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Visit to
Krefeld,
Germany
In 1969, the City of Leicester was officially twinned with the City of Krefeld.
This beautiful German City is known as the ‘City of Silk and Velvet’.
T
his title derives from its colourful
history
whereby it became the richest
city in Germany. In the 18th century,
Krefeld was made famous by its textile industry,
supplying velvet, silk and brocade to a great
many countries. Sumptuous fabrics from Krefeld
were the natural choice for emperors, kings
and church rulers. The city’s many weavers
are commemorated with the statue of Master
Ponzelar, a silk weaver carrying a roll of cloth
on his shoulder. Production took place in the
many small weavers’ houses, which doubled
as workshops and living space. Some of them
remain to this day and are now protected by
preservation orders. Textiles still play an
important part in the city.
In 1972, the first contact was made between
the two IPA sections when 3 officers came to
Leicester from Krefeld. The visitors were hosted
by IPA members Roger Preston, Alwin Watson
and Gort Measey (all three are still members of
the IPA, although retired). Their visit was a little
bit disrupted within hours of their arrival by the
host officers being called out to a prison riot.
Nonetheless, all must have gone well because over
the following 45 years, there have been numerous
visits by both sections to one another’s City.
The last official meeting between the two sections
was in 2010 when IPA Krefeld visited Leicester.
Unfortunately, many of the original twinners
were getting less able to travel and take part in
activities and, since then, there have no further
visits until now. This invitation to renew our
friendship followed the successful visit by Police
Cadets in 2016 when they took part in the local
soapbox derby in Krefeld. In response to the
invitation, a large
party of members,
including serving
and retired officers,
went to Germany
for the 60th
Anniversary of IPA
Krefeld this year.
Our group was honoured to have two of our serving Section UK Vice Presidents in our group.
Here are their stories:
1
Sean Hannigan
(VP Cultural):
I travelled from my home in Frankfurt to Krefeld
to join in the 60th celebrations of IPA Krefeld.
I was delighted to catch up with friends from my
own branch from Leicestershire. They have had a
twinning relationship with Krefeld for a very long
time. The great thing about the IPA is friendship
and the fantastic relationships forged between
Leicestershire and Krefeld is a testament to this.
I had a really fantastic weekend and, as well as
catching up with many of my old friends, I made
plenty of new ones.
2
Clive Wood
(VP Professional):
I have spoken before about the benefits of
town twinning which allows for IPA branches
to travel, meet new friends and enjoy new
experiences.
This most recent experience which
enabled me to share with IPA Krefeld the 60th
anniversary of the foundation of their branch
was a real treat. In total, over 20 members of our
branch travelled across with a short flight from
Birmingham into Düsseldorf where we were met
and taken in convoy to our hotel. Friday night
we all enjoyed a Chinese meal and on Saturday
they arranged for us to visit a brandy distillery;
‘what could possibly go wrong?’ Saturday
evening was taken up with an excellent ball
where I, on a quick count, reckon well over 200
people were in attendance. Friends from section
Netherlands were also present and I was much
happier after I had been called to the stage to
present my speech in German! I received many
positive comments including one from the chief
constable’s staff officer who said “I think I got the
general sense of what you were saying - you have
a very strong accent.” Sunday morning took us on
a tram to the zoo courtesy of a city pass provided
by the Lord Mayors office. We then had a short
walking tour of Krefeld on the Sunday afternoon
where the weather was a little against us but
we were all warmed by a lovely evening where
we were met by our hosts and enjoyed a buffet
of German traditional food and drink. Monday
morning saw us again in convoy back to the
airport and safely home. I do hope we will be able
to reciprocate a visit from some of our friends
new and old from Krefeld next year.
VP Clive Wood with the IPA Krefeld
organiser Haju Sturznickel
Visit to the Dujardin Brandy Distillery
Krefeld Presentation Gifts
Article
POLICE WORLD
Vol 63 No. 1, 2018
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