Despite the fact that Cologne has not formally terminated our partnership agreement, official relations between the cities were put on halt in 2022. But members of the "Cologne – Volgograd" public organization and their (that is to say, our) local mirror society, "Volgograd – Cologne", never ceased their communication and openly continued being friends.

Just last week, the "Volgograd – Cologne" Friendship Society welcomed guests from Germany. Initially, eighteen people wanted to visit out city on the Volga. But tricky logistics, the prospect of facing several transfers, communication problems, and visa difficulties made their own adjustments. In the end, only six people made it to Volgograd – the most persistent and fearless.

Upon arrival, the guests met with their friends from the "Volgograd – Cologne" Friendship Society and fellow public activists: a large welcoming meeting was organized on the platform of the Volgograd Regional Branch of the "Russian Peace Foundation" under the chairmanship of Yuri Starovatykh, Volgograd's ex-Mayor and honorary citizen.

As part of their cultural program, members of the "Cologne – Volgograd" Society paid tribute to the memory of the defenders of Stalingrad on Mamayev Kurgan, visited the "Stalingrad Battle" Panorama Museum, the cemetery in Rossoshki, and the Old Sarepta. Also, at the invitation of their friends, they put to work their status of native speakers: by showing up to a German language class at the Gorky Library.

According to Ms. Eva Aras, Chairperson of the "Cologne – Volgograd" Society, one of the most vivid impressions from this their trip to Russia was the revelation that people on the streets, upon hearing German speech, were actually always friendly and willing to communicate. That is to say, she is not sure that people in Germany would behave the same way upon hearing somebody speak Russian.