Mitteilungen der Österreichischen Geographischen Gesellschaft, Band 166/2024, pp. 145-180, 2025/04/30
Band 166 (Jahresband), Wien 2024
Volume 166 (Annual volume), Vienna 2024
This article focuses on the analysis of the development of town twinning in East-Central and Eastern Europe (CEE countries) on the example of Poland. The study aimed to deter-mine how the dimensions of intercity cooperation support the processes of Europeanisa-tion and globalisation of a CEE country over the years in the face of major geopolitical events. We analysed the post-1945 partnerships of all 181 medium-sized towns in Poland. We used a triangulation of research methods, including quantitative and qualitative ones, to obtain more effective results. In the context of globalisation and Europeanisation, we proposed distinguishing three characteristic phases: initiation, development, and satura-tion. The recently growing phenomenon of untwining was also identified.
Keywords: Town twinning, sister cities, post-socialist country, Central and Eastern Europe, Poland