after building water-supply piping, Olomouc decided to keep them as reservoirs in case of fire. The fountains feature ancient Roman motifs; five portray

5184-470: The commission (DG Education and Culture) to promote modern, high quality twinning initiatives and exchanges that involve all sections of the community. It has launched a website dedicated to town twinning. As of 1995, the European Union had more than 7,000 bilateral relationships involving almost 10,000 European municipalities, primarily French (2837 twinnings) and German (2485 twinnings). Public art has been used to celebrate twin town links, for instance in

5280-540: The cosmopolitan nature of the city; as the cultural, administrative and religious centre of the region, it drew officials, musicians and traders from all over Europe. Despite these influences, Czech dominated, particularly in ecclesiastical publications throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. When the Austrian-born composer and musician Philip J. Rittler accepted a post at the Wenceslas Cathedral in

5376-534: The establishment of Czechoslovakia . In 1919 Olomouc annexed two neighbouring towns and 11 surrounding villages, gaining new space for additional growth and development. Serious tensions arose between ethnic Czechs and Germans during both world wars. During World War II , the city was under German occupation and most of the city's ethnic German residents sided with the Nazis ; the German-run city council renamed

5472-470: The fall of the Iron Curtain . Famous examples are the partnerships of Hanover and Leipzig , both of which have important trade fair grounds , or between Hamburg and Dresden. The first US-German town twinning was in 1947 between Worthington, Minnesota and Crailsheim . St Petersburg in Russia holds the record for the largest number of partnership arrangements with other communities. In June 2012,

5568-466: The form of seven mural paintings in the centre of the town of Sutton , Greater London. The five main paintings show a number of the main features of the London Borough of Sutton and its four twin towns, along with the heraldic shield of each above the other images. Each painting also features a plant as a visual representation of its town's environmental awareness . In the case of Sutton this

5664-557: The genocide in 2016, some twin agreements such as Edirne – Haskovo were terminated by Turkey. China manages sister city relationships through the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). In April 2019, CPAFFC president Li Xiaolin said, “Friendship city relations have become one of the important channels to implement the Belt and Road Initiative .” In January 2020, Shanghai canceled its sister city relationship with Prague after Prague's mayor signed

5760-473: The latter 17th century, he felt it necessary to learn Czech. With the continued dominance of the Habsburgs and migration of ethnic Germans into the area, the use of Czech declined. By the 19th century, the number of ethnic Germans in the city were recorded as three times higher than the number of Czechs. After the 1848 revolution , the government rescinded its Jewish expulsion order of 1454. Jews returned to

5856-595: The link actually dates back to 1953 when then Yugoslav Ambassador visited Coventry and offered a gift of timber from his native country for use in the new Civic Theatre, which when finished was named Belgrade Theatre . The purpose of twinnings was then expanded to encourage trade and tourism or to reflect other links, such as towns sharing the same name or migration links. By the 2000s, town twinning became increasingly used to form strategic international business links among member cities, and may include localities of any scope such as villages, prefectures, or countries. In

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5952-530: The main square (until then named after president T. G. Masaryk ) after Adolf Hitler . World War II brought a rise in anti-semitism and attacks on the Jews that reflected what was happening in Germany. On Kristallnacht (10 November 1938), townspeople destroyed the synagogue. In March 1939, city police arrested 800 Jewish men, and had some deported to the Dachau concentration camp . During 1942–1943, ethnic Germans sent

6048-650: The medieval centre). This settlement survived the defeat of the Great Moravia (c. 907) and gradually became the capital of the province of Moravia. Around 981–990, the Polish Duke Mieszko I took the Moravian Gate and Olomouc as an important place at the intersection of trade routes. Olomouc probably was mentioned in the Dagome iudex document ( c.  991 ) as Alemura . All of Moravia

6144-410: The meetings of the Diet and the locally printed hymnal, were recorded in Czech in the mid-16th and 17th centuries. The first treatise on music in Czech was published in Olomouc in the mid-16th century. The political and social changes that followed the Thirty Years' War increased the influence of courtly Habsburg and Austrian/German-language culture. The "Germanification" of the town likely resulted from

6240-530: The modern concept of town twinning appeared during the Second World War. More specifically, it was inspired by the bombing of Coventry on 14 November 1940, known as the Coventry Blitz . First conceived by the then Mayor of Coventry , Alfred Robert Grindlay , culminating in his renowned telegram to the people of Stalingrad (now Volgograd ) in 1942, the idea emerged as a way of establishing solidarity links between cities in allied countries that went through similar devastating events. The comradeship between

6336-413: The municipal territory (the villages of Lošov, Radíkov and Svatý Kopeček) extends into the Nízký Jeseník range and includes the highest point of Olomouc, a hill at 444 m (1,457 ft) above sea level. The Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area extends into the territory of Olomouc in the north. The Morava River and the stream of Mlýnský potok, which is a branch of the Morava, flow through

6432-434: The name Olomouc was derived from it. Although archaeologists have found traces of a camp of Roman legionnaires, the legend of the presence of Julius Caesar originated in the Renaissance period and nothing confirms it. Olomouc is located about 61 kilometres (38 mi) northeast of Brno and 200 km (120 mi) southeast of Prague . It lies mostly in a flat fertile land of the Upper Morava Valley . The eastern spur of

