Twin-towns

In the lovely valley of the river Zschopau, on the other side of the Ore mountains, there is our twin-town Zschopau, whose history dates back to the early Middle age. In 1293 the town got privileges and was called the “Free mining town”. Since that time they have started to write history of mining in this region. The castle Wildeck, with its famous outlook tower “Dick Henry”,  is the most important monument in the town. In the surrounding of the city centre with the church of St. Martin  and the old market Altmarkt, we can find the historical frame houses.

The production of the motorbikes MZ and DKW famed Zschopau round Europe. We can find the exhibits of old and new models in the local museum situated at the castle.  We can do a lot in this town and it´s neighborhood, there are many tourist and cyclo-paths where we can admire the Ore Mountains panorama while hiking, cycling or skiing.

In Zschopau there is the Sloss- und Schűtzenfest  and traditional Christmas market hold. If you decide to visit this town, it is a one-hour drive from Louny.

Lučenec

In district of Banska Bystrica, on the hillside of Vepornicke vrchy, there is our oldest twin-town Lucenec. It is situated on the border line with Hungary, therefore there live huge Hungarian minority and the town is bilingual.  The first written notice is from 1247. In the 15^th century it was mentioned as the oppidum. Later the town was hidden by several catastrophes as Turkish war, religion fights and reforms, changes of government. In the 17^th century the town was allowed to organize annual markets and turned into the merchant center. Since 19^th century there have factories and the industrial development started.

The centrum is full of monuments – the city theatre, Jewish synagogue, the church of the Holy Mother etc. In 1851 they found the silver treasury during the house reconstruction.

The town is a perfect place for active holidays with hiking, cycling and discovering the wine-region.

The tree-days City festival is hold there every august.

The youngest Louny twin-town is situated on the river Seine, about 60km southwards from Paris. In the past Veneux was the weekend resort for rich Paris citizens and aristocrats. About 10 km far from the town there is the oldest royal palace Fountainebleau, famous for it´s gardens and 1200m long water-canal. It is the UNESCO monument today and it´s open for general public the whole year round. Around the castle and town there is the Barbizon forest known as the area where European painters established so called “Barbizon art school” (1830-1870) – the modern painting style “mannerism”.

You can visit the town by car or by train and relax in the stone and thatched houses in the style of the French kings.

The twin-town Barendrecht is situated on the river Maas, and it is a sleeping town of Rotterdam. It is closely connected with water, dams and agriculture. The town is situated in the river mouth and it´s aptitude is only between 0,8-1,1 m and it is surrounded by the system of dams, protecting it against the flooding. You cannot find here any natural hill, because the land is totally flat and only winds are constantly blowing over. There are not many monuments, only the Dorpskerk (church) built in Dutch gothic style and the Bethlehemkerk (church) in Art Nouveau style. It is a perfect place for ship-lovers, by the Oude Maas there you can admire ships and other vessels.

About 15 km from Barendrecht there is the world famous windmill district Kinderdijk (UNESCO World Heritage Site). And you can visit Dordrecht, place famous for its painters and artists. If you like to spend holiday in South Holland district, Barendrecht is very calm and suitable place to stay.