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Sochi and Baden-Baden

Sochi is twinned with Baden-Baden. Two questions for Wolfgang Gerstner, Mayor of Baden-Baden, on the occasion of the Winter Olympics 2014.

14.02.2014
Baden-Baden - Olympia 2014
picture-alliance/Arco Images - Olympia 2014 © picture-alliance/Arco Images - Olympia 2014

Herr Gerstner, how did this link between Baden-Baden and Sochi come about?

Baden-Baden is the second most famous German city in Russia after Berlin. Many famous Russian writers and poets – Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol, Turgenev and Zhukovsky –visited Baden-Baden while touring Germany. There are also historical ties between the Russian noble families and the House of Baden. Our first contacts with Sochi were made in 2007 on the initiative of the former Federal Minister Lothar de Maizière. Baden-Baden and Sochi are well-known as spas, both are twinned with the French town of Menton, both cities are linked with the Olympic idea, and both are located at the foot of a mountain range: Sochi is in the Caucasus and Baden-Baden is surrounded by the Black Forest.

How do you keep the partnership alive?

We are building a network of civic connections between associations, youth groups, musicians, athletes, cultural institutions, companies, social and business organizations and many other institutions. This way we can bring people closer together, overcome prejudices and lay the foundations for personal friendships. Projects are ongoing in education, sports and music. For example, two young sportswomen from Baden-Baden are taking part in the Olympic Youth Camp of the German Olympic Academy in Sochi. Musicians from Baden-Baden have performed several times at Sochi's famous organ festival, and the annual citizens' trip to Sochi is always booked out.

www.baden-baden.de

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