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West Virginia Youth Symphony cello player Abby Tenney, 15, flips through the touch screen map on the Banska Bystica display glass on July 10, 2025 at the Kanawha County Library highlighting place she visited there during her visit.Ìý
Barbora Osvaldova (at left) shows crowd at event on July 10, 2025 a book she donated to the Kanawha County Public Library honoring ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's sister city Banska Bystrica in Slovakia. Osvaldova is shown with (from left) ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, councilman Emmett Pepper and Library Director Erika Connelly.
A city in the mountains of Slovakia, 4,756 miles away, is strengthening its connection to ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
On Thursday, the main branch of the Kanawha County Library in downtown ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä unveiled a new collection and display to commemorate ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's sister city, Banska Bystrica, in the eastern European country of Slovakia.
Barbora Osvaldova (at left) shows crowd at event on July 10, 2025 a book she donated to the Kanawha County Public Library honoring ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's sister city Banska Bystrica in Slovakia. Osvaldova is shown with (from left) ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, councilman Emmett Pepper and Library Director Erika Connelly.
The display and collection are made up of a wide range of materials that reflect the culture, history, geography and people of a Banska Bystrica. They include firsthand accounts, photographs, art, illustrations, books, newspaper articles, audio and video.
The materials were gathered through contributions from people with personal experiences or travels and were vetted by library professionals. Some of the material is presented at the library through a touch-screen display that showcases rare or delicate items in a digital, interactive format.
West Virginia Youth Symphony cello player Abby Tenney, 15, flips through the touch screen map on the Banska Bystica display glass on July 10, 2025 at the Kanawha County Library highlighting place she visited there during her visit.Ìý
With a population just over 100,000, Banska Bystrica is similar in size to ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.ÌýIn addition, both cities are located in mountainous regions, and both regions have a long coal-mining history.
The two cities share in a similar history as well, with West Virginia's separation from Virginia in 1863 not unlike the Slovakian separation from Czechoslovakia when the former Soviet bloc country split into Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 1993.
"We're the redheaded stepchild of Virginia, and Slovakia is the redheaded stepchild of Czechoslovakia," said Michael Lipton, a ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä musician who has visited Banska Bystrica eight times. "It's a very interesting dynamic. [Banska Bystrica] also [has] a mining economy, and you'll find so many things that are familiar. But probably, maybe the most, is the warmth and kindness of all the people."
ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's sister city was officially recognized in October 2009 by the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä City Council. But the relationship began almost 10 years prior in the 1990s. ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉäians Christine and Chuck Daugherty spent three years in Banska Bystrica working on a USAID project, helping with community development and building civil society.
After returning to the U.S., they played a key role in maintaining and expanding exchanges between the two cities, especially among those involved in community development. Today, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä maintains the relationship between the two cities with the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä-Banska Bystrica Sister City Alliance, a group of community members active in maintaining communication between the cities, and other youth exchange programs that encourage visitation between the two cities.
Banska Bystrica visit 'such a unique experience'
In June, musicians with the West Virginia Youth Symphony made a stop in Banska Bystrica during their tour in Europe, which also included performances in Budapest, Hungary, Prague and Czech Republic. The symphony members soaked in Slovakian culture during their three-day visit by staying with host families in Banska Bystrica.Ìý
Abby Tenney, 15, a cello player with the West Virginia Youth Symphony, said visiting ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's sister city was her favorite part of the European trip.
"Meeting high schoolers there and getting to spend the day with them," Tenney said, "that was just like, such a unique experience."
Tenney also said their performance in Banska Bystrica was her favorite on the trip. Their Slovakian concert was on June 20, West Virginia Day, which coincided with the 770th anniversary celebration of Banska Bystrica's founding. They played a Slovakian song and “Country Roads,†describing as "magical" the experience of everyone singing together.
Long-distance relationship
At the event on Thursday, Banska Bystrica Tourist Information Officer Barbora Osvaldova said Banska Bystrica has about 20 sister city relationships, though not all are equally active. These partnerships, popular in Europe since the late 1990s, promote cultural and educational exchanges — especially in music, art and student programs. She noted ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä is likely the farthest sister city.
Banska Bystrica will also create displays similar to the one unveiled Thursday in its public libraries. Library director Erika Connelly said they hope to create a pen pal like relationship between the two cities, where they can exchange materials and ideas.Ìý
“This is what libraries do — we connect cultures," Connelly said. "It's a wonderful idea. Let’s order some materials, let’s gather information to share the culture, the experience, the history and the present with the people of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä. Let’s connect libraries together.â€
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