In May 2025, Zhytomyr and the German city of Kassel signed a cooperation agreement. Within just the first year of cooperation, youth councils, schools, vocational education institutions, football clubs, cultural institutions, and municipal enterprises from the two cities began working together. Kassel even opened a dedicated space in a popular format—Café Schytomyr, devoted to the Ukrainian city.
However, Acting Mayor of Zhytomyr Halyna Shymanska is convinced that a successful partnership begins long before a memorandum is signed.
Read about the cooperation between Zhytomyr and Kassel — a partnership that developed with the support of Cities4Cities within the Polaris Programme “Supporting Multilevel Governance in Ukraine”. The partnership was initiated with the support of the Cities4Cities office in Sindelfingen (Germany).
“When we first introduced Zhytomyr and Kassel to one another, no one could have predicted how many joint projects would emerge from this partnership. Yet after the very first conversations, the most important thing was already clear: both cities came not simply to get acquainted, but to look for shared ideas and opportunities. Throughout my years of working with international partnerships, I have become convinced that a true partnership does not begin on the day an agreement is signed, but at the moment when, after the first meeting, people continue communicating without intermediaries. The story of Zhytomyr and Kassel is exactly about that.”
Telling the Story of a Municipality in Ten Minutes
The Zhytomyr team prepared particularly carefully for its first Zoom meeting with representatives of Kassel.
“The first meeting determines 90% of what happens next—whether you move forward together or not,” says Acting Mayor of Zhytomyr Halyna Shymanska. “We wanted to use those ten minutes to present the entire history of our city, showcase its strengths, and demonstrate the direction in which we are moving.”
Instead of starting the conversation with problems and needs, Zhytomyr presented its own vision for the city’s development, its educational projects, youth policy, cultural initiatives, and experience of working under wartime conditions.
“Every city has something unique, its own positive story, and its own strengths. Those are the things you need to talk about,” she is convinced.
In her view, this approach often determines the future of a partnership.
Shared Interests First, Agreement Second
Following the first online introductions, the teams from the two cities met in person in Brussels in May 2025. It was there that the conversation took place that effectively became the starting point for their future cooperation. In Brussels, they signed the partnership agreement during the Partnerships Forum at the European Committee of the Regions.
“We had what was probably a two-hour conversation with Mayor Sven Schoeller. We discovered many shared interests—education, sport, football, culture, and youth policy.”
For Ms. Shymanska, that face-to-face meeting was the key moment. Soon afterwards, the Mayor of Kassel decided to visit Zhytomyr.
During the visit, the delegation saw not only the challenges caused by the war, but also how the city was working on energy resilience, infrastructure modernisation, and community development.
“They had not expected that the strengths we had spoken about in Brussels before signing the agreement were actually that strong,” Halyna Shymanska recalls.
From Zoom Lessons to Football Matches
Gradually, the cooperation began to extend far beyond the city administrations. One of Zhytomyr’s lyceums established regular communication with its peers in Kassel.
“One of our lyceums regularly connects via Zoom with schoolchildren from Kassel. These contacts help children learn each other’s languages, become familiar with another culture, and build connections even before they reach adulthood.”
Vocational education institutions also found their own partners.
“The vocational schools also discovered many common points of interest,” Shymanska says.
The cooperation is not limited to exchanges. It also focuses on approaches to establishing modern training and production centres and preparing the specialists who will be needed for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Sport became another area of cooperation. In June 2026, students from the Polissia Youth Sports School visited the Streetbolzer football club. The children took part in a week-long programme during their visit.
“The children travelled there, played friendly matches, and returned home with new contacts. They already have their own small-scale cooperation with their peers.”
For Ms. Shymanska, the children’s emotions are often the best demonstration of the value of such contacts.
“Whenever I meet these children, their eyes are shining. They proudly show the scarves of the teams they got to know.”
When Zhytomyr Gained an Address in Germany
One year after the partnership agreement was signed, the cooperation between Zhytomyr and Kassel had begun to take forms that no one had envisioned at the outset.
One such result was the opening of Café Schytomyr in Kassel.
“It is an art space for the residents and visitors of Kassel, where they can learn more about Zhytomyr. We have collected up to 1,000 photographs of the city, which will be updated from time to time,” Halyna Shymanska says.
The venue hosts cultural events, meetings, and exhibitions, telling the story of the Ukrainian city, its residents, and life during the war. The first event took place in May 2026 with the participation of the Mayor of Kassel, diplomats from various countries, and Zhytomyr residents who have found temporary refuge in the twin city.
“In this space, people talk about Ukraine, about the people of Zhytomyr, and about our resilience.”
For Zhytomyr, this is one of the strongest proofs that the partnership has become truly alive.
Today, youth councils, schools, vocational education institutions, sports teams, cultural professionals, and municipal enterprises from the two cities are working together. Many of these contacts are already operating directly, without mediation.
“We already have a team that has established its own partnerships. Everything no longer goes through the Mayor. They cooperate directly, communicate directly, and develop the projects they implement together.”
In conclusion, municipal diplomacy carried out by city mayors, international relations departments, and civil society organisations—in our case, the partnership between Zhytomyr and Kassel—often has the same impact as the diplomacy of an entire country.
The Cities4Cities initiative implements the International Municipal Cooperation component of the Polaris Programme, funded by Sida and implemented by SALAR International.
