Apeldoorn

The City of Burlington signed an official twinning agreement on May 6, 2005, in Apeldoorn.  After the official signing ceremony a number of initial objectives were discussed:

• Foster ties between Apeldoorn and Burlington’s veteran community
• Focus on youth, education and sports through exchange visits
• Focus on the arts through exchange visits including local artists

Entering into this twinning relationship is the culmination of the two cities working together for 10 years with the support of a grassroots organization of Burlington residents with ties to Apeldoorn and The Netherlands.  During this time both cities participated in a number of sport and cultural exchanges, as well as informal discussions.  Exchanges have included a contingent of young athletes from Apeldoorn participating in the Burlington International Games and a group of students from Nelson High School attending an International Youth Conference in Apeldoorn.

This map shows the location of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands. It clearly indicates the proximity of Apeldoorn to Arnhem, the place of the big battle near the end of the second world war in 1944, where many Canadian and British soldiers died. It explains the reason why Apeldoorn is such an important part of our history, especially for our veterans.

City Size and Location

• Population: 155,000 very similar to Burlington and growing at a rate of 10% per year.
• Apeldoorn is the Netherlands’ 10^th largest city and lies in a beautiful sandy area in the middle of the country called the “Veluwe”.
• Apeldoorn is one of the Netherlands’ most progressive cities with regard to responsible development and the environment. This, coupled with the historic strong connections with our veterans, as well as its size, makes Apeldoorn an ideal Twinning Partner with the City of Burlington.

Apeldoorn is home of the official summer residence of The Royal Family – Paleis Het Loo

Local industry

Apeldoorn is at the center of one of the Netherlands most beautiful regions  “De Veluwe”. Tourism is a key industry.

The city’s vision for the future is to focus on growth in the Hi-Tech Information and Communication Technology Sectors.

Gift Exchange

During the first official visit (October 16, 2003), a memorandum of understanding was signed initiating the twinning relationship.  Apeldoorn Mayor Fred de Graaf, on behalf of the citizens of Apeldoorn, presented the citizens of Burlington with “Louise”, a piece of landscape furniture artwork as a sign of Apeldoorn’s commitment to the twinning.  Upon signing the official twinning agreement on May 6, 2005, the City of Burlington presented a piece of original artwork entitled Jacob’s Creek, by Burlington artists Marian Cole and Elizabeth Pudsey, to the mayor and citizens of Apeldoorn as a sign of friendship and commitment to the twinning relationship.  Jacob’s Creek is a magnificent quilt with five mixed media paintings and will serve as a solid reminder of the relationship that exists between our two cities.

Exchange Visits

In 2004, 72 Dutch athletes, along with 12 chaperones and coaches, came to our city to participate in the Burlington International Games.  During the Games, the contingent stayed at the Burlington Legion, and for the latter part of their stay, the young athletes were billeted with a Burlington counterpart and provided with tours of Burlington and the surrounding area.

On May 2, 2005, an official Burlington delegation arrived in Apeldoorn to participate in the twinning ceremonies, as well as important VE Day events.  During the delegation’s weeklong stay in Apeldoorn, they visited a number of important city sites and participated in a number of official ceremonies including:

• A visit to the Air Operation Control Station of the Royal Dutch Air Force and meeting with students from the International Youth Conference.
• A commemoration ceremony at the Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek.
• The national commemoration of the victims of World War II where the mayors of Burlington and Apeldoorn laid a wreath at the National Monument together with students from the International Youth Conference.
• The visit culminated with the official twinning ceremony where Mayor Rob MacIsaac and Apeldoorn Mayor Fred de Graaf signed the twinning agreement.