How much do you know about Leek's twinned town of Este, Italy?

By Jack Lenton

14th Oct 2021 | Local News

Este castle
Este castle

Last week here at Leek Nub News we published an article all about another town called Leek, in The Netherlands, and it was great to see such a positive response.

That got us thinking, what other towns overseas have links to Leek? The most obvious choice of course, was Leek's twinned town of Este, which is in the Province of Padua, in the Veneto region of northern Italy.

Did you know that Leek has a twinned town? If so, how much do you know about it? Find out all about it below!

Este is situated at the foot of the Euganean Hills, and is a centre for farming, crafts and industry with a population slightly smaller than Leek, at around 16,500.

The town's name dates all the way back to the Bronze Age, where it was home to the Este culture as much as 3,000 years ago.

The town became under the rule of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century BC and became a Roman colony known as Ateste.

However, the town was devastated by the raids of Atilla the Hun and other barbarian invasions and was reduced to little more than a rural village.

But it rose back to prominence after the 10th century when a castle for Azzo II d'Este, a powerful nobleman of the Holy Roman Empire, was built there.

It was then conquered several times over the next few hundred years before eventually falling under the Republic of Venice in the 15th century.

After the Napoleonic Wars, the town became part of the Austrian Empire until it was annexed by the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.

As well as Leek, Este is also twinned with several other towns, including Bad Windsheim in Germany, Fredericksburg in the USA, Pertuis in France, Rijeka in Croatia and Tapolca in Hungary.

The main sights of the town are its historic churches, namely the Duomo of Este, the Church of San Martino, the Church of the Salute, and the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie.

There is also an archaeological museum called the Museo Nazionale Atestino, which displays mainly Roman artifacts.

Another landmark in the town is the Villa Contarini, which is known for its gardens and frescoes.

And that's all you need to know about Leek's twinned town of Este! Did you learn anything new? Have you ever visited? Feel free to let us know in the comments on social media!

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