Sister cities of St. Petersburg, friendly and cultural ties

Countries maintain diplomatic ties among themselves. And what about the cities? They, it turns out, also have some kind of analogue, although their relationship is mostly about culture. This phenomenon began to be called "twin cities". Petersburg is rightly considered the cultural capital of the Russian Federation. He also has serious economic and political potential, continuing to argue with Moscow for supremacy. Does he look like Antwerp, a city in Belgium? Or what does he have in common with the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo?

Twin Cities

In difficult periods, people unite and seek consolation from each other. The Second World War gave ground for the emergence of so-called twin cities, which maintain friendly and cultural ties among themselves. The first such pair were Stalingrad and Coventry, which were destroyed almost to the ground during the fighting. They exchanged symbolic gifts in the hope of supporting the residents and signed a special agreement. Already in 1957 an international organization was established to deal with the affairs of sister cities. Today it unites about 3500 settlements in more than 160 countries.

St. Petersburg - the Russian "window to Europe" - has many cultural links, as well as an impressive list of twin-cities: they have almost one hundred. Among them there is a tremendous variety: this is the magnificent Barcelona and Paris, and relatively small Tallinn, Krakow, Aqaba, exotic and mysterious Bangkok and Osaka, and many others. About each of this hundreds of cities can be told for a long time, because they are all interesting and noteworthy in their own way and have their own reasons to be on this list.

For example, the strong relationship between St. Petersburg and Hamburg does not weaken, but only grows stronger for more than 50 years. Dresden, in which dozens of art museums are located, is also connected with the Russian city. Also the twin city of the Northern capital is Antwerp - a city of extraordinary beauty, in which one of the central squares is a monument to Peter the Great. Stunning enigmatic Edinburgh with its mountains and castles - they are all worthy of attention. But still I would like to tell you about some other twin cities of St. Petersburg.

Warsaw

The appearance of the first settlements on the site of this city is attributed to the X century. And already in the XVI Warsaw became the capital of Poland, maintaining this status to this day. The city received a strong connection with St. Petersburg at the beginning of the XIX century, when the postal route was laid, which later became an important transport route. Like Leningrad, Warsaw was seriously damaged during the Second World War, its center was almost completely destroyed.

Today, the capital of Poland has been restored, and its historical center, like the heart of St. Petersburg, is one of the World Heritage sites of UNESCO. The status of the city's twin cities was received in 1997, after the collapse of the USSR. Perhaps, first of all official fixation reflects warming in relations between the countries. Perhaps the connection between St. Petersburg and Warsaw is not too strong yet, but cities have much to strive for.

Venice

St. Petersburg has many unofficial names. One of them - the Northern Venice - he received for a large number of channels and bridges. Well, what can you tell us about the original? The first settlements on the local islands appeared as far back as the 6th century, and the city survived a lot during its history. It was part of various states, at one time was independent, was and remains an important trade and cultural center. It hosts the world-famous carnival and film festival, and he himself is a unique architectural monument in the open air. The beauty of this city is undeniable and recognized by UNESCO. But what is the connection between St. Petersburg and Venice?

Officially, cooperation began in 2006, together with the signing of the treaty. And already in 2013, Venice officially entered the category of "twin-cities of St. Petersburg". During the ceremony, mayors exchanged symbolic gifts and briefly talked about the plans for the development of relations. It is expected that a branch of the Hermitage will open in Venice.

Los Angeles

It would seem that this sunny city on the Pacific coast has little to do with rainy St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, since 1990 they have been twinning, obviously, within the framework of improving relations between the US and Russia.

Los Angeles is an important cultural, economic, scientific, educational center of global significance. In addition, there is one of the most numerous Russian-speaking communities in the United States, press is published, shops and restaurants are located. In the same city there is also the world famous Hollywood with its film studios. In a word, the tourist will have something to do here and where to go. And what about other sister cities of St. Petersburg?

Odessa

Perhaps, it is the most picturesque and in own way native city among all listed today. A large port on the Black Sea, which dates back to the ancient settlements in the 5th century BC, Odessa, like St. Petersburg, was part of the USSR during the Second World War and was almost completely destroyed during the fighting. Today the restored center is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the city itself receives tens and hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, hurrying to its resorts and hospitals.

Odessites are heroes of folk anecdotes, and the local language is an explosive mixture of Russian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Yiddish. The cultural significance of this city is undeniable, and it is definitely worth a visit.

Odessa is not just a category of "sister-cities of St. Petersburg", it is its partner, which is not surprising, given the joint past.

Shanghai

For Europeans, this city is a native island among the mysterious east. It seems that it simply took from nowhere, although the names of the modern name were mentioned in the 9th century. Literally in the last hundred years, this city has developed to the largest seaport and an important financial and cultural center.

At the same time, Shanghai is closely connected with Russia. The first Russian emigrants came here in the XIX century, the flow increased after the revolution, when many people fled here who became displeased with the new government. Today, the community is several hundred people permanently residing in the city - this is relatively small. Nevertheless, they try to preserve their culture and transfer it to their descendants. Twin-city relations with St. Petersburg began in 1988 and were stimulated by reforms that attracted foreign investors to Russia, including from the PRC. Large centers of Chinese language and culture operate in the Northern capital today. Well, the two cities have good prospects in terms of overall economic and cultural development.