11 November is a day celebrated not only in Poland, but all across Europe. The Slovak city of Martin, which celebrated a quarter of a century of partnership with Kalisz last year, invited representatives of our city to the celebrations for St Martin, the city's patron saint. The Kalisz delegation included members of the Kalisz City Council: councilmen Slawomir Lasiecki and Tomasz Bezen.

The visit began with a short artistic programme highlighting the value of understanding and bringing people of different nationalities and cultures together. Mayor Ján Danko then welcomed the visitors at an official reception, during which a letter addressed by Mayor Krystian Kinastowski was presented. It was also a time to discuss the partnership between Kalisz and Martin, especially in the field of development of education and cultural.

The further programme of the visit included a trip to the castle in Bojnice, a historical procession inspired by the medieval legend of St Martin, as well as folk performances by groups from the Slovak region of Turiec. Kalisz representatives also had the opportunity to participate in the ceremony of public recognition for the Awards of the City of Martin.

On Sunday, the visit concluded with a solemn ecumenical mass in with the participation of the Lutheran and Catholic churches.