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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Jess Molyneux

How this beautiful Merseyside park you might not have heard of got its name

It covers more than 220 acres of meadow, woodland and ponds but one Knowsley park remains relatively unknown outside the borough.

Stadt Moer Park on Pottery Lane, Whiston , was created on the site of a derelict brickworks in the early-1980s and now has scenic footpaths and wildlife.

Transformed from a rubbish dump into a beautiful green space, it also has childrens playgrounds and cycle paths.

Where did the name Stadt Moers come from?

The park is in fact named after Knowsley ’s German twin town of nearly 40 years - Stadt Moers.

Town Twinning became popular after WW2 as a means to rebuild links between countries, foster friendships, create understanding between cultures or even act as a gesture of reconciliation.

Stadt Moers Park in Whiston (Colin Lane)

And towns were often paired due to similarities in population, ethnicity, employment sector or even just as an opportunity to get to know other ways of life.

There are said to be more than 30,000 town twinning links between communities across Europe and beyond.

In April 1980, Knowsley Council followed in other communities' footsteps and officially twinned with Moers, which is situated in the Wesel district of Germany.

Knowsley's Twin Town Moers in Germany (KnowsleyCity Council)

The Whiston park was later named in honour of its twin town, which can boast of its attractive green areas similar to those seen in Stadt Moers Park.

Driving through Knowsley, you can also see other links to its German twin town, such as town signs with ‘Twin Town MOERS GERMANY’ printed on them.

In recent years, Knowsley and Moers have still continued to show their strong ties, through relationships built through local schools or events welcoming residents from their twin locations.

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