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Krasnodar, the capital of the Kuban region, is the most southerly district capital of Russia. This metropolis on the banks of the River Kuban, whose waters flow into the Sea of Azov, today has over 765,000 inhabitants, citizens with nationalities ranging from Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian to Greek and German. All around this city lying between Caucasus and the Black Sea stretches an extremely fertile region of agricultural land: an area which is able to profit as much from the rich soil as it can from the mild climate which prevails. And, thus, around Krasnodar is where the most northerly tea-producing area of the world can be found. Cereals, sunflowers, fruit and rice are all exported to 69 countries.

Krasnodar stands at a central crossroads. In addition to the important main roads whose paths meet there, the city is served by two major railway stations and an international airport. During the era of the former Soviet Union, the city was systematically developed into an industrial centre; today industry in Krasnodar concentrates on refineries as well as on large firms specialising in the manufacture of tools and agricultural equipment. However, industry and farming are not the only facets of the city on the River Kuban - Krasnodar is patron to both the arts and sciences. Since 1920 the city has been the home of the Kuban University with its twelve faculties. Moreover, five other higher education establishments are located there and also a whole range of institutions working on scientific research, particularly in the realms of agricultural production and foodstuff technologies. And art and cultural events find many avenues of expression in the city's theatres, libraries and museums.

Krasnodar and the City of the Fan have two very striking things in common: just like Karlsruhe, Krasnodar lies directly on a geographical line of latitude, i.e. on the degree of 45, making its position four degrees more southerly than that of the former capital of the state of Baden. And also like Karlsruhe, Krasnodar is a city whose founding is relatively recent. Over two hundred years ago, in 1793, the Russian Tsarina, Katharina II, granted the Cossacks of the Black Sea forested land on the right bank of the River Kuban, as a reward for their services to the throne. In honour of the benefactress, the future city was to receive the name "Jekaterinodar" - Katharina's Gift. The area around the Kuban at the foot of the snow-capped Caucasus not far from the Black Sea is known as "the pearl of Russia." And it was not only Cossacks that the Tsarina sent to these fertile fields along the river. German farmers arrived and began to cultivate the lands of plenty on the Kuban. Around 30,000 Germans still live in the area today, too. In 1867 Jekaterinodar was given the status of "a civic town." At the beginning of the 20th century there were already trams serving the municipality. And an electricity plant, telephone network and cinemas were all to be found in the growing town. The wonderful parks and cathedrals quickly made the town famous and the buildings in the main streets were easily able to compete in style and splendour with those in the Russian capital. Municipal affairs and all administration were in the hands of the town parliament, the Duma. But the October Revolution reached the banks of the Kuban, too. Governments came and went. In the midst of all the upheavals, a new name was decreed for the town: and since 1920 the town has been known as Krasnodar (from the Russian "krasnyi" meaning red). During the Second World War, the town was occupied by German troops and later on suffered large-scale destruction as the war took its toll. Consequently Krasnodar's skyline is today predominantly outlined by modern architecture: a young metropolitan centre of parks and greenery, open and spacious. The Mediterranean climate and the centre's wide avenues remind visitors more of a holiday resort somewhere in the south rather than of a city previously shaped and influenced by a socialist regime.

The year of 1979 saw the beginning of contacts between Karlsruhe and Krasnodar when discussions took place regarding an exchange for a youth group. In 1992 an official treaty of friendship was drawn up between the two cities and since December 1997 they have been twinned. From that point onwards countless activities and visits have taken place both in Karlsruhe and Krasnodar, bringing life and vitality into the partnership. The promoting of cultural exchanges and personal contacts and friendships is surely interesting and important but, at the moment, emphasis is being placed on both the practical and idealistic support which is needed during this period of change and reorganisation. And the twinned-town movement of Karlsruhe - Krasnodar is clearly one of the driving forces when it comes to the offering of such support.