The history of twinning towns dates back to the 9th century, but the practice really took off after the Second World War.
With deep divisions between countries in need of healing in an increasingly globalised world, twinning towns in countries that had formerly been enemies was seen as a way of bringing people together.
While Marmaris survived the Second World War mostly unscathed, they joined in with the twinning efforts, in particular by connecting up with other famous resorts around the world. Twinning is more than just a symbolic act; particularly when travel between countries was more difficult and knowing someone at your destination more valuable, it meant the establishment of school exchanges, pen pal links, tourist visits. More recently, it’s been used to help encourage business and trade.
Today, Marmaris five twin cities. Here’s where you can find them, and how they compare.
Fürth, Germany
Jihan, China
Ordu, Turkey
Ashkelon, Israel
Dzerzhinsky, Russia