Foreign Relations

Time and time again, visitors are delightfully surprised by Columbia. From picturesque parks and clever cuisine to amazing art and superb shopping, visitors find that Columbia is more than your average college town. We like to think of Columbia as a cool neighborhood in a big city, with a young vibe and an active buzz. We’re also a friendly and welcoming place, with a thriving downtown and an abundance of cultural opportunities. 

Columbia offers small-town friendliness with big city features and a high quality of life for people of all ages and interests. Though the city was founded on education, its location also makes it an attractive spot for businesses and travelers. Located on Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 63, Columbia is right in the middle of the state and the nation. Just a couple hours drive from St. Louis and Kansas City, Columbia is Boone County’s largest population center and has received numerous national awards and recognitions.

Columbia is in a unique position for business. With two major metropolitan areas being a couple of hours away each way and only a short drive from the state capital, Columbia is an optimal location for business. Tens-of-thousands of people pass through the city everyday. What they find is consumers do not need to go out of Columbia to find what they are looking for. Columbia offers a wide variety of businesses. With the major industries including, but not limited to, higher education, health care and insurance, there is a vibrant business community that is willing and happy to help in an instant.
Joggers, walkers and bikers enjoy the many hiking trails in Columbia such as the MKT Nature & Fitness Trail, a 4.7-mile urban walkway through Columbia’s beautiful greenbelt. The trail also connects with the Katy Trail State Park, the largest rails-to-trails conversion in the nation, stretching 185 miles across Missouri.
The award-winning Columbia Parks & Recreation Department, maintains over 42 parks and recreation facilities on more than 2,000 acres including Twin Lakes Recreation Area, Rainbow Softball Center, MKT Nature & Fitness Trail, Battle Park Martin Luther King Memorial Amphitheater, Nifong Park, Grindstone Nature Area and Capen Park. In addition to offering life enrichment classes, Parks & Rec also organizes sports leagues for all ages such as softball, soccer and volleyball.
Festivals are also popular activities and highlight the best of what Columbia has to offer for fun, family and cultural events. True/False Film Fest, Unbound Book Festival, Earth Day, Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ, The Salute to Veterans Memorial Day Weekend Airshow, Art in the Park, and the Heritage Festival & Craft Show are just a few of the many annual events that Columbians enjoy and love. 
For the sports-minded person, Columbia offers many fun activities and ways to keep in shape no matter what your age. Recreational opportunities are available at area parks, golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, bowling alleys, roller rinks and athletic clubs. The Area Recreation Center or ARC has an indoor leisure pool featuring a triple loop slide, large gymnasium hosting two full basketball courts, group exercise room, state-of-the-art indoor track and much more.
Columbians enjoy MU Tiger football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics and track and field. Columbia College also offers an exciting array of softball, soccer and volleyball events that are family friendly. Columbia is also home to the largest state game competition in the nation. The Show-Me State Games, is an annual, statewide, amateur Olympic-style sporting event for the whole family.

If you want to raise a family, continue your education, retire or start a new business, Columbia is the place to be!

 

 

                 Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine)

Dnipropetrovsk is a picturesque city located on the River Dnipro. It attracts by its luxurious modern and ancient buildings, wonderful parks. It was founded in 1776. The population of the city is about 1 000 200 people. There are 8 districts in the city of Dnipropetrovsk. The composition of the city is quite diverse. Here you can meet Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Jews, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and other nationalities. Among religions, Orthodox Church is the dominant.

It is considered to be one of the greenest cities in Ukraine. In the city there are 11 wonderful fountains and waterfall ‘Poring Revuchyi’ on the Monastery Island.  At present day Dniporpetrovsk is one of the greenest cities of Ukraine where 14 parks are situated.

Dnipropetrovsk is one of the leading transport centers of Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Dnipropetrovsk international airport (DNK) has international status and its capacity is 700 passengers per hour. The regular flights are performed from the local airport to Kiev, Odessa, Lviv, Tel-Aviv, Istanbul, Batumi, Tbilisi and others. Dnipropetrovk river port is the largest river port in Ukraine, which can take vessels as like ‘river-sea’. The passenger carrying vessels with the capacity up to 700 passengers are taking at the port. The capacity of the river port by cargo handling is 10 mln tons per year. There are 2 railway stations in operation, there are 150 000 arrived and departed passengers per day.

Dnipropetrovsk is the city of space technologies; space branch is a special and unique branch for Dnipropetrovsk; the pride of the city and the whole country is the A.M. Makarov Southern Machine-Building Plant and the design office Yuzhnoye named after M.K. Yangel.

Dnipropetrovsk is the international financial and business center. There are 1100 large and medium-sized enterprises, 240 of them are industrial; more than 10% of Ukraine’s GDP is provided by Dnepropetrovsk region. Dnipropetrovsk enterprises produce nearly 25% of the region industrial products and 4,6 % of Ukraine. The number of leading enterprises by branch: engineering, food industry, chemical industry, metallurgy, construction, paper industry, furniture industry, light industry and others.

Dnipro region combines 38 institutions of higher education; they account almost 97 000 thousand students having the full-time, part time and evening forms of studying.

There are 11 stadiums, among them the stadium «Dnipro-Arena», with the capacity 31 thousands of seats. Football club Dnipro was founded in 1918. Premier League matches, national Ukrainian teams and world known football teams matches are held at the stadium. 1305 sports grounds, 15 swimming pools, 286 gyms. More than 17971 thousands of children take exercises in 31 sports schools, and around 18642 thousands of people take exercises in the sports sections.

 

There are 54 medical institutions in Dnipro, with more than 13 000 health care professionals are operating in the city.

 

There are 9 professional theaters in the city, 2 state museums and 43 public museums, 324 libraries; the total fund of theses libraries is 20 mln. issues.

 

Sister cities: Kutaisi (Georgia), Vilnius (Republic of Lithuania), Xian (People’s Republic of China), Herzliya (State of Israel), Szolnok (Poland), Dalian (People’s Republic of China), Region of Durham (Canada), Zilina (Slovakia), Zugdidi (Georgia), Land of Carinthia (Austria), Samara (Russia), Szczecin (Poland), Ulan-ude (Russia), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Thessaloniki (Hellenic Republic), Krasnoyarsk (Russia).

 

 

 

 

Memorandum signed: 03.05.2016

Gomel (Belarus)

Gomel is located on a high and picturesque bank of the River Sozh. It is situated in the south-east of the Republic of Belarus. Gomel is the administrative centre of Gomel region. The first historical records of Gomel can be found in the chronicles of 1142. The total area of Gomel is 135 sq km. The population is about 535000 people. Gomel is the second city in the terms of economic potential in Belarus. Gomel has developed infrastructure, industry, science and culture. There are a lot of historic and architectural monuments in the city.  Gomel withstood during the historic challenges, it flourished and now it faces the future with confidence. The industrial complex of our city is represented by 100 large and medium-sized enterprises of different forms of ownership. 5% of the total output of the industrial products produced in the Republic of Belarus is concentrated in the industrial complex of Gomel. All the output of phosphate fertilizers, forage harvesters, polished glass produced in the Republic is concentrated in the city.

