Mayor Barbara Ludwig travels to the Russian twin city of Volgograd
From 8 to 10 May, the Lord Mayor visits the Russian twin city of Volgograd with a delegation. At the invitation of her counterpart, Lord Mayor Andrey V. Kosolapov, she will attend the commemorative events to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
The programme includes a wreath-laying ceremony on the Square of Fallen Fighters, the oldest square in Volgograd, and a visit to a military parade. To mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, the city of Volgograd is inviting the Chemnitz delegation to a festive reception and dinner on Friday evening. After a discussion with the director of the city park about the possible establishment of "the little corner of Chemnitz" in the planned park of the twin cities, the Lord Mayor will lay flower baskets at the memorial cemeteries for fallen Russian and German soldiers and visit the Russian and German war cemeteries in Rossoshka.
During her visit, the Lord Mayor will also hold an expert discussion with Elena Fomina, Head of the Cultural Department of the City of Volgograd. The Lord Mayor will be accompanied by Jon Philipp von Linden - music dramaturge at Chemnitz Municipal Theatre, who is travelling with her to initiate contacts between the theatres of the two cities, and by Head of Protocol Reiner Gehlhar.
Keyword town twinning
The twinning agreement between Chemnitz and Volgograd, which has existed since 1988, was renewed on 29 August 2008 to mark its 20th anniversary. The active co-operation between Chemnitz and Volgograd encompasses almost all areas of social life. As part of the partnership, both cities are involved in encounter projects organised by the German-Russian Forum and maintain existing contacts in the fields of art, culture and sport. For example, during the 17th Chemnitz School Theatre Week in April, a group of pupils from Volgograd came to the city to perform the play "Carlson from the Roof". Promoting student exchanges is also a focus of the partnership between the two cities. From 1 to 7 October, pupils from the Annenschule will be travelling to Volgograd for a student exchange. In future, the City of Chemnitz intends to support Volgograd in its endeavours to participate in EUROCITIES. The City of Chemnitz has been actively involved in EUROCITIES since 2002.