Vinabærinn

Hafnarfjörður á vinabæi um víða veröld.

Vinir Hafnarfjarðar

Fjölmargir Íslendingar og útlendingar hafa orðið sérstakir Vinir Hafnarfjarðar og verða þá boðberar alls þess góða sem bærinn stendur fyrir. Vinabæi Hafnarfjarðar má finna um víða veröld. Vilt þú verða vinur Hafnarfjarðar?

Norræna vinasambandið

Norræna vinasambandið var stofnað árið 1947 en þá voru vinabæirnir aðeins tveir: Uppsalir í Svíþjóð og Friðriksberg í Danmörku. Árið 1949 bættust við Bærum í Noregi og Hämeenlinna í Finnlandi og tveimur árum síðar gerðist Hafnarfjarðarbær þátttakandi. Nýjasti bærinn í keðjunni er Tartu í Eistlandi sem bættist við árið 1991. 

Vinabæirnir hittast annað hvert ár á vinabæjamótum. Á mótunum eru uppákomur æskulýðs-, íþrótta- og menningarhópa frá bæjunum, auk ráðstefna og málþinga um ýmis sameiginleg málefni bæjanna. Vinabæjarkeðjan stuðlar einnig að heimsóknum skólahópa og þekkingarheimsókna á milli staðanna.

 

Fleiri vinabæir

Hafnarfjörður á einnig fleiri vinabæi: Tvöroyri í Færeyjum og Baoding í Kína. Síðan er líka starfandi í bænum Cuxhavenfélag sem tengir vinabæina Hafnarfjörð og Cuxhaven í Þýskalandi en þau vinatengsl voru stofnuð árið 1988.

Sviðsstjóri stjórnsýslu fer með erlend samskipti fyrir hönd Hafnarfjarðarbæjar.

Vinabæir Hafnarfjarðar


The Twinned Towns of Hafnarfjörður and Cuxhaven

The town of Cuxhaven at the mouth of the River Elbe in Northern Germany has historically been associated with Iceland, in particular owing to the sale of Icelandic seafood in the town’s fish markets. Although Cuxhaven gained official town status only in 1907, its history can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when a harbour and fort were built in the area where the town stands today to protect the sailing route along the River Elbe to Hamburg. Cuxhaven and Hafnarfjörður were formally twinned in autumn 1988, and relations between the two towns have been very active in various ways ever since. One example of the successful links between the two towns is the inauguration in 1993 of a new “Hafnarfjörður Square” in the centre of Cuxhaven and a new “Cuxhaven Street” in the Óseyrarsvæði district of Hafnarfjörður. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the twinning, in 2013, Cuxhaven gifted Hafnarfjörður a 4-metre-high wooden replica of the Kugelbake beacon located on the coastal path by the harbour in Cuxhaven. The original is a 30-metre-high navigational aid built in 1703 on the northernmost coast of Lower Saxony, where the River Elbe flows into the North Sea. Kugelbake is the iconic symbol of the town of Cuxhaven, in the same way that Vitinn lighthouse is for Hafnarfjörður.

There has also been extensive and rewarding co-operation in youth matters and sports, education and culture, politics – not to mention business and trade. Cuxhaven has been sending the people of Hafnarfjörður an annual Christmas tree, which has brightened up the dark winter nights for decades, initially in the southern harbour and more recently in the Christmas village in the town centre. Immediately after twinning in 1988, the decision was taken to create the “Cuxhaven Wood” by the Hvaleyrarvatn lake. Since then, it has become something of a tradition, when delegations from Cuxhaven visit Hafnarfjörður, for them to plant trees whenever possible, as the wood has expanded and grown significantly in recent years. Cuxhaven Wood is home to two memorial plaques – one commemorating Jónas Guðlaugsson and the other, Rolf Peters. These men were key players in the early activities between the twinned towns and served for a number of years as chairmen of the associations in each country.