Portsmouth is celebrating 75 years of twinning and friendship with Duisburg and the many connections forged between the two cities over the years.

Portsmouth schoolchildren have been busy designing Duisburg 75 logos to mark the major anniversary. And the winners – Amelie Allen and Roxanne Richardson from Springfield School – had their design engraved on a silver salver that’s ben gifted to the German city. Fellow Springfield pupils Ashmika Sujith and Emma Butcher won best concept for their design.

The salver was presented to the Lord Mayor of Duisburg, Sören Link, as part of his recent visit to Portsmouth with a group of delegates.

As part of the anniversary trip, Portsmouth Lord Mayor Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson joined to unveil a selection of new German books, available to borrow in Central Library, which have been funded by Snows BMW and MINI Portsmouth. Books have also gone to Portsmouth schools where German is taught, continuing a tradition of exchanging books since the cities were twinned in 1950.

A display showing the rich history between Portsmouth and Duisburg is also available to visit in Portsmouth History Centre – located on floor 2 of Central Library, Guildhall Square.

As part of the visit, Duisburg guests visited Southsea Food Festival, toured the new sea defences and took in other Portsmouth landmarks.

Over 75,000 people from the two cities are estimated to have taken part in exchanges since they were officially twinned in 1950, and over 75 years, many friendships, and even families, have been created.

Doreen from Portsmouth and Heinz from Duisburg were the first couple to marry after their cities were twinned, having met in Duisburg in 1948.  Heinz died last year aged 102 and Doreen died several years before, and their niece, Rosy Danbar, who had been researching her family history, joined the latest visit to share her family stories.

Cllr Chris Attwell, Portsmouth City Council Cabinet Member for Communities and Central Services and chair of the twinning advisory group said: Portsmouth and Duisburg were one of the very first Anglo-German twinning links following the Second World War, which left both cities crippled by bombing.

“Once enemies, a great friendship was forged out of understanding and hope in 1950, and over 75 years that bond has grown ever stronger. Residents of both cities have made life-long friends by taking part in visits, and we look forward to many more decades of friendship together.

To further mark the occasion a 75th anniversary flower display has been created outside The D-Day Story museum in Southsea.

And earlier in the summer, a group of Portsmouth City Council staff travelled to Germany to take part in the Duisburg Fun Dragonboat Regatta, the biggest in the world.

Anyone interested in the link between the cities can join The Duisburg Portsmouth Twinning Association