Oxford, Padua, Ramallah – twin cities recognised

In 2018 Oxford announced a new twinning agreement with Padua in Italy, and earlier this year Ramallah in Palestine became the eighth city to twin with Oxford.

Why these cities

Padua was chosen as a twin city as, like Oxford, it has an old university of international standing - in fact it is older than Oxford. There have been links between the two universities for some years and the council felt it was time to involve all citizens in the partnership.

Oxford has had a long-standing Oxford-Ramallah friendship association. The City Council felt it was time to recognise the continuing links at a citizen to citizen level with a formal municipal twinning arrangement with the Palestinian city. We hope the twinning will flourish, encourage understanding and contribute, if only in a small way, to peace and justice in the region

Benefits of twinning

Twin city links give citizens the chance to engage with other cultures and ways of life, and make these experiences more accessible through established contacts and networks in the linked cities.

Oxford’s other twin cities are Bonn in Germany, Leiden in the Netherlands, Grenoble in France, León in Nicaragua, Perm in Russia and Wrocław in Poland.

“These two historic cities have so much in common with Oxford, as centres of learning and culture, and I look forward to celebrating more mutual exchanges between our cities. Twinning enriches our city through cultural and business links and keeps us looking outwards and learning from new partners. Oxford has always been a place for cultural exchange and learning. As Britain is reshaping its place in Europe and beyond, it’s more important than ever that Oxford holds onto this tradition and builds its own bridges to the world we want to live in.”

Mary Clarkson, Cabinet member for Culture and City Centre

“I’d like to offer a city welcome to the Oxford Ramallah Twinning committee and The Oxford Padova Link here today, and thank them for their hard work to bring about these new ties. Alongside the Oxford  Italian Association  and Oxford Ramallah Friendship Association. We have benefited from thousands of cultural exchanges and activities with our twin cities over the years, and I look forward to building deeper connections between Oxford and our new twinned cities in the future.”

Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Craig Simmons