Even 20 years ago not many people out of the Soviet Union noticed its most western province, the Kaliningradskaja Oblast. It was found after the World War II instead of the German province East Prussia with its capital Koenigsberg (the city was renamed to Kaliningrad 1946). The Soviet Union collapsed 1991, the Baltic states got independent. As a result the Kaliningrad region became a Russian exclave at the Baltic. It has no direct state boarders to Russia, though the region borders on EU member states Poland and Lithuania. Since 1996 the region is Free Economy Zone.
Kaliningrad is very concerned with an active cooperation to its European neighbours. The region is closely integrated into European and particularly Baltic bilateral networks. For example, concerning the amount of joint ventures with foreign participation Kaliningrad belongs to the TOP-10 of the most businessfriendly regions in Russia. The local state Immanuel-Kant-university maintains partnerships to more than 40 universities in Europe. In Kaliningrad there are consulates general of neighbouring states as Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Germany and Nordic Countries. Daily direct flights to an amount of European cities was established in 2007-2008 (due to the regional airline KD-Avia and «Air Baltic”).
The International music festival «Don Chento Jazz» was found 2006 on Vladimir Katzman's initiative, the local businessman and patron of jazz. The festival defines its mission and goals as follows:
- to create a positive musical event, which strengthens the image of Kaliningrad as the Russian city with European lifestyle;
- to build up an event with great music, good feeling and perfect organisational management, which is interesting and attractive for professionals (musician, media, producers) and lovers of the music (as to promote event-tourism to Kaliningrad and Baltic region),
- to support young local musicians by starting of creative contacts and networking to like-mended European musicians and producers;
- to improve the cultural and vital level in Kaliningrad, to favour the interpenetration of cultural standards, the mutual understanding and tolerance.
Today the “Don Chento Jazz” is almost well-known beyond the borders of Kaliningradskaya Oblast in Russia and in Central and Eastern European countries. Articles and reports about “Don Chento Jazz” appeared in a number of mass media, such as the federal Russian television channel “Culture”, broadcasting on the whole territory of Russia and CIS-states, the federal Russian weekly magazine “Russian Reporter”, «Jazz», specialized musical monthly magazine. There were also announces and news about the festival in ”Neue Jazz Zeitung” (Germany), Radio Deutsche Welle (Germany), The Euronews television channel.
In 2008 the festival was also included in the “Atlas of cultural resources of the Kaliningrad region” as also in tge official calendar of cultural and tourist events in the North-Western federal district of the RF, composed under the guidance of the Kaliningrad regional government.
The international music festival «Don Chento Jazz» is a yearly event which takes part in Kaliningrad usually in the middle of summer, duration – three days, amount of appearances – three to four bands. The particular attention fixes the bands and musicians from the Baltic Sea states. An average audience of the festival counts app. 8 000 people.
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