The well developed building industry is represented by 70 institutions. 200 000 square meters of real estate are taken into use annually. Mid annual external turnover of goods and services exceeds 2,5 billion USD.  Foreign trade operations of Gomel are carried out with the participation of the companies from 90 countries from near and far abroad. According to the foreign trade volume Gomel occupies the second place in the Republic. Free Economic Zone Gomel-Raton has been functioning on the territory of the city since 1998. The main advantages of Free Economic Zone Gomel-Raton are availability of the well developed infrastructure and engineering services, transport communications, granting tax incentives and custom preferences.

Gomel is one of the largest transport junctions at the intersection of railway, automobile and air lines leading to Moscow, St.Petersburg, Kiev, Brest, and Warsaw. There are 7 universities in Gomel. Gomel is one of the largest cultural centers in Belarus. There are            4 artistic unions, 3 theatres, 3 cinema houses, Philharmonic Hall, Gomel State Circus, 4   showrooms, museums. Gomel is famous all over the world for holding festivals and tournaments such as «Sozhsky Karagod», «Golden lynx», «Renaissance of a guitar», «Slavic theatre meetings» and others. The city is included into the «Golden ring» of Gomel region that is the main tourist route of the south-east district of Belarus. The structure of the public health facilities is represented by 87 establishments. Our city is an active participant of the twinning projects. Nowadays, Gomel has 32 agreements on twinning and cooperation with regions and cities from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, France, Georgia, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Ukraine, USA.

In 2016 the Agreement on   friendship and cooperation between Gomel (the Republic of Belarus) and Kutaisi (Georgia) was signed.

 

 

 

Memorandum signed: 22.08.2011

                                          KARŞIYAKA (Turkey)

 

Karşıyaka extends for twelve kilometres along the northern and eastern coastline of the side of the Gulf of Izmir and is the 4th largest district in Izmir, Turkey. The population of Karşıyaka is estimated to 345.000 and the literacy rate is 99 %, which is higher than the average literacy rate in Turkey. Karşıyaka is one of Izmir’s oldest districts and it was built 7000 BC.Karşıyaka is one of the leading districts in Izmir in terms of tourism, sports, bio-energy, education, art and cultural activities. The district is well known for arranging events at the national and International levels and often features in the media. The name Karşıyaka refers to it is location in relation to the city centre of Izmir as it means the other side. For tourists often arriving by cruise ship, the historical buildings of Karşıyaka are a popular place to visit and it is also a great shopping destination. Everyday approximately 200.000 people are attracted to the main market street of Karşıyaka. Easy access to Karşıyaka is provided by transportation services such as ferries, trains, motorway and airport.

 

In geological and demographical aspects Karşıyaka is one of Izmir’s most important districts. The administrative team of Karşıyaka is placing an intense focus on developing projects aimed at improving sports education, bio-energy, art and culture. These efforts have resulted in Karşıyaka being titled a 12-Star City by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. Karsiyaka Municipality expresses the importance of education in every platform and in this sense we have been carried out “Sprouts of Karşıyaka” projects with apartment buildings, chambers, union and NGOs. Our slogan is every apartment support a college student. This organisations collect money among themselves and send the college students who are needed. More than 400 students have provided scholarships with this project up to now. This project has received awards from many NGOs and Public Institutions also EIPA (European Institute For Public Administration) gave best practice certificate under EPSA2015 (European Public Sector Award) program.

 

Karşıyaka is a member of Covenant Of Mayors, Energy Cities,Association of Social Democratic Municipalities ,World Health Organization Regional Office For Europe, WHO European Healthy Cities Network, Association of Turkey Healthy Towns, TBB- Union of Municipalities of Turkey, TAFISA- The Association For International Sport for All, ALDA- European Association for Local Democracy, ISCA- International Sport and Culture Association and CIOFF-İnternational Council Of Organizations Of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts.

               

Greece-Kavala, Georgia-Kutaisi, Macedonia-Veles, Slovenia-Piran, Portugal-Cascais, Kosovo-Prizren, Bosnia-Herzegovina-Zenica, Germany-Heidenhem, United States Of America-Loudoun, United, People's Republic Of China –Wuxi are sister cities of Karşıyaka Municipality. At the same time, People's Republic Of China- Changing, Ukraine-Darnyts’ky , Greece – Lesbos, Greece- Chios, United Kingdom- Enfield , France – Nice  are the cities that we have conducted sister city relations. We are working on jointly projects with our sister cities  concerning sports, tourism, art and culture.

 

Karşıyaka coordinates an international child festival everyyear in April,. Children from all over the world are invited to attend our festival. The festival lasts four days and the children are socialising and exchanging cultural experiences through activities.

 

 

Karsiyaka Municipality has a 570 Kwh solar power plant and produces its own electricity. This electricity used in our service buildings. The Karsiyaka Municipality exhibits how much care about art with many artistic and cultural activities that have been organized in its own opera house and many cultural centers. At the same time Karşıyaka Municipality has the first chamber orchestra established by a district municipality with 47 Musician in Turkey and organizes concerts every week on its own opera house.

 

Karsiyaka Municipality has a European Voluntary Service Office and sends young people to Europe under Erasmus+ programme. It also hosts young people from various European countries. Besides that we are partnering with many countries in Europe with projects that we have carried out under the Erasmus +.

 

Memorandum signed: 23.08.2005

KHARKIV (Ukraine)

Kharkiv – is the second largest city of Ukraine, the administrative center of the Kharkiv Region,  which plays an important role in the economic, scientific, educational, social and political life of the country.

Founded in 1654, the city occupies an area of 306,0 m2 with the population of 1.5 million people.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Always opened for international contacts, Kharkiv fruitfully maintains twinning and partner relations with 32 foreign cities located in 21 countries.

One of the most cosmopolitan cities not only in Ukraine, but in Eastern Europe as a whole, Kharkiv – is a beautiful and dynamically developing modern European city, which has not only a powerful and versatile potential in all spheres of public life, but also attracts with a rich cultural heritage, architecture, squares and parks, developed infrastructure of hospitality.

Kharkiv is situated in the North-Eastern part of Ukraine on the border of two landscape zones – the forest-steppe and the steppe. Five rivers flow through Kharkiv. They belong to the river Danube basin, and their waters flow into the Sea of Azov. Name of one of them – Kharkiv, gave the city is a hilly plain – more than half of the total area of the city is situated on the plots of about 100m above the sea level. Kharkiv`s rivers and their tributaries are shallow and not navigable.

The city is divided into 9 administrative districts (Industrialny, Kyivskyi, Moskovskyi, Nemyshlianskyi, Novobavarskyi, Osnovianskyi, Slobidskyi, Kholodnogirskyi, Shevchenkovskyi).

Kharkiv is a major industrial center of Ukraine. Its industrial potential is formed by high-technology industries: power-plant engineering, electrical engineering industry, transport and farm machinery building, instrument engineering, electronic engineering, aerospace engineering. The products manufactured at Kharkiv enterprises, including such high technology products as modern tanks, aircrafts, turbines, are known on the world market.

