April 13-17, 2015: following the first exchange in 2014 between Taganrog Teachers College (branch of Rostov State University of Economics) and Lumière University Lyon 2 (Lyon, France), twenty French students who study Russian language came to Taganrog within the framework of an international education program "Russian language and Culture".


The internship program in Taganrog was rich in training sessions, sightseeing through historical downtown area and major museums, various cognitive and entertainment activities. French students spent the two first days at the hotel Taganrog, but unanimously decided to get better acquainted with Taganrog students and spent the rest of their time in the city with Russian families. The visitors are quite happy with the homestay program in Taganrog and are going to take the best impressions and memories with them to Lyon.


April 16, the French delegation was received at the Taganrog city hall by deputy mayor Marina Radomskaya, deputy director of Taganrog Teachers College Andrei Goloborodko and foreign relations officer Alexander Mirgorodskiy. Mrs. Radomskaya listed many historical facts, linking Taganrog and France. These include the participation of the French engineer François de Wollant in construction of Taganrog port in the beginning of 19th century; production of the Peter the Great monument in a Parisian atelier, many pages in the books by French travelers of 19th century such as Xavier and Adele Hommaire de Hell, Antoine Caillot, Anatole de Demidoff, Dubois de Montpereux and Jean-Marie Chopin expressing their impressions of Taganrog; French Consulate that was open in the city until 1920; frequent visits of our great countryman Anton Chekhov to Nice, and the books by classic authors that he sent from France becoming a foundation for the present-day foreign language books department of the Taganrog Chekhov Public Library.

At the end of the meeting, deputy mayor Radomskaya answered the questions of the guests.

The internship program will be finalized today by a roundtable discussion between guests from Lyon and teachers and students from Taganrog who took and active part in preparation and implementation of the project.