Ukrainian twinned towns

Liverpool and Odesa twinned in 1957

Liverpool makes post war pledge with Odesa to cement Eurovision legacy - Liverpool Express

Liverpool and the Ukrainian city of Odesa are preparing to sign a historic Memorandum of Understanding. This new development will continue to cement the

Liverpool ExpressSarah Latcham

Liverpool officials have had an active policy of twinning with other cities since the 1950s. In the aftermath of World War II official links were forged with the German city of Cologne and with Odessa, the Black Sea port which was then part of the Soviet Union. 

Barnsley and Horlivka twinned in 1956

Barnsley’s twin towns

Find out more about Barnsley’s twin towns, Schwabisch Gmund and Gorlovka

Barnsley Council

Horlivka, also known by Gorlovka, is a large mining town in eastern Ukraine, in the Donetsk city region. It was founded in 1867 by Pyotr Gorlov as a small group of mining camps. It grew much bigger during the 1930s.

Barnsley's friendship with Horlivka goes back to the height of the Cold War. In May 1956, a group of miners from Yorkshire briefly stayed in the town.  This was during a study tour of the Soviet Union. Similar visits took place in 1972 and in 1984, when the group included the late Ron Rigby, former Leader of Barnsley Council. During this visit Barnsley Council agreed in principle to twin with Horlivka.

In 1987 the then Mayor Elect, Councillor Roy Warden, visited Horlivka and signed the official town twinning agreement.  This was followed by a similar ceremony in Barnsley in 1988. Several exchange visits have since taken place, allowing the two communities to share useful details and knowledge.

One of Horlivka's most famous sons is the Cosmonaut Alexander Volkov.  In 1998, Comrade Volkov took Barnsley Chronicle character Sam Barn into space, as the then mascot for the Mir Space Station.