Kharkiv is the second major scientific and educational center of Ukraine. An average annual number of university graduates is over 30,000 specialists, which provides for a high level of skillful labour resources in the city. It is here, in Kharkiv, that an atom was split for the first time in Europe;the nature of superconductivity studied; the largest radio telescope created; the basics of the theory of vibrations in plasma and the theory of sloe neutrons dispertion in crystals developed. The researches by L.Landau, A.Valter, A.Palladin are acknowledged throughout the world.

Kharkiv is a rich in cultural traditions. The first theatre was created here long before the 18^th century. Leading actors of Ukraine, Russia, Europe and America used to come here with guest performances. Now there are 6 theatres in the city. Numerous other theatre companies, studios. Amateur theatres also perform in the city.

Kharkiv is a city of sports:a variety of sports are enjoyed here and many sporting events are organized. Here you can make the most of the numerous sport complexes, schools, clubs, swimming-pools and stadiums. Which offer wide opportunities for participating in favorite sports.

Kharkiv is a multinational city: since the early days of the city, it has been inhabited by Ukrainians and Russians, Poles and Jew`, Germans and Armenians, Bulgarians and Tatars, Belarussians and Greeks, Gypsies and Latvians, as well as representatives of other nationalities of Europe and Asia. Ethnic theatres, schools and music groups perform in Kharkiv, scientific conferences and symposia related to the development of ethnic cultures are carried out.

Honorary Awards of the Council of Europe. As a cultural, scientific, educational and industrial center of Ukraine, Kharkiv has developed a wide network of international relationships. All the efforts undertaken by the city on the European arena were highly appreciated by the Council of Europe. Today Kharkiv is the only Ukrainian city which was granted all the four prestigious awards by the Council of Europe: the European Diploma (2003), the Flag of Honor (2004), the Plaque of Honor (2008) and the Europe Prize (2010).

All four Honorary Awards by the Council of Europe, including the Europe Prize, essentially raise the international status of the City of Kharkiv opening wide perspectives for further development of international cooperation with foreign municipalities, international organizations and foreign investments.

Visiting Kharkiv, you will always get a warm welcome and experience the city’s achievements which will impress you with a variety of architectural styles, traditions and ideas. You will surely enjoy a good break here.

Memorandum signed: 10.10.2015

Laiwu City (China)

Laiwu City lies in the center of Shandong Province, at the east foot of Mountain Tai, close to Qufu, which is the hometown of Confucius. It has a long history and resplendent culture. Laiwu has jurisdiction over two administrative districts-- Laicheng and Gangcheng, three provincial development zones and a tourist area, with a total area of 2,246 square kilometers and a population of 1.37 million. Now it has formed three major characteristic parts, which are respectively the travel resort in the north, the ginger and garlic processing, storing and transporting area in the center, and the steel processing and logistics area in the south. With three expressways, which respectively connect with Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, Beijing-Fuzhou Expressway and Jinan-Qingdao Expressway, crossing in the city, the transportation of Laiwu is very convenient and the density ranks first in the nation. Jinan-Laiwu-Qingdao Expressway connects in a straight line, which makes it possible to take only 30 minutes to drive from Laiwu to Mountain Tai, 40 minutes to Jinan International Airport, and two hours to Qingdao Port. In addition, two railways meet in the City, which are respectively linked to Beijing-Shanghai Railway and Qingdao-Jinan Railway. Laiwu City is located between 117°19′～117°58′ E and 36°02′～36°33′ N. In consequence, the climate in it belongs to the warm temperate semi-humid monsoon climate. It has four distinct seasons: cold and dry in winter, warm and windy in spring, hot and rainy in summer, cool and clear in autumn. Laiwu City has beautiful environments. It is named the National Sanitary City, National Excellent City on Comprehensive Improvement of Urban Environment, China Excellent Tourism City and National Garden City. With a green coverage of 43.6%, the city has the reputation of “Green Steel City”. It is also the permanent site of China’s International Airports.

The number of the enterprises processing agriculture products has reached more than 350, with a total annual storing and processing capacity of 1.2 million tons. The products sell well in both domestic and overseas markets. Laiwu has plentiful natural resources and mineral resources.
The foreign trade enterprises continue to expand. By the end of the year, we have 342 export-import enterprises with actual performance in the whole city, newly added 32. Among which, there are 21 enterprises whose export-import volume reaches over $10 million, and 4 enterprises reaches over $100 million. The market diversification strategy speeds up. The export-import markets reach 155 countries and areas, newly added 18.
The utilization of foreign capital grows steadily. We have 5 newly approved projects utilizing foreign capital, by the end of the year, the number of foreign-funded enterprises is 51. In the whole year, we have utilized the foreign capital of $86.67 million in the contracts of all kinds, up 223.88% from the previous year; yet the actual utilization of foreign investment has reached $61.23 million, down 49.54% from the previous year.
Foreign economic cooperation continues to expand. Till now we have had 2 newly approved overseas investment enterprises, and by the end of the year，the number of overseas investment enterprises will reach 17. The contracted foreign investment has reached $3.66 million, up 143.8% from the previous year, and the number of overseas export of labor is 2154, up 5.6% from the previous year.

Memorandum signed: 16.10.2002

Lviv (Ukraine)

Lvov is the 7^th largest Ukrainian city which was founded in 1256 by King Danylo Halytskyi and was named in honour of his son Lev. The historic city center is on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998. Since 2099 Lvov has been the cultural capital of Ukraine. There are 60 museums of Renaissance, Baroque and Classicism style and 55% of all Ukrainian architectural monuments and because of it, more than 2 000 000 tourists visited Lvov in 2015-2016. There are 24 destinations from 17 airlines, 2 regular daily flights to Kyiv. Also, there are around 40 research institutions and 11 universities in Lvov.

Lvov is situated at the intersection of trade routes leading from Ukraine to Europe. Lvov has always been an important centre of international commerce and coexistence of different national cultures. Its strategic geographical location always attracted multinational merchants.

 

The population of Lvov is 757 500 people. Throughout its longstanding history Lvov has been a multinational city, housing Armenians, Greeks, Poles, Italians, Scots, Hungarians, Czechs, Tatars, Germans, Russians, Saracens and Karaites.

 

Following spheres are developed in the city: industry, construction, government and private services, food processing, machine building, metal and plastic production, wood paper, pharmacy, textile and others.

 

Lviv has Congress and Expo center for mixed usage center for conferences and exhibitions, Lviv IT park – office campus with R and D laboratories, Creative Quarter – Innovation hub for work, creativity, learning, leisure and entertainment.

 

Danylo Halytskyi International Airport ‘‘Lviv’’ is the biggest airport in Western Ukraine according to passenger flow and destination network. It is a brand new airport that opened on April 12, 2012. This airport can accommodate 50 incoming and outgoing flights per day and a passenger load of 150,000 people daily.

