Who We Are:
The Sister City relationship with Samara Russia was formalized with St. Louis County in 1992 at the prompting of educators at SIU Edwardsville and Webster University that were traveling to Samara to teach at Samara State University.

With the formation of the relationship the Greater St. Louis – Samara Sister City Committee was formed as an all-volunteer organization to represent Greater St. Louis in all ongoing cultural exchange and economic development with the Russian Sister City.

Today, the Greater St. Louis – Samara Sister Cities Committee works diligently with hospitals, universities, and regional municipalities and businesses to further promote St. Louis’ ties to Russia.

Samara, Russia

Samara , formerly Kuybyshev,city (1989 pop. 1,254,000), capital of its region, E central European Russia, on the left bank of the Volga and at the mouth of the Samara River. It is a major river port and rail center (Moscow-Siberian line) and has important industries producing automobiles, aircraft, locomotives, machinery, ball bearings, synthetic rubber, chemicals, textiles, and petroleum products. Grain and livestock are the chief exports.

The gigantic Kuybyshev reservoir and hydroelectric plant is a few miles upstream from the city. Industrial and residential satellite cities surround the main metropolis. Founded in 1586 as a Muscovite stronghold for the defense of the Volga trade route and of Russia's eastern frontier, Samara was attacked by the Nogai Tatars (1615) and the Kalmyks (1644) and opened its gates to the Cossack rebels under Stenka Razin in 1670. It grew to be the chief grain center on the Volga and was the seat of immensely rich grain merchants. Its industrial expansion dates from the early 20th cent., when railroads to Siberia and central Asia were built. Samara was (1918) the seat of the anti-Bolshevik provisional government and constituent assembly of Russia.

During World War II the central government of the USSR was transferred to Kuybyshev (1941–43) from Moscow. As a result, the population increased tremendously, and the city limits were greatly expanded. The city was named Kuybyshev from 1935 to 1991.

Russia's get-ahead Volga region of Samara is seeking to secure itself a glittering future as a center for Western capital, by setting up its own gold reserves to underpin foreign investment. Samara's liberal governor Konstantin Titov says the ambitious food-for-gold plan could help secure the region, sited 1,000 kilometers (some 620 miles) from Moscow, its place as a favored home for overseas funds. Foreign money fled Russia during last August's financial crisis which saw the ruble lose 70 percent of its value against the dollar and the government renege on $40 billion of domestic debt.

But the wealthy Samara oblast, one of only 13 of Russia's 89 regions that are net contributors to the federal budget, is determined to attract more foreign funds to one of Russia's most pro-business regions. Under a radical plan being worked out by Titov, Russia's northern regions would pay for foodstuffs produced in Samara with gold mined in their hard-pressed regions. The precious metal would be used to set up a gold reserve, possibly in Switzerland, that could be used as collateral for foreign loans aimed at developing Sarama's space, aeronautics, automotive and foodstuffs industries.

Investors stung by the ruble collapse and burnt by the domestic debt default, were chary about taking Russian guarantees at face value, he said, but gold would give foreign firms the sort of security they were looking for.

"It's very good for the economy of our region, for the economy of Russia," Titov insisted. "That way there will be investment and the regional economy will develop quickly, we will pay more into the federal budget."

Under Titov's reign Samara has established itself as a favored home for US, German, Swiss and French investment, with Delphi Automotive, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Danone major investors in the attractive Volga region.

Direct foreign investment here peaked at more than 60 million dollars in 1997, slipping back last year in the wake of the crisis.

Foreign firms, and the authorities' determined pro-business stance has enabled the region to weather the storms which lashed Russia in the wake of last summer's financial crisis better than most.

Although regional production slumped 12 percent in the wake of the crisis, the local economy has already recovered six percent and Titov says that by December he hopes Samara will be back to pre-crisis output levels.