15/10/2026
From Saturday 10 to Wednesday 14 October, an official Malmesbury delegation visited our twin town of Bad Hersfeld, in Hesse, Germany, for its annual Lullusfest celebration.
Malmesbury Mayor Cllr Robert Hasting and MTC Clerk Claire Mann were joined by representatives of the Twinning Association, including Stefano Vandelli and the newly elected chair, John Fairhurst.
The mayor’s partner Barbara Firth also travelled to Bad Hersfeld, while Runners from the Jackdaws running club took part in the hugely popular “Lolls Run”, putting in a fantastic performance and making Malmesbury proud.
We’d like to thank Bad Hersfeld Mayor Anke Hoffman and Thomas Bös, chair of the Friends of Malmesbury association, for their warm welcome and hospitality, and for another opportunity to strengthen the ties between our two towns.
To that end, we’ve begun planning several visits from Bad Hersfeld to Malmesbury in the new year. These include a large group from the Friends of Malmesbury association in March, a talk by FoM former chair HJoerg Kretschmer in May, and a visit from a group of young firefighters at the end of July.
The next Lullusfest will take place in October 2027. If you’re interested in visiting Bad Hersfeld and joining the celebrations, contact the Twinning Association at [email protected] for more information.
About Bad Hersfeld
Malmesbury’s friendship charter with Bad Hersfeld dates back to 2016 and has been cemented into a formal Twinning Agreement as of October 2024. Saint Lull, a companion of Saint Boniface who was educated in Malmesbury in the early 8th century, founded a Benedictine monastery in 756, from which the introduction of the Saxons to Christianity was organised. In 775, the Franconian King Charles (Charlemagne) elevated the monastery to the status of an imperial Abbey. It existed for 837 years.
Today, the district and festival town of Bad Hersfeld has a lot to offer with the largest Romanesque church ruin north of the Alps, the oldest bell in Germany in St. Catherine’s Tower, the oldest Folk festival (fair) in Germany, called “Lullus-Fest”, which has been occurring since 852 AD. In addition, Bad Hersfeld is a well-known health resort with healing springs containing Glauber’s salt, a beautiful spa park and well-known clinics.
https://malmesburytwinning.co.uk
