The Alley of Twin Cities was created and opened on 31 March 2023, on the anniversary of the liberation of the city of Bucha, as a token of gratitude for the help of international municipalities and their residents in rebuilding and restoring the Bucha community. The city of Bucha received support from various corners of Ukraine and the world after the full-scale Russian invasion and occupation of the city in February-March 2022.
The alley was started with 15 twin cities: Palanga (Lithuania), Tuszyn, Piła and Katowice (Poland), Kočevje (Slovenia), Bergisch Gladbach (Germany), Bergamo (Italy), Cascais (Portugal), Kavadarci (Macedonia), Dunkirk (France), Albany (USA), Tiachiv, Kovel and Sloviansk (Ukraine).
The support of the twin cities became an important step in overcoming the consequences of the Russian aggression that Bucha suffered. In the first days after the liberation, humanitarian and psychological help was actively provided to Bucha residents who had survived the occupation. During 2022 the city received much-needed assistance of various kinds, to which foreign municipalities and the residents of those cities contributed.
In addition to humanitarian support, the partner cities provided Bucha with generators during the critical period of Russia’s shelling of energy facilities and supported the rebuilding of local educational institutions. The joint cooperation and determination of action of the 15 twin cities made a historic contribution to the recovery and to the return of the city of Bucha to peaceful life.
