Day of Twin Cities celebration

The twin-city movement originated in the years of the World War Two. In 1943 the English Coventry, which suffered a ruinous bombing of German aviation, and the Soviet Stalingrad, which did not succumb to the enemy, decided to establish friendly relations in the furtherance of peaceful being and future prosperity of the citizens. This demonstrated the striving of the nations, suffering from fascist onslaught, to achieve the union. This was a momentous event within the political dialogue between USSR and Great Britain, as it was far from opening of the second front in Europe.

Honorable goals of the first twin cities acquired with the great recognition of the progressive community of the World. On the 28^th of April, 1957 the World Federation of Twin Cities was founded. In 1956 the organization “International Twin Cities” was founded and united up to 1800 American cities and their twins in all countries of the world. In USSR the Union of Soviet communities of friendship and cultural relation with foreign countries was founded, on the basis of which in 1991 the International Association “Twin Cities” was established.

By the decision and upon the initiative of the World Federation of United Cities, each year since 1963 International Day of Twin Cities is celebrated on the last Sunday of April.

Friendship is the only right way from town to town – such is the motto of twin-city movement in the whole world.

Twin-city and partnership relations of  Perm originated in the early 90’s of the previous century and became a symbol of a new, free, open stage in life of our town. Among the first there were established relations with Amneville (France, 1992), Louisville (Kentucky, USA, 1994), Oxford (Great Britain, 1995). Then they were joined by Qingdao (the People’s Republic of China, 2003), Duisburg (Germany, 2007), Agrigento (Italy, 2012).

In 2016 a number of major events in the sphere of education and culture were held both in Russia and Great Britain within a new international project – the Year of Language and Literature of Great Britain and Russia.

In April, 2016 the events, dedicated to the Year of Language and Literature, are also being held in Perm by virtue of twin-city relations with Oxford. The Head of community organization “Oxford-Perm”, the lecturer of Oxford university, conducts public lectures and roundtable conferences on the topic “English Language in modern context: society, science, literature, communications”, “Russia and Great Britain: cultural stereotypes.”