Who
Are We?
The Charlottesville Sister Cities Commission exists to promote understanding of and foster relationships among individuals, communities, and cities of the world through cultural, economic, educational and humanitarian activities. Through our programs, events, and project grants, residents of Charlottesville connect with residents of our Sister Cities collaborate, coordinate, and build lifelong friendships that help to make the world a smaller place.
Member
Of the
Month
Murray Susen is CSCC's Youth Representative, is in charge of the Instagram page @sistercitiescville, and is also behind the latest website refresh. He attends Charlottesville High School as an 11th grader and enjoys running cross-country and track, making movies, singing in choir, participating in theatre, and attending indoor-cycle classes. Murray's favorite part about CSCC is the things he's learned about the world throughout his time at-large. The Commission has connected him with many experiences locally, and he's had the opportunity to learn amazing things about our sister cities because of the unique communites fostered through CSCC.
What's Coming Up?
WHERE ARE OUR SISTER CITIES?
Set in eastern France, this ancient city has held distinctions as a military, political, and religious center. It is also known as the watch capital of France, perhaps no surprise given its proximity to Switzerland. This city is the birthplace of internationally renowned author Victor Hugo.
Population: 120,000
Language: French
Founded: 1290
Charlottesville Sister City Since: 2006
A historic fishing town on the southern coast of Africa's Gulf of Guinea, Winneba is bordered to the east by the Ayensu River and to the west by the Manko Mountains. Winneba is the historic home of the Effutufo people, and the city is known for the annual Aboakyer deer hunting festival and New Year's carnival/masquerade. Winneba has a rich cultural heritage and is famous for its music and pottery.
Population: 55,331 as of 2013
Languages: English and Efutu
Founded: 1515
Charlottesville Sister City Since: 2010
Poggio a Caiano is the birthplace of Filippo Mazzei, close friend of Thomas Jefferson and agent for Virginia during the Revolutionary War. Mazzei originated the phrase “All men are created equal,” which Jefferson included in the U.S Declaration of Independence. This small Tuscan city is also the site of a villa owned by Lorenzo de' Medici dating from 1473, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Population: 10,000
Language: Italian
Founded: 1420
Charlottesville Sister City Since: 1977
Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Friendship City
Huehuetenango ([weweteˈnanɡo]) is a city and municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango. The city is situated 269 kilometres (167 mi) from Guatemala City, and is the last departmental capital on the Pan-American Highway before the Mexican border at La Mesilla.
Population: 117,818 as of 2018
Languages: Spanish, Mam, and many other Mayan languages
Founded: 400–700 AD
Charlottesville Friendship City Since: 2021
Pleven, Bulgaria
Sister City Emeritus
Inhabited as early as 5 B.C., Pleven is known today as an industrial center, with oil processing, metalworking, and machinery construction as well as light industry and textiles in more recent years. It boasts 200 memorials to the Russo-Turkish War and the Siege of Plevna in 1877, which resulted in Bulgaria’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire. The Bulgarian language was the first to be written in the Cyrillic alphabet.
Population: 99,628
Language: Bulgarian
Founded: 1270