Twin towns

The town of Viitasaari has five twin towns and friendship towns: one in Estonia, two in Sweden, one in Norway and one in Germany. Twin town partnerships are an important aspect of Viitasaari’s international networking, and the active participation and initiative of local organisations and associations in promoting twin town relationships is encouraged.

	Nõo Vald The municipality of Nõo Vald has a population of less than 4,000 and is located in the central region of the Province of Tartu in eastern Estonia.
	Staffanstorp The municipality of Staffanstorp has a population of under 14,000 and is located in the Swedish province of Skåne. Cooperation between the municipalities has been close, especially between the Viitasaari and Staffanstorp Hagalid secondary schools, with pupils undertaking a study trip to Staffanstorp at the end of 2005.
	Storuman Storuman is a municipality of around 6,600 residents located in Northern Sweden.
	Sør-Odal Sør-Odal is a municipality of some 7,700 residents in eastern Norway’s Hedmark province.
	Schlangen The municipality of Schlangen in Northern Germany has a population of around 9,000. Twin town cooperation between Viitasaari and Schlangen started officially in 1999. The most recent visit was in spring 2006 when the Mayor of Schlangen, Thorsten Paulussen, and town representatives visited Viitasaari.
	Rokietnica Rokietnica is a munipaliticy of some 8,500 residents in Western Poland.