About the city and the twinning
About Leganés
Leganés is a city southwest of Madrid, in Spain’s Community of Madrid. Once an agricultural town, it grew into part of the Madrid metropolitan area. Its historic landmarks include the Church of San Salvador, known for its Baroque altarpieces by Churriguera, and the former Royal Walloon Guards barracks, designed by architect Francesco Sabatini. The barracks now form part of the Leganés campus of Carlos III University of Madrid.
Twinning with Bethlehem
Initiated by the Leganés City Council as proof of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the twinning agreement was signed in April 2006 in Leganés between the then Mayor of Bethlehem, Mr. Victor Batarseh, and the then Mayor of Leganés, José Luis Pérez Ráez.
The agreement declared the necessity for:
· the solidarity between the Palestinian and Spanish, and the efforts of the two local governments in the search for peace in the land of Palestine.
· the promotion of projects related to health, culture, sustainable development and the reconstruction of basic equipment for the civilian population.
· the commitment to continue to maintain this twinning agreement between both municipalities.
Ever since, Leganés has demonstrated its invaluable support, including its sponsorship of the Rehabilitation of the Housing Street Project, an infrastructure development scheme in Bethlehem. The project was a significant social, economic and environmental impact of the lives of the local citizens as it met the requirements of a growing population, provided temporary job opportunities and generally improved the ease of travelling.