 

It has open- air museum, an ethic park that exhibits Ukrainian houses of the past and is located 3km from the city center. Immerse yourself in Ukrainian traditions: workshops of soap making, hay dolls, blacksmithing, pottery, archery, and horseback riding. They have coffee tradition since 17^th century. They have coffee festival in September. Also, since 15^th century beer has become a part if the culture of the city.

 

Annual concert which is held in Lvov is LvivMozArt (13-21 July, 2018); also, Leopolis Jazz Festival (international open-jazz festival which is annually held in Lviv on 27 June-1 July, 2018) where participates 100 world class musicians.

 

As a Creative City of Literature, Lviv envisages: establishing the University Library of Tomorrow foreseen to become the major centre for literature, humanities and social research; implementing the Programme for Support of Reading (2015 – 2020) aimed to promote reading among vulnerable groups as well as literary education for young people; launching the Project on Integration and Improvement of Access to Cultural Industries within the Libraries Development Programme (2016 – 2021), which will support the Urban-Library initiative which provides an open-discussion space offering workshops and trainings to young creative entrepreneurs to focus on the city’s development strategy; enhancing cooperation and exchanges with other Creative Cities of Literature through sub-network meetings and joint-initiatives; and encouraging interdisciplinary projects with Creative Cities of the other creative fields covered by the Network.

 

Twin towns and sister cities

Winnipeg (Canada), Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany), Rzeszow (Poland), Rochdale (UK), Budapest (Hungary), Rishon Lezion (Israel), Przemysl (Poland), Krakow (Poland), Grozny (Russia), Novi Sad (Serbia), Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Kutaisi (Georgia), Wroclaw (Poland), Lodz (Poland), Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lublin (Poland), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Parma, Ohio (USA).

 

Memorandum signed: 18.03.2016

Maribor (Slovenia)

Maribor is the city with the oldest vine in the world; in 2012 Maribor was the European Capital of Culture and in 2013 the European Youth Capital. Furthermore, the city has a favourable geographic position as it is located near four transport corridors, which have a positive influence on Maribor’s economic development; and close to the border with Austria, Croatia and Hungary.

 Sport: Maribor is a city of sport. According to our estimates, 50% of Maribor’s population actively participates in sports. It is the home of numerous national, European and world champions. Maribor has hosted an array of European and World Championships and Cups, and has organised various sports and recreational events. In Maribor, sports have always played an important role. Not only because of its geographical position at the south-easternmost part of the Central Alps but also because of the rich sports tradition that became established in the second half of the 19th century.

 In 2018 Maribor will host:

• the European Veterans Basketball Championship;

• the Senior and Junior European Taekwon-Do

Championships;

• the European Kickboxing Championship;

• Ski World Cup (the Golden Fox) and

• the Women's World Ice Hockey Championship.

 In recent years, Maribor has gained its reputation for hosting numerous sport competitions and events that create a true sports atmosphere. Thus the city continues to shape its sports tradition that began with the Golden Fox skiing competition, which all those years ago put Maribor on the map as an important place for sporting events.

 Tourism

The key components of Maribor tourism are:

• wine and cuisine;

• recreation and sport, including preparations

and matches of professional athletes;

• urban and rural culture;

• natural environment, rural tourism, ecotourism,

wellness, (spiritual) pilgrimages;

• conference and business tourism; and

• gambling, shopping, etc.

Memorandum signed: 06.06.2009

Poznań (Poland)

Poznań is a place where the energy of the New Europe is merged with the civilization of the West. A metropolis with over half-a-million residents, Poznań is situated in the most economically developed region of Poland, closer to Berlin than to Warsaw. Poznanians can be counted on - they are well-educated, competent and welcoming.

The city is focused on achieving success, grounded on a 1000-year tradition of competence. The most ambitious of projects and the bravest of visions have a chance to succeed here. The state of Poland was born in Poznań and it was also the location of the Greater Poland Uprising, the only successful armed bid for independence in Poland and a proof of the exceptional resourcefulness of its citizens.

The people of this metropolis also stand out in terms of their spirit of enterprise, renowned for generations. During the great economic crisis at the beginning of the 20th century, Poznań managed to establish itself as one of the biggest trading areas in this part of Europe. Today, the Poznań International Trade Fair Centre successfully hosts large international events including the 2008 United Nations IPCC climate conference and a 2010 meeting of the delegations of 46 ministers of culture from Europe and Asia, under the auspices of the Asia-Europe Meeting.

The city's sports infrastructure allows for the organisation of major international sporting events. In the opinion of experts, Poznań has one of the most beautifully located regatta courses in the world and hosts one of the largest street races in Europe- the Poznań Marathon.

Poznań cultural climate is formed by the wide range of entertainment on offer. Major international events hosted here include: Malta Festival - the biggest theatre festival in Poland, Dancing Poznań - which has been attracting dancers from all over the world for 17 years and the Made in Chicago Festival - the only festival of the Chicago Jazz School in Europe.

The programme is complemented by small but quickly growing events - the Animator Festival - the biggest festival of animated films in Poland, the Ethno Port Festival - recognised as one of the best 25 world music festivals in the world and Transatlantic - an event focusing on film scores.

By both realizing professional challenges efficiently and spending our free time creatively, we can look on Poznań as a City of Work and a City of Play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorandum signed: 04.05.2012

Mykolaiv (Ukraine)

Mykolaiv is the city with a considerable industrial and economic and scientific potential, great opportunities for development of internal interregional and external intergovernmental relations.

City location, port economy premise for the further development, city integration into the world economy, form high investment potential of the city.

Geographical location : Mykolaiv covers an area of 260 km² (1,1% of the regional territory). It is situated on the south of Ukraine. The main peculiarity of the city is location, which is attractive for the development of agrarian, logistic, shipbuilding sphere. The city is a transport junction of the region and due to the marine connection clears the access to the international markets. There are free areas for placing portside plants. The city is located in agrarian and climatic zone «Steppe», on the peninsula, that is washed by Pivdennyi Buh and Inhul rivers.

Population: According to the population number Mykolaiv is referred to the medium cities of Ukraine. As of 01.07.2017 the number of the present population comprised 488,3 thousand of people, that is 42,6% from the total number of Mykolaiv region.

Logistics Hub: Mykolaiv is situated in the centre of Southern Ukraine. Three European transport corridors cross the city. It also provides access to the New Silk Way via Black Sea link.

Education: Mykolaiv prepares specialists for various sectors of economic activity with a high level of professional training of the city labour resources. Saturation with scientific and educational institutions is a great advantage that makes the city attractive for investors. There are 152 educational institutions in the city, subordinate to the Department of Education of Mykolaiv City Council. The level of education and qualification, which is given to high schools, keys up the demand to the graduates of Mykolaiv high schools abroad on the industrial enterprises of EU countries (in the Baltic States, Poland, France, Germany, Portugal) and also Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria and Moldova.

Healthcare: Quality and moderateness of healthcare in Mykolaiv is one of the factors of the positive investment surrounding formation. Mykolaiv inhabitants get medical care in 19 healthcare institutions.