6528-443: The name is unknown. According to the most frequently considered theory, it was derived from the personal name Olmút, meaning "Olmút's" (castle, court). Another theory says that the name was derived from the Proto-Slavic words ol ('beer') and mútit ('to make noise'). According to legend, there was a Roman fort founded by Roman legionnaires under the command of Julius Caesar . The fort was called Iuliomontium or Julimons , and

6624-421: The number of China's sister city relationships doubled. More than one-third of Chinese sister city relationships are with sister cities in the east Asia Pacific region. Town twinning is supported in Japan by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations , a joint agency of local governments established by the Japanese government in 1988 (similar to Sister Cities International , its counterpart in

6720-402: The oldest in Moravia and second oldest in the Czech Republic, was founded in 1573 as part of an effort to reestablish Roman Catholicism in the country. At the time, roughly nine out of ten inhabitants of the Czech Crown lands were Protestants. Most of its faculties were suppressed in the 1850s by the Habsburg régime in retaliation for professor and student support for the 1848 revolution and

6816-425: The present-day quarter of Povel. It was probably an administrative centre of a larger unit. Povel is considered one of the three most important Moravian localities of the early Middle Ages. In the early 9th century, the gord was conquered and completely disappeared. A new centre, where the Great Moravian governor resided, developed at the gord at Předhradí, a quarter of the inner city (the eastern, smaller part of

6912-550: The remaining Jews to Theresienstadt and other German concentration camps in occupied Poland . Fewer than 300 of the city's Jews survived the Holocaust . The Germans also established and operated a Gestapo prison in the city, and a forced labour camp in the Chválkovice district. After Olomouc was liberated, Czech residents took back the original name of the city square. When the retreating German army passed through

7008-660: The square. It was created in 1724. The pillar is decorated with seven statues of plaque patrons and The Holy Virgin on the top. The Bridge of Saint John ( Czech : Svatojánský most ) is a stone bridge over the Morava River. It was constructed in 1592, and it is the third oldest bridge in the country (and the oldest stone bridge in Moravia ). A notable building is the Gymnasium of Jan Opletal. The Neorenaissance school building, named after Jan Opletal , comes from 1901 and

7104-483: The term "ciudades hermanadas", which means "sister cities". Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic each use Partnerstadt (German), miasto partnerskie (Polish) and partnerské město (Czech), which translate as "partner town" or "partner city". France uses ville jumelée (jumelage, twinned town or city), and Italy has gemellaggio (twinning) and comune gemellato (twinned municipality). In

7200-523: The term "sister cities" or "twin cities". In China, the term is 友好城市 (yǒuhǎo chéngshì – friendly cities). Sometimes, other government bodies enter into a twinning relationship, such as the agreement between the provinces of Hainan in China and Jeju in South Korea. The Douzelage is a town twinning association with one town from each of the member states of the European Union. Though

7296-454: The term is often used interchangeably with the term "friendship city", this may mean a relationship with a more limited scope in comparison to a sister city relationship, and friendship city relationships are mayor-to-mayor agreements. City diplomacy is a form of paradiplomacy that involves discussions between officials and residents of different cities. Often these cities will be located in different countries. As such, city diplomacy involves

7392-456: The town square is the town hall. It was originally a manor house which was sold to the town in 1557. It was reconstructed in 1572 and baroque modified in 1724. The town hall tower, 65 metres (213 ft) tall, was built right over the Nečíz, one of many branches of the Morava that runs underneath the square. The town square is lines by preserved burger houses. A plague column stands in the middle of

7488-620: The town to build walls. The royal town developed until the Hussite Wars . After the war, Litovel asked for the assignment of a protector and came under the protection of the Vlašim family from Úsov . In the 16th century, the lords of Boskovice acquired the Úsov dominion, Litovel became their property and lost its statute of a royal town. In the early 17th century, Litovel was acquired by the House of Liechtenstein and lost its significance. The town

7584-502: The town, which gave it the nickname "Moravian Venice ". The northern part of the municipal territory lies in the Litovelské Pomoraví Protected Landscape Area , named after the town. The first written mention of Litovel is from 1287, older documents have been proven to be forgeries . The town was founded between 1252 and 1256 by King Ottokar II . In 1327, King John of Bohemia allowed

7680-418: The turn of the millennium that it became much more common. The first priority of those carrying out city diplomacy typically overlaps with the core aims of municipal government – improving the lives of local residents. Yet they will often collaborate with peers in other cities to work on issues of planet-wide concern, such as efforts to address climate change . The phrase "city diplomacy" is formally used in

7776-521: The two cities continued, when again in response to the Battle of Stalingrad , 830 women in Coventry – led by the subsequent Mayor Emily Smith – had their names embroidered on a tablecloth along with the words "Little help is better than a lot of pity" and sent it, along with money (each donated six pence), to the people of Stalingrad. The tablecloth can now be seen at the Panorama Museum of

