Working with Eurocities
Being part of Eurocities has helped Kherson expand its network of international partnerships and strengthen collaboration with European cities. Through the network, we have deepened our cooperation with the cities of Bonn (Germany) and Nantes (France), creating new opportunities for joint projects, knowledge exchange, and long-term municipal cooperation.
Eurocities has provided Kherson with a strong platform to share the city’s experience, challenges, and recovery needs with European municipalities and institutions. Representatives of Kherson regularly participate in Eurocities conferences and contribute to panel discussions, sharing the city’s experience in crisis management, resilience, and recovery during the war. This has increased Kherson’s visibility at the European level and strengthened our ability to advocate for international support, partnerships, and long-term cooperation.
The best part of being a member of Eurocities is the opportunity to connect with cities across Europe, exchange knowledge and best practices, and build trusted partnerships. For Kherson, the network has opened doors to meaningful cooperation, joint initiatives, and international support during one of the most challenging periods in the city’s history.
What people need to know about the city
Kherson is a city in southern Ukraine, an administrative, industrial and cultural centre, located on the banks of the Dnipro River, near the Black Sea.
The city is famous for its rich history, cultural life, powerful economic potential and, especially, for the resilience of its citizens.
On the territory of Kherson there is one historical monument of national importance, 149 historical and monumental art, 15 archeological monuments and 191 architectural monuments under state protection of local importance.
The city has local history and art museums, the Mykola Kulish Music and Drama Theatre, the Kherson Regional Puppet Theatre, the Regional Philharmonic, galleries, and cinemas. Before the full-scale invasion of russia, Kherson was known for its literary events, art exhibitions and music festivals. International Festival ‘Melpomene of Tavria’ annually gathered actors and directors from different countries, which became a real business card of the city. Modern culture was developing in Kherson: youth art spaces, film festivals and exhibitions of contemporary art, and festivals which were attended by more than 100,000 guests every year.
Kherson is proud of its education system, with 7 higher education institutions in the city: Kherson State University, Kherson National Technical University, Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University, Kherson State Maritime Academy, Kherson Economic and Law Institute, International University of Business and Law, National University of Shipbuilding, colleges and vocational schools.
In 2022, the city was at the epicentre of tragic events – the armed aggression of the russian federation and on 1 March, Kherson was invaded by russian occupation forces. Despite the danger and the occupation regime, the citizens of Kherson showed incredible courage and patriotism. After almost 9 months of occupation, the city was liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 11 November 2022. On 6 March 2022, Kherson was awarded the honorary title of ‘Hero City of Ukraine’ by a decree of the President of Ukraine for its incredible resilience and heroism.
Our partner cities are: Rzeszów (Poland), Vaasa (Finland), Norrkoping (Sweden), Stavanger (Norway), Burgas (Bulgaria), city district Bratislava-Ružinov (Slovakia), Kiel and Bonn (Germany), La Spezia (Italy).
Kherson is a city of powerful people who continue to rebuild their community despite the challenges, confidently seeking to develop and integrate into the European Community.
The elected Mayor of Kherson has been held in russian captivity since June 2022.