Industry: Industrial enterprises of Mykolaiv play a great role in the industrial complex of Ukraine. The city provides with more than 90% of state production of gas turbines, specific weight in Ukrainian export of grain and oil-bearing crops takes up to 25 % of the total export of Ukraine. There are more than 60 industrial enterprises in the city.

Main factors of the investment attraction:

- powerful port potential, developed marine complex (sea and river ports), unique location, that allows ports to operate and navigate all year long; - city is a logistic centre of the South of Ukraine, has a ramified transport infrastructure and a throughput for cargo and passenger transportation; - powerful industrial potential (developed branches: machine building, nonferrous metallurgy, processing and food industry); - city is the regional centre and accordingly the centre of social and market infrastructure, business and financial services; centre of education and science, innovative activity; - education level and available labour potential, taking into consideration unemployed labour potential, create great opportunities for business provision with qualified staff; - availability of the unique natural climate, recreational areas availability: parks and beaches (there is the largest coast line in Ukraine in Mykolaiv – 128 km), that could be used for the development of the tourist city potential; considerable potential for the development of water transport, water sports; - big enterprises are located far from “sleeping areas”, that creates ecologically safe and comfortable for living; - wish and readiness of local authorities for cooperation with investors. Availability of legislative conditions/preferences for starting and development of business in the city; - availability of free plots of land and industrial areas;  - availability of work experience with great foreign  investors, international financial institutions; - openness of  local authorities for work with foreign and native investors.

Memorandum signed: 02.02.2015

Szombathely (Hungary)

The 2000-year-old Szombathely is the oldest, continuously inhabited settlement with a city rank in the Carpathian Basin. The famous trade route, the so-called Amber Road connecting the unknown north with the Mediterranean world stretched here already from the beginning of the first millennium B. C. The remains of the Amber Road can be seen in the Ruins Garden. In the Middle Ages the centre of life was the market place. Szombathely received its recent name after the weekly markets held on today’s Main Square on Saturdays.

Saint Martin, the most popular patron saint of Europe was born in Szombathely. The Saint Mar­tin’s Church was built above his birthplace. The Martinus Pilgrim Route – built in the 21st century – goes across our city.

Szombathely has plenty of historical and cultural attractions. The Iseum, the most important architectural antique monument in Szombathely, had been the third biggest Isis Sanctuary of Europe. The sanctuary was built in honour of the ancient Egyptian goddess, Isis. Due to its size, quality of con­struction and rich findings, the Iseum in Savaria was probably the important centre of Isis-worship in the Danube region. In 2011 it was renewed and became a real gem of the modern city. Today the Main Square is a popular meeting-point for everyone. The centres of bustling intellectual and art life of the city are the Savaria Museum elaborating on the past of the city, the Picture Gallery which is famous for its modern collection beyond our borders as well and also the Smidt Museum presenting a family collection and also the new reconstruction of a Roman military fortress in the Franciscan Garden, called Historical Theme Park.

Besides the ancient monuments, considerable religious heritage can be found in the city. The Cathedral of Szombathely is the third larg­est cathedral in Hungary. The Lakeside Lido, the Boating Lake or the Thermal Baths offer great programs for the fans of active tourism. A wide range of performances and classical concerts are available for the visitors eg. the ISEUM open-air plays or concerts of the Savaria Symphony Orchestra.

 

Our city is also mentioned as the Gate of the West, because Austria is only a few minutes’ distance from here.

Besides the architectural monuments, the major events of the city provide rich occupation of high standard throughout the year. Every August Szombathely becomes a Roman city during the famous Savaria His­torical Carnival, the biggest historical festival of Central Europe. Tradi­tionally we commemorate Saint Martin by organizing weeks-long series of programs.

The Savaria International Dance Contest organized at the beginning of summer for several decades has become famous abroad as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memorandum signed: 31.05.2017

Tartu (Estonia)

Being the oldest city in Estonia - it was first mentioned in writing in 1030 - Tartu successfully combines modern infrastructure and facilities with a green and friendly environment: the city is very compact and easily accessible. A serene park with medieval ruins and a river running through the city give it a romantic appeal. Walking through the city one can literally touch its history, at the same time feeling a renewed energy and curiosity about what the future will bring.

At every corner in Tartu, there are concert venues, exhibition halls, theatres, churches, museums and charming little cafes as well as various pubs and restaurants. Tartu embodies wisdom. Here you will find one of the best universities in Europe (top 2%), many top level scientific institutions and research laboratories. Tartu University is of a science and innovation place, where different fields of research provide mutual support and exchange useful ideas. An inseparable part of the city is its students, who comprise nearly a quarter of the population and generate a lot of fun and energy. The University of Tartu, which was founded in 1632, has been one of the most important influences on national culture, identity and awareness.

There are plenty of (tourist) attractions and museums in Tartu which are all worth a visit – the impressive new building of Estonian National Museum, Tartu City Museum, AHHAA Science Centre, A. Le Coq Beer museum, Upside Down House, V Spa, The Widget Factory, Aura Water Centre and many others.

Tartu is well known by its versatile cultural calendar. There are different festivals for each season which attract visitors from near and far. Town Hall Square transforms into an open air cinema, during the Tartu Love Film Festival tARTuFF held in August. The Hanseatic Days awaken medieval Tartu, song and dance festivals invite thousands of people to the Song Festival Ground, and at the end of the year the city becomes a truly Nordic Christmas town. In recent years Tartu has also become a capital of delicious food and high quality local produce. People who take pleasure in restaurant and food culture will be happy to know that Tartu has many food festivals, cosy cafés and restaurants which offer the best products of the region as well as international flavors.

Tartu has always been a trendsetter when it comes to ICT developments – talented minds and ambitious entrepreneurs have led to rapidly growing ICT ecosystem which has attracted the attention of Venture capitalists as well as foreign ICT companies. The favourable environment towards ICT has allowed huge companies like Microsoft and Skype to open their development centres in Tartu. Due to Tartu University Hospital and numerous support structures and research labs Tartu is, without a doubt the centre of Medial and biotechnological research in Estonia. The main areas of expertise in this emerging sector are biochemistry, genetics and heredity, neuroscience and bioinformatics.

Tartu is a youthful city that has aged gracefully, retaining its many traditions. Tartu reaches across the globe and sets the business works ablaze. This city is green and peaceful, and it inspires good thoughts and facilitates their turning into good deeds.

Some interesting facts about Tartu:

• 2nd largest city of Estonia (population 100,000)

 

• Area: 38,87 km²

 

• 11 higher education institutions

 

• 25% of citizens are students

 

• Oldest city in the Baltic States.

 

• Historical names: Tarbatu, Dorpat, Jurjev, Dorpt & Derpt

 

• Slogan: Tartu – City of Good Thoughts

Memorandum signed: 03.05.2016

                 Valka (Latvia)

 

Valka is a city in northern Latvia. It is the administrative center of the Valkas municipality. Valka in the north has a border with its twin city Valga, Estonia. The total area of the city Valka is 14.36 km². The population is 5,535 (onJuly 1, 2015). Distance from Riga - 160km, from Valmiera - 50km and from Tartu (Estonia) - 90km.

