Soest is an old Hanseatic town about 50 kilometres east of Dortmund in the Hellweg region of Westphalia in western Germany. The town has a ring-wall, half-timbered buildings, several medieval churches, and an intricate medieval street grid. Soest has 48,000 inhabitants.

The twinning agreement between Soest and Visby was signed on 7 June 1995.

The partnership is aimed at:

- stimulate contacts in the spheres of culture, sport and education
- exchange ideas and experiences in trade and industry, by supporting reciprocal visits by associations, organizations and youth groups.