A twining/cooperation agreement between the Municipalities of Platanias and Nieder-Olm in Germany was inaugurated during a visit in November to the German town, by a working team which included the mayor of Platanias Giannis Malandrakis and municipal officials, according to a press release posted on the Platanias website on 6th December.
The visit followed an invitation issued by Nieder-Olm which, the press release states, was accepted unanimously by the Platanias Council and the ministry of the Interior, recognising the importance of establishing a constructive collaboration between the two municipalities, aimed at an exchange of know-how and experience on an economic, cultural, educational and social level.
The Cretan team who travelled to Germany attended a special session of the Municipal Council and the Twinning Committee of Nieder-Olm, at which Mr Malandrakis gave a short presentation on the Municipality, describing its special characteristics such as the development of the agricultural and service sectors, its important monuments, landmarks and notable sights, as well as its modern history, with special reference to the Battle of Crete and the period of the German occupation.
The session concluded with the unanimous approval of the twinning by the host Municipal Council and its Twinning Committee, while Mr Malandrakis and the leader of the Platanias Municipal Council Antonis Frangonikolakis conveyed the formal approval of the Municipality of Platanias.
During their stay in Nieder-Olm, the members of the visiting team were able to visit a state-run educational and training institution for disabled children, which aims to facilitate their incorporation into the labour market, as well as a volunteer group involved in issues of security, natural disasters and first-response medical care.
They also attended the town’s Christmas Market, where Platanias had its own stall, presenting local Cretan products such as olive oil, wine, honey, citrus fruits, avocados, herbs etc, which were on offer to the public, with the proceeds going to local charities.
The announcement notes that the mayor of Platanias and the members of the visiting team had numerous opportunities to thank the mayor of Nieder-Olm Dirk Hasenfuss and his colleagues, for their much-esteemed offer of cooperation and for the warm hospitality and reception afforded to them throughout their visit.
In addition to the mayor Giannis Malandrakis, the delegation from Platanias included deputy mayors Manolis Malakonakis and Chrysoula Maragoudaki, and Municipal Councillors Petros Marinakis and Kostas Paterakis, who were able to provide information about their areas of responsibility. Also present were Katerina Karkala, an associate of the Orthodox Academy of Crete who acted as interpreter at the meetings, and council employee Maria Perogiannaki who was responsible for administrative and procedural issues.
(Municipality of Platanias press release)
Prior relations with Crete
The host municipality’s own account of the visit on its website notes that friendly relations had existed with Crete for a number of years. In particular, it refers to the stone pathway in the grounds of the Orthodox Academy of Crete at Kolymbari, created over the past 28 years by students of the School for Garden and Landscape Architecture in Rheinland-Pfalz, which contains mosaic floors, paths and walls inspired by Biblical motifs, including an open-air altar incorporating images from a window in the parish church of Nieder-Olm.
The relationship with the Academy had begun 30 years ago, when the late vicar of Nieder-Olm Robert Kraft visited Kolymbari in 1972 and 1974 with his family, having been a student with the Academy’s then director Alexandros Papaderos in Mainz.