Twinning

Discover Richmond upon Thames' Twinned towns in USA, France and Germany

Fontainebleau, France

The historic and charming town of Fontainebleau lies to the southeast of Paris, surrounded by one of the largest and most beautiful national forests in France.

The main reason for the growth of the town of Fontainebleau was the existence of the Royal Palace and, consequently, the town has a grand air with immense historic interest. The town is also an academic centre of international renown, as well as being host to major show jumping and racing events.

For further information visit the official website or get in touch via email.

Richmond, Virginia, USA

Richmond, Virginia was named after Richmond upon Thames because of the similarity of the view of the James River in Virginia to that of the view of the River Thames from Richmond Hill.

Sharing a name has resulted in transatlantic ties, including economic exchanges between the two towns and engagement in arts events. Both Richmonds also share history about Pocahontas, which was marked in a visit from her descendants to Richmond upon Thames in 2016.

Richmond, Virginia is part of Sister Cities International, working to create global exchanges for community impact, including our friendship with them.

For more information, please visit the website.

Konstanz, Germany

Richmond's twinning with Konstanz has established several relationships which has led to exciting opportunities, including university student exchanges, Richmond students attending a youth council conference in Konstanz, and links between local tennis clubs.

Konstanz is also twinned with Fontainebleau, creating deeper links between the three towns.

For more information, please visit the website.

The Richmond in Europe Association (REA) is a voluntary association with over 300 members in Richmond upon Thames, Fontainebleau and Konstanz, bringing our communities together.

It works closely with the Council in promoting cultural, educational and sporting links with our twinned towns. Its website provides a wealth of information about current partnerships, events and further twinning opportunities. 

Cultural links

Beyond our formal twinning agreements, Richmond embraces its shared cultures and heritage with other parts of the world.

Belgium - Twickenham, Richmond and surrounding parts of the borough became home to 6,000 Belgian refugees during World War 1, developing a strong community. The East Twickenham Centennial Group recovered this story through its Richmond and Twickenham First World War Belgian Refugee Project. The history has been commemorated with a stone memorial on East Twickenham Riverside outside the former Belgian munitions factory.

Chile - Bernardo O'Higgins, 1778-1842, General, Statesman and Liberator of Chile, lived and studied in the borough, creating a historical link with Richmond.

Richmond, Yorkshire - A member of Richmonds of the World, the town shares a link with Richmond upon Thames through their shared name. Henry VII named Richmond upon Thames after his favourite Earldom, Richmond in Yorkshire.

Barnes and Le Pecq - Richmond's village of Barnes is informally linked with Le Pecq in France. The two towns engage in various activities together.

Finally, the purpose of twinning is to:

1. Maintain the twinning relationships at both official and informal level.
2. Keep up-to-date information about the twin towns and their activities.
3. Help put local groups and organisations in touch with their counterparts.
4. Encourage social, educational, cultural and business links.

Scroll down to find out more about our official twinned partners.