CLEVELAND — Greetings, Clevelanders! Did you know that Cleveland had sister cities? “Sister, what?” You might ask. Well, a sister city, also known as twin cities, is a city that faces the same demographic, geographic, and other problems as that of another city.
Cleveland has plenty of sister cities. In this miniseries, we’ll explore each one of them. The first cities in the list are as follows:
1. Alexandria, Egypt
Alexandria, the pearl of the Mediterranean, is the second-largest metropolitan area in Egypt after Cairo. It stretches along 20 miles of the Mediterranean Sea coastline in the north-central region.
The city of Alexandria is named after Alexander the Great, who built the city in 331 BC. The city is known to be the Hellenic Roman Capital of Egypt and a world center of culture and civilization.
One famous icon of Alexandria is the Alexandria library, also known as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Other notable structures include the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
2. Fier, Albania
Fier, in southwestern Albania, is the capital of the Fier District and one of the largest of the country’s urban centers. Fier lies between the Seman and Aóös Rivers. Fier has been Cleveland’s Sister City since 2006.
The city of Fier was founded in 588 BCE by Ancient Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth. The city is plentiful of oil, gas, and bitumen deposits nearby. The presence of asphalt and burning escapes of natural gas in the vicinity was recorded as early as the 1st century AD.
3. Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana is the capital city and the largest city of Slovenia. It’s located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps.
Ljubljana is a city that is rich in history. Here, one can find traces of different periods from the good old days in its buildings and historical sites, from the Roman Emona period, the Renaissance, to the Nouveau periods.
Did you know that Ljubljana holds the title “the city of wine and vine”? The city was known for being a wine-trading center. Grapevines were planted everywhere there.
4. Bahir-Dar, Ethiopia
Bahir-Dar is the fast growing-capital of the Amhara Region in northwestern Ethiopia. It’s the third-largest city in Ethiopia and became a sister city to Cleveland in 2004. The city is known for its scenic beauty and natural and cultural wealth.
5. Gdansk, Poland
Gdansk has been the sister city of Cleveland since 1990. Gdansk is the Polish maritime capital, a large center of economics, life, science, culture, and a popular tourist destination.
The recent year has brought massive transformation to the Gdansk economy. Gdansk was known for its financial, shipbuilding, petrochemical, chemical, and food processing industries.
Gdansk has been nicknamed the world capital of amber as they are known for amber processing. Amber is one of the many natural resources found in Gdansk and was valued more than slaves.