Kandalaksha, sister town since 1986 is one of Piteå’s three sister towns. It is located in the Murmansk region and the distance from Piteå is around 700 km. The town was founded in 1526 and is the oldest in the Kola Peninsula. It is located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea. The base for the income is fishing and metal industry. The natural resources were discovered in 1932 and today there is a big aluminum plant and mining industry.
Town twinning
In 1986 a town twinning agreement was signed between the mayors in the two towns, Vitali Golubev and Axel Bogren in Piteå.
At that time the Association for the Soviet Society was in place, but the name was later changed to the Society Piteå- Kandalaksha. The Society had the responsibility, with support from the municipality, to maintain the municipal, political and cultural exchange between the two towns. In 1988 the Society Piteå- Kandalaksha started, based on voluntary work, to send humanitarian aid to Kandalaksha. Two years later the Association Friends of Kandalaksha was established as a committee which took responsibility for the humanitarian side. The association has been very active since then and also hosted most part of the cooperation.
In Kandalaksha there is today a street named after Piteå and in Piteå there is a walk named after Kandalaksha. Every year football teams from Kandalaksha participate in Piteå Summer Games, one of Sweden’s biggest football tournaments.
A new agreement
In 2007 a new agreement was signed in Kandalaksha by the mayors from Piteå and Kandalaksha. The contacts between the two towns are based on collaboration between NGOs, unions, professionals and youth. During the 25 years of collaboration friendly relationships have developed, exchange of knowledge and experiences have been carried out and common problems have been addressed.
The present agreement stresses the importance of continuation in the fields where contacts and cooperation are established but also to develop new areas as business and tourism. The present agreement is valid until 2005.