7872-514: The university exam periods. During the summer holiday, the trams run solo (apart from rush-hours), while during the university sessions, the lines are served by two coupled trams. The university buildings comprise about a third of the city's heritage centre; notable ones include the University Art Centre and the so-called Armoury (now Central Library). Olomouc is home to the professional football club SK Sigma Olomouc playing in

7968-826: The workings of the United Cities and Local Governments and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group , and is recognised by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy . A March 2014 debate in the British House of Lords acknowledged the evolution of town twinning into city diplomacy, particularly in matters of trade and tourism, but also in culture and post-conflict reconciliation. The importance of cities developing "their own foreign economic policies on trade, foreign investment, tourism and attracting foreign talent" has also been highlighted by

8064-569: Was canonized by Pope John Paul II during his visit in Olomouc in 1995. John Paul II also visited Svatý Kopeček ("The Holy Hillock"), which has the magnificent Baroque Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. It overlooks the city. The Pope promoted the church to Minor Basilica . Several monasteries are in Olomouc, including Hradisko Monastery , Convent of Dominican Sisters in Olomouc and others. Other notable destinations are

8160-487: Was a historical co-capital city of Moravia , before having been occupied by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War . The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as urban monument reservation . The Holy Trinity Column was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000 for its quintessential Baroque style and symbolic value. Olomouc is made up of 26 administrative parts: The origin of

8256-576: Was between Paderborn , Germany, and Le Mans , France, in 836. Starting in 1905, Keighley in West Yorkshire, England, had a twinning arrangement with French communities Suresnes and Puteaux . The first recorded modern twinning agreement was between Keighley and Poix-du-Nord in Nord, France, in 1920 following the end of the World War I . This was initially referred to as an adoption of

8352-519: Was built in the Romanesque architectural style. The bishopric acquired large tracts of land, especially in northern Moravia, and was one of the richest in the area. Olomouc became one of the most important settlements in Moravia and a seat of the Přemyslid government and one of the appanage princes. In 1306 King Wenceslas III stopped here on his way to Poland. He was going to fight Władysław I

8448-574: Was controlled at the time and until 2020 by the military forces of Armenia and the unrecognised Republic of Artsakh . An attempt was made in 2003 by Preston city councillors in England to twin with the Palestinian town of Nablus in the name of solidarity. Turkey bans partnerships with any city in a country that recognizes the Armenian genocide . As a result, when Bulgaria recognized

8544-542: Was founded in Olomouc to spread Enlightenment ideas. Its monthly Monatliche Auszüge was the first scientific journal published in the Habsburg empire. Largely because of its ecclesiastical links to Austria, Salzburg in particular, the city was influenced by German culture since the Middle Ages . Demographics before censuses can only be interpreted from other documents. The town's ecclesiastical constitution,

8640-572: Was further affected by the Thirty Years' War , during which was plundered by the Swedish army , and by plague epidemics. In 1850, Litovel became a district town and began to grow with the influx of inhabitants from the surroundings. The Czech population began to prevail over the German, and the town became a centre of Czech culture and education. At the beginning of the 20th century, trade and industry began to develop rapidly, and new factories for processing agricultural products were established. Litovel

8736-580: Was originally a program of the National League of Cities , but it became a separate corporation in 1967 due to the growth and popularity of the program. Twin town cultural events include the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., honoring Washington's twin relationship with Tokyo City . Many twinned towns developed business agreements with their partners. For example, Vermont 's Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company opened

8832-473: Was part of Poland between 1003 and 1031 during the reign of Bolesław I the Brave and partly Mieszko II Lambert . The first certain mention of the city dates back to 1017. Moravia was under Bohemian rule since 1031 (according to some Czech historians, since 1019 or 1021). The bishopric of Olomouc was founded in 1063. It was possibly re-founded because there are some unclear references to bishops of Moravia in

8928-522: Was rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style. It kept many features of the original church, which had renovations and additions reflecting styles of different ages: Romanesque crypt, Gothic cloister, Baroque chapels. The highest of the three spires is 328 ft (100 m), the second-highest in the country (after Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Plzeň ). The church is next to the Bishop Zdík's Palace (also called

9024-468: Was the first twinned city in Canada and the second in North America, while Denver, United States , twinned with Brest, France , was the second twinned city in the United States. Liberal, Kansas was twinned with Olney, United Kingdom in 1950, and the cities have run a joint Pancake Day race ever since. Littleton, Colorado, twinned with Bega, Australia, in 1961. Tashkent , the capital city of Uzbekistan,

9120-746: Was the scene of the emperor Ferdinand 's abdication. Two years later, Austrian and German statesmen held a conference here called the Punctation of Olmütz . At the conference, they agreed to restore the German Confederation and Prussia accepted leadership by the Austrians. In 1746 the first learned society in the lands under control of the Austrian Habsburgs , the Societas eruditorum incognitorum in terris Austriacis ,

9216-458: Was twinned with Seattle , Washington, in 1973. Rochester, Minnesota , and Knebworth , UK, both centers for primary medical research, twinned in 1967. Ontario, California , has five sister cities around the world. They are Brockville, Ontario, Canada (since 1977); Guamúchil, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1982); Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico (since 1988); and Winterthur, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland. Oakville, Ontario

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