It is believed that the city name Valka is related with Latvian verbs "vilkt" and "valkāt" or the noun "valks", which in the early days were used as a description for wetland areas or swamps.

The noun "valks" originally described a place where people dragged their boats or cargo from the basin of the River Gauja to the River Pedele. Then they traveled to the basin of the River Emajegi and after that to Estonian lakes.

 

History

In the Middle Ages Valka was located near a big traffic road, which connected Gauja and Seda to Pedele. First known documented mention of Valka (then known as Pedele) was in year 1286 at the Riga’s Debt Book. In year 1419, in Valka, Arch bishop of Riga, Johan VI Ambundi, called to gether the confederation of Livonia for provincial assembly. In year 1582, Valka was governed by Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and in 1584 gained its city rights. Polish – Sweden war razed Valka and after the war it was under the rule of Swedish Livland. After the Great Northern War in 1721 Valka was under the rule of the Russian Empire. In 1849, the Livland’s teacher seminar was held in Valka instead of Valmiera. After the 1886, the main railroad crossroads that connected Riga, Pleskava, Pernava and Aluksne was established in Valka.

 

On November 15, 1917, the decision to proclaim the independence of the Republic of Latvia was made in Valka. Thered-white-red flag of Latvia was raised here for the first time.

Valka was divided on July 1, 1920, when border was set between the newly independent states of Latvia and Estonia. As the members of the International Commission (Great Britain, Latvia, Estonia) couldn’t decide about the location of the border, the final decision was made by the chairman of the court of arbitration, the British colonel S.G. Tallents. The main part of the city was given to Estonia, but the suburban part – to Latvia. Varžupīte (the Frogriver) that separated the Latvian Valka from the Estonian Valga, is located in the heart of both border towns since 1920.

 

On December 21, 2007, when Latvia and Estonia joined the Schengen visa-free travel zone, Riga and Raja Street border post was officially opened by the President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves and the former president of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers. Since then the border is not separating us – it is uniting us.

Welcome to crossroads of Latvia and Estonia in Valka-Valga: two states – one city!

 

 

 

 

 

Memorandum signed: 08.03.2015

Nanchang (China)

Nanchang is the capital city of Jiangxi Province and the political, economic, cultural, technological and traffic center of the province, one of the central cities of urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, a core city of Poyang Lake Ecological and Economic Zone, and a national famous historical and cultural city named by the State Council, administering three counties (Nanchang County, Jinxian County and Anyi County), six districts (Donghu District, Xihu District, Qingyunpu District, Wanli District, Qingshanhu District and Xinjian District), three state-level Development Zones (Nanchang High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Nanchang Economic and Technological Development Zone and Nanchang Xiaolan Economic and Technological Development Zone),one New District of national level(Ganjiang New District) as well as Honggutan New District and Airport Economic Zone, area totaling 7402km2, with total population of 5,400,000. 

Nanchang is a famous historical and cultural city with a history of over 2200 years as well as a heroic city with glorious revolutionary tradition. On November 14, 2015, the tomb of Haihun Duke in the western Han dynasty was found in Nanchang by virtue of archaeological excavation, which is the largest and best-preserved in our country currently with the most abundant connotation, and is comparable with “Han Tombs at Mawangdui”.In addition, Nanchang is a scenic and environment-friendly city with beautiful mountains, rivers and lakes. The Gan River passes through the city from south to north and the whole city is dotted with rivers and lakes.The wetland area reaches 55%, city greening coverage rate reaches 43% and water area reaches 29.78%.It is becoming famous in China and in the world.

Nanchang is boosting low-carbon economy, and paying the greatest attention to the development of five major new industries as automobile, aviation, photovoltaics, software and outsourcing service, and bio-pharmaceutical. Nanchang is striving at building such four major hundred-billion industries as automobile, food, new materials and electronic information, as well as five 50-billion-level pillar industries, medicine, aeronautical manufacturing, textile and clothing, new energy and mechanical and electrical manufacturing.

Nanchang takes improving municipal construction, developing rail transit and building “smart city” as carrier, and emphasizes the construction of modern industrial strong city, low-carbon ecological famous city, modern provincial capital city and livable & healthy city.

Memorandum signed: 03.05.1996

Ganja (Azerbaijan)

Ganja is the second biggest city of Azerbaijan, after the capital Baku, with almost 30% of the City’s inhabitants under 29 years of age. Research showed that ancient Ganja is more than 4,000 years old. The northeastern foot of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains is a picturesque place which has attracted many people across the centuries. This made the history of the region profound and captivating. Ganja is significant to the politico-economic and cultural life of the country since the earliest of times. Arabs and Khazars, Seljuks and Mongols and tsarist Russia, all desired to rule the strategic region. Nervertheless, the region remains well known around the world not for the wars, which were fought over it, but because of its famous poet: Nizami Ganjavi, a poet of peace and love. Visiting Ganja one cannot skip a visit to the mausoleum of the great poet, a remarkable monument of Nizami Ganjavi.

Ganja was also the capital of Azerbaijan, when the country first declared its independence in 1918, thus playing a leading role in the history of the country.

The region is famous for its nature, namely Goygol Lake and reserve. A large mountain lake surrounded by the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus was formed at a result of a devastating earthquake that destroyed the mountain Kapaz in the 12^th century.

 

The color and clarity of the waters of Goygol Lake, located 1,600 above sea level is striking. The banks of the lake are covered with forests and rich of flora and fauna. This area is ideal for swimming, walking, travelling and family picnics.

Despite numerous destructions during its long existence, Ganja has retained the appearance of a beautiful city with many monuments of architecture and parks. One of the main features of the city is the Juma Mosque - Ganja central mosque, Imamzade Complex, the 3^rd biggest and beautiful park in the world Heydar Aliyev Park Complex.

In the area of Heydar Aliyev Park Complex you can see the beautiful building of Heydar Aliyev Center, Triumphal Arch, artificial lake, the biggest entertainment center Gancland in the city and etc. Visiting downtown, you can see the biggest and beautiful philharmonic in Azerbaijan and old StreetJavad Khan is the traditional shopping street that is located in the old town. In 2017, construction of Ganja Mall has finished and it has started to function.

Although an ancient city, Ganja was selected to be a European Youth Capital in 2016 and Cultural Capital of CIS countries in 2017.And now Ganja is the candidate for European Sport City 2019 title.  The city has one professional football team, Kapaz, currently competing in the second-flight of Azerbaijani football, the Azerbaijan First Division. The club has three Azerbaijani league and four cup titles.

There is three Universities and three Colleges in the city with more than 16.000 students. The Azerbaijan Agrarian State University is the only biggest University in the country, which contribute to the development of agriculture in Azerbaijan.  

The economy of Ganja is partially agricultural, partially tourist based, with some industries in operation. 

While visiting the city do not forget to taste the local food and buy local fruits and vegetables - Enjoy the summer’s spirit.

