Charleroi
Our twin town in Belgium
A serious mining accident in the "Bois du Cazier" coal mine in the Belgian town of Marcinelle, in which only twelve of 274 workers could be saved on August 8, 1956, brought the towns of Hirson and Marcinelle together. In the northern French town, some 80 kilometers away, the families of the affected miners, who came from Italy, Belgium, France and also Germany, collected money, clothing and food. This resulted in a town twinning between Marcinelle and Hirson.
In 1964, Schramberg's mayor Dr. Konstantin Hank also signed a twinning certificate with mayor Lucien Harmegnies from Marcinelle, because representatives of the Belgian town of Marcinelle were present at all the important events celebrated in Hirson. Thus the tripartite partnership was sealed.
During the celebrations in May 1963, one thing was in the foreground: reconciliation between former wartime enemies. In the first years of the friendship there were lively contacts between Marcinelle and Schamberg. However, with the incorporation of the village into the large city of Charleroi, which has around 200,000 inhabitants, in 1977, these decreased.
Charleroi is located about 50 kilometers south of Brussels in the Wallonia region.
