Warm encounters and musical highlights – Friends from Wales visit Bruchsal

A piece of Wales came to see Bruchsal at the end of October 2025: A delegation of
the Friends of Bruchsal Society from Cwmbrân and Harmonize Choir spent a week
full of music, personal encounters, and friendship.
On Saturday evening, after a long journey, the guests were welcomed at the Hotel
Scheffelhöhe by Bernd Fibinger, chairman of the Freundeskreis Cwmbrân.
Sunday began with a festive service in the Hofkirche (Bruchsal Castle church). The
Harmonize Choir made an emotional headstart into the new week with its inspirated
singing.
In the evening, the Welsh captivated many hearts in the joint concert with chorus
delicti Police Choir plus the big band and project orchestra of the Musik- und
Kunstschule Bruchsal. The Civic Centre was packed, and the audience enjoyed a
musical experience in a class of its own. The motto said it all: Chor grenzenlos (choir
without frontiers). Afterwards, the city of Bruchsal and the Police Choir hosted a
convivial “get together” in the town hall, where Schäufele, potato salad and Baden
wine were served. The guests laughed, sang, and celebrated friendship.
Monday began with the official reception in the town hall, followed by a walk through
the city to the lunch location. Later, a bus picked up the guests for a discovery tour of
Bruchsal and its five districts, each with its own charm and history. From the top of
the Michaelsberg, the guests enjoyed the splendid view of the landscape and the
River Rhine with a glass of excellent wine in their hands. The tour was accompanied
by Andrea Brauch and Hans-Jörg Betz of the Freundeskreis and the expert of local
sights, Maic Lindenfelser.
During the Welsh Evening in H7, Veronika Crick, secretary of the Friends of Bruchsal
Society, presented her home town of Cwmbrân and South Wales with an A-Z video.
Chris Morgan, chair of Cwmbrân Community Council, Steward Matthews, chair of
Croesyceiliog and Llanyrafon Community Council, and Mayor Sven Weigt were
present and officially represented the two twin towns. Harmonize Choir contributed
the musical touch while the guests were tasting fine varieties of whisky from the
Penderyn Distillery and some finger food. All the seats in H7 were taken, and the
evening was a huge success.
Tuesday brought more highlights: a guided tour of Bretten, followed by a concert in
the local collegiate church. A trip to Heidelberg was on the agenda on Wednesday.
The castle, the old town and the Neckar were beautiful sights in balmy autumn
weather. In the evening, everybody met again for the farewell party at the
Rohrbacher Hof. There was home-brewed beer, bratwurst of wild boar, and pumpkin
soup. There was singing, celebrating, laughing, and you could tell that real friendship
has been growing.
On Thursday, it was “goodbye, Bruchsal”. The friends from Cwmbrân left after
breakfast, probably with many beautiful memories and certainly with the promise of
meeting again soon.