 

 

 

Memorandum signed: 29.08.2015

Ungheni (Moldova)

Ungheni is a city in Moldova, situated in the west-center part of the country on the bank of the Prut river, the second largest river in Moldova. It is located at a distance of 105 kilometers from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. The city of Ungheni is a part and residence center of Ungheni district with a population of 30 804 inhabitants. Situated closely to the European Union on the Prut river, the city of Ungheni is a locality full of history. The first document dates from August 1462. Initially, the locality was called Unghiul (angle), probably because the river Prut makes here a perfect angle. The most decisive role in the city evolution belonged to the construction of the Chișinău – Ungheni –Iași railway, that was built in 1871-1875.

 

Ungheni is an important railway junction and customs border point, known as  „the Western Gateway in Europe”. In the recent years, it has become an important industrial and cultural center. In 2010, the city  was declared “Youth Capital 2011”.

 

Currently, Ungheni is an important cultural and economic centre with a high qualified human potential. There are 2104 small and medium enterprises. In 2002 the Free Economic Zone „Ungheni – Business” was set up.   

 

Ungheni City concentrates the biggest part of the region of the intellectual and industrial potential. Ungheni City succeeded to become an important economic center with native and mix capital (Free Economic Zone). The carpet, ceramics, wines and divines, canned goods, confections, articles of wood, sausages, bakery productions, trade and services are the main fields of economic development.

In the City there are 6 preschool institutions with 1900 children; 6 institutions of primary and general education (primary school – 1, high schools - 5) with 6100 pupils; a vocational school with 500 students; 3 colleges – Medicine College, Boarder Police College and Agro-Industrial College with more than 700 students; educational institutions - a music school, an arts school, 2 sports schools, and so on, museums, 5 libraries, a Palace of Culture.

The City has a complete hospital network, general and specialized medical assistance that are well represented.

 

The civil society is represented by over 90 NGOs that work in the fields of community development, education, health, culture, youth, social assistance, sport, people’s rights, environment. The most famous and unique is the Ungheni Community Foundation that provides small grants for the community development.

 

The network of sewerage, natural gas and energy, routes network regarding the public transport that covers the whole territory of Ungheni City are extended. The local public administration is focused on modernizing the water, sewerage and wastewater treatment system, gasification and public lighting.

Ungheni – small city with a big heart. It has a large family of 16 twinned cities: Winston-Salem, USA; Konin - Poland; Reghin - Romania; Daliyat El-Carmel/Israel; Horishni Plavni/Komsomolsk - Ukraine; Auce - Latvia; Mankato - Minnesota, USA; Cascais - Portugal; Joniskis - Lithuania; Noua Suliță - Ukraine; Dorohoi - Romania; Kutaisi - Georgia; Andrezieux-Boutheon/France; Ararat - Armenia; Cluj-Napoca / Romania; Iași - Romania. 

Ungheni has become a real city of sculptures, where tourists can admire in squares the beauty and the elegance of 63 sculptures. Also, „Struguraș” folk music and dance group is the visit card of Ungheni City, whose members contribute through their artistic activities to the promotion of the national cultural values, popular traditions and customs.  

 

 

 

 

 

                                           Kaunas (Lithuania)

City since 1408

Population: 312,120[1]

Located between the port city of Klaipėda and the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius

                History

Allegedly established by the Romans during the reign of Emperor Nero, Kaunas was first mentioned in a letter detailing the finished construction of Kaunas Castle in 1361. Magdeburg Rights were granted to the settlement by Vytautas the Great in 1408, establishing Kaunas as a city of the Duchy.

Kaunas joined the Hanseatic League in 1441, establishing the only Hanseatic trading post in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the time.

Napoleon had passed through Kaunas twice in 1812, during his march into Russian territory. The significance of this also has tales attributed to the naming of the nearby Napoleon’s Hill mound.

Kaunas housed many ethnic groups due to favorable conditions for trade and commerce, most significantly Jewish, Polish and Russian populations throughout its history.

During the interwar period, at the loss of Vilnius to Russian Bolsheviks in 1919 and later to Polish annexation, Kaunas had been transmitted governing power to become the temporary capital of Lithuania until 1939.

As with every other city, Kaunas fought for independence against the USSR since 1988, and became a city of the Republic of Lithuania in 1991.

                Culture

Kaunas has a large student population, as well as several prominent Lithuanian universities: Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas University of Technology and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.

Kaunas has an abundance of culturally significant museums and art galleries: M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum, Vytautas the Great War Museum, Kaunas Museum for the Blind, Devil’s Museum, the historical Presidential Palace and the Ninth Fort museum, to name a few.

Kaunas has been selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2022.

                Landmarks

Kaunas managed to retain a large portion of its historical buildings throughout its existence, as well as establish new, important landmarks in its recent history.

St. Michael the Archangel’s church is a Byzantine-style church constructed in 1895 and can be considered as a focal point from where the main section of Kaunas begins. Additionally, there are other well-known churches in Kaunas: Christ’s Resurrection Church, Church of St. Gertrude and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

Liberty Avenue is a stretch of pedestrian path starting from St. Michael the Archangel's church and stretching one full mile until it ends at the Town Hall within the apex of the Old Town. It is the largest pedestrian street that exists within Eastern Europe. Several buildings are housed in the Avenue, including the City Municipality, Post Office, several universities and the main street of the Old Town itself.

One series of landmarks are unique only to Kaunas – the Kaunas Fortress – constructed between 1882 and 1915, are a set of nine forts built for the purposes of defending the city. Two of them house museums, displaying historical documents, objects and providing live tours for the First and Second World War periods of the Fortress history.

The buildings built during the interwar were also granted UNESCO World Heritage Site status, largely due to the flourishing Modernist movement of the time.

The largest indoor sports and culture arena in the Baltic region is also present in Kaunas - Žalgiris Arena – named after one of the most important battles of Lithuanian history as well as the national Lithuanian basketball team of the same title.

 

ZHYTOMYR (Ukraine)

 

Zhytomyr is an industrial, transport and scientificfic center of Polissia area inhabited by hard-working people who are accustomed to honestly and faithfully working for the welfare of their own families, the city and the country.

Hard daily work of the city inhabitants has a positive impact on the dynamics of social and economic development of Zhytomyr and makes а significant contribution to the welfare of the whole country.

Powerful scientificfic and production potential is concentrated in the city; its enterprises are significant taxpayers to the state and local budgets.

The attractiveness of Zhytomyr as a city suitable for business is confirmed by assigning of the investment attractiveness rating to Zhytomyr at invBBB+ grade, «Sufficient investment attractiveness» by the leading rating agency IBI-Rating.

The city is open to further cooperation and establishing constructive business relationships with investors, businessmen and all who care about development of the city and the country.

The City authorities carry out measures to strengthen material and technical base of the health care sector, improving the provision of medical assistance to women and children, cardiac care and conducting of clinical and diagnostic research. In particular, medical equipment and transport are purchased; repairs and reconstruction of objects are carried out with the budget funds on an annual basis.

