Stoke-on-Trent (England)

Stoke-on-Trent is located in the county of Staffordshire in central England between the major urban centers of Birmingham in the south and Manchester in the north; London is 280 km away, Erlangen, as the crow flies, approx. 1,300 km.

Stoke-on-Trent was formed in 1910 by the amalgamation of the six municipalities of Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall as part of an administrative reform and currently has a population of 254,000. The former individual communities have retained their independent character to this day, which contributes to the charm of urban life in Stoke-on-Trent.

Since the 18th century, Stoke has been famous for its porcelain and earthenware factories, which made the region known as "The Potterie". Companies such as Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Spode, Portmeirion and Ansley have spread the fine porcelain from the English city all over the world and still characterize the activities in Stoke-on-Trent in an unmistakable way today.

After a massive decline in formerly leading industries such as mining and steel began in the 1970s, an economic reorientation began. Today, the tire manufacturer Michelin is a major employer, but Stoke is also experiencing a boom as a center for industrial services, particularly in the field of modern communication technologies.

Staffordshire University, which emerged from a polytechnic, and the University of Keele in nearby Keele Village are centers of scientific and academic life. Erlangen has a lively exchange with the University of Keele in particular, and Stoke-on-Trent College, a large vocational training institution, has been in contact with Erlangen Adult Education Center for several years.

Stoke-on-Trent has also earned a good reputation as a cultural city: with numerous museums, including the City Museum with its picture gallery and the Gladstone Pottery Museum, an open-air museum in a former earthenware factory, with the new cultural quarter, which offers space for theater performances and concerts and an intensive amateur culture with ensembles that need not fear comparison with professionals.

Generously laid out parks in the urban area offer residents and tourists recreational opportunities. The surrounding area is characterized by the Peak District mountains with hiking trails, charming country towns and the large leisure and amusement park Alton Towers.

The partnership work focuses on professional exchanges at various levels, university contacts, meetings with citizens, youth exchanges and joint cultural programs. It has been shown time and again that the relationship between Stoke-on-Trent and Erlangen has particularly rich potential for future cooperation due to the strong mutual interest