A wide network of cultural and entertaining establishments has been created in the city of Zhytomyr, which contributes to comprehensive aesthetic development of the population, especially children and young people providing for their mastering of spiritual values and knowledge of art and spiritual culture.

Also, considerable attention is paid to the development of sports and involvement of young people in sports sections. The city has 2 city youth sports schools and 12 sports schools, sports sections on the basis of the city secondary schools, with the number of school children involved amounting to more than 6.000. The branches of children and youth sports schools involve 3 380 sportsmen.

With the view of developing physical culture and sports and promoting healthy lifestyles, all in all 78 events in Olympic sports, 39 events in non-Olympic sports, 7 events in non-traditional sports and 3 events for handicapped athletes, as well as 12 citywide mass events on physical culture, were held.

You are invited to become better acquainted with Zhytomyr!

 

 

 

 

memorandum signed: 02.10.1989                   

                       Newport (Great Britain)

 

Newport covers an area of just over 73.5 square miles and stands at the gateway between England and Wales. A vibrant, multi-cultural city, Newport is steeped in a rich industrial heritage, where traditional industries sit alongside new electronics and financial service sectors.

Newport’s history dates back to a Celtic settlement 2000 years ago, and the city's location at the mouth of the River Usk has attracted visitors for centuries. The Castle was built at a strategic point on the river in the 1280s, and the town received its first charter in 1385.

 

Caerleon, just a few miles from Newport, was the site of a fortress of the 2nd (Augustan) Roman legion from the first century AD.The remains of the barracks, bath house and amphitheatre in Caerleon are among the best preserved Roman military sites in Britain.

 

The discovery of the remains of a fifteenth century sea-going vessel in 2002 gives evidence of Newport as a centre of industry and trade in the mediaeval period. Then, during the 19th century Industrial Revolution, Newport expanded rapidly from a small seaport town to one of the most important places in the country for coal export and steel production, and the town became known for its accessible modern docks which shipped over six million tons of coal in 1914. The coal and iron business made local land and mine owners very wealthy and resulted in the building of impressive residences like Tredegar House.

 

Newport - Wales’ third largest city – is currently continuing with one of the most significant regeneration programmes in the UK, with investments delivering huge transformation and creating new business opportunities. Its international profile has grown following the successful hosting of the NATO Summit in 2014 and The Ryder Cup in 2010, proving the city has the ability, infrastructure and energy to deliver global events.

 

A few years ago the doors of the new Friars Walk retail and leisure scheme opened, delivered by Queensberry Real Estate with a loan provided by Newport City Council in a bold move that has proved a catalyst for further investment.

 

In February 2017 work began on a new £100 million International Convention Centre Wales which will bring a £70 million economic benefit and 100,000 bedroom nights to the area every year.To the east of the city, a £1 billion investment is transforming the 600 acre former Llanwern Steelworks site into an impressive sustainable community which is set to deliver 4,000 new homes and 6,000 new jobs over the next 20 years.

 

Investment has enabled the most extensive transformation of the city centre in generations, re-establishing Newport as a vibrant, modern destination of choice.

With ambition running high, planned investments, innovative businesses and sites ripe for development, Newport is truly a city on the rise.

 

The City is proud of its long association with Kutaisi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

memorandum signed: 14.07.1987

Ashkelon (Israel)

 

Ashkelon is one of the world’s oldest cities and it is steeped in history.  At its center are rare ancient sites, alongside green agricultural areas that stretch out towards the horizon.  During the past decade alone Ashkelon has absorbed more than 40,000 new residents, some of whom include immigrants and young families, who were captivated by the charms of the city’s quality of life.  Thousands of apartments have been built in spacious residential neighborhoods, new parks and schools have opened, and the local industrial park has hired a great many new employees.

In Ashkelon there are over 27,000 pupils from preschool to grade 12; there are another 5,500 students attending Ashkelon College.  In order to realize its educational vision the city has developed a unique educational program that is already adapted to the year 2016.  Ashkelon’s school system champions quality and excellence while emphasizing values as a key aspect of the city’s education.

In addition, a high-tech park covering an area of around 800 dunams is planned for the north of the city (in the advance stages of the Urban Building Plan).  Ashkelon is currently experiencing a construction boom, of new residential buildings in the north and center, both high-rise and low-rise construction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUMY (Ukraine)

Sumy is a city in the northeastern part of Ukraine (in historical region of Sloboda Ukraine). It is located on the banks of Psel River. The city is the administrative center of the Sumy Oblast (region). Population: 264,483 (2018 est.), area: 95.38 km².

The founding of the city of Sumy is connected with the events of the liberation war led by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi in 1648-1654. The city got its name from the Sumka River, in the mouth of which it was founded.

The main types of economic activity in the structure of sales of industrial products are the processing industry (63.0%), electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning (35.7%). The remainder of the sales falls on the extractive industry and the development of quarries, and services for water supply, sewerage, waste management.

Leading enterprises of the city:

• PJSC “Sumykhimprom” (production of phosphoric mineral fertilizers, coagulants, additives for cement, acids, titanium dioxide, pigments and other chemical products)
• JSC “NASOSENERGOMASH Sumy” (development and production of pumping equipment, power units and complex hydraulic systems for industries, power engineering, metallurgy, etc.)
• Subsidiary Enterprise “Drill Collars and Kellys Plant” (production of drill collars and rotary kellys for drilling operations)
• Branch “Sumy Dairy Plant” Subsidiary Enterprise “Aromat” (processing of milk, production of butter, cheese and dairy products)
• LLC “Construction Industrial-Commercial Company “Fedorchenko” (construction of multi-storey apartment buildings, production of building materials)
• PJSC “Sumy Machine-Building Science-and-Production Association” (or PJSC “Sumy NPO”) (manufacture of special-purpose machinery and equipment)
• LLC “Guala Closures Ukraine” (manufacture of light metal packaging)
• LLC “Gualapack Ukraine” (production of packaging for baby food and other food products)
• JSC “Technologia” (production of corking and packing materials)
• LLC “Kerameya” (production of clinker ceramic bricks, clinker stone blocks, ceramic porous blocks)
• LLC “Kusum Pharm” (production of non-sterile drugs in solid dosage and liquid non-sterile dosage forms for peroral administration)

Transport infrastructure of the city:

• Air transport – airport “Sumy” (UMY) – operates in the mode of private flights;
• Railway transport – railway station “Sumy”;
• Road transport – one bus station and one suburban bus station, 44 city bus routes of general use;
• Electric transport – 15 trolleybus routes, the length of the contact system is 103.1 km.

The architectural symbol of Sumy is the “Altanka” on Pokrovska Square. The symbols of the city are also: the Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral, the Trinity Cathedral, the Resurrection Church and the Illinska Church.

Twin towns and sister cities:

• Nitra, Slovakia (1997);
• Vratsa, Bulgaria (2000);
• Gorzow Wielkopolski, Poland (2005);
• Lublin, Poland (2013);
• Celle, Germany (2015);
• Banska Bystrica, Slovakia (2016);
• Xinxiang, China (2018);
• Kutaisi, Georgia (2018).