On behalf of Liden & Denz, I warmly invite you to join one of our Russian language courses in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Irkutsk or Riga. The idea to organise Russian language courses in post-Soviet Russia must have come to Sven Lidén and me over a glass of vodka in a bar not far from our alma mater in St.Gallen, Switzerland.
As early as spring 1992, our first willing learners ventured to St.Petersburg. The Russian Roaring Nineties had not even really begun! Today I am grateful for many exciting years in what was then a foreign country, now my home.
I owe my continuing enthusiasm for the Russian language exclusively to my teachers. Our team of more than fifty Russian language teachers will also inspire and carry you along.
I look forward to your visit to St. Petersburg, Moscow, Irkutsk or Riga.
До встречи!
Walter Denz
Co-founder
Liden & Denz is now owned by co-founder Walter Denz, who grew up in Zurich and graduated from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in 1989 with a degree in International Relations. This was followed by a Postgraduate degree in Politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In early 1992, he settled in post-Soviet Russia. Together with his friend and partner Sven Lidén he founded the Liden & Denz Language Centre in St. Petersburg as one of the first private language schools in the country. Moscow followed in 2004, Riga and Irkutsk in 2014 and 2017 respectively. Walter Denz was President of the International Association of Language Centres IALC, Trustee of the accreditation authority Eaquals and until recently also Chairman of the Board of the German School in St. Petersburg. He still lives in St. Petersburg with his family.
Since 2012, Liden & Denz has been led by Julia Patasheva, a specialist in strategic marketing who began her career at Liden & Denz after graduating with honours from St. Petersburg University of Economics in 2005. Prior to her appointment as CEO, Julia held various positions of responsibility in St. Petersburg and Moscow and gained rich experience in the fields of HR management and marketing. HR and operational management are her main areas of responsibility. She is passionate about language travel and interested in global education issues. Julia was treasurer of the International Association of Language Centres and was nominated Woman Business Owner of the year by the International Language Academy of Canada in 2017. She lives with her family in St. Petersburg.
Liden & Denz has built up a first-class reputation over the years. Diplomats, international organisations and multinational companies have been studying Russian with us since the 1990s.
Professionals from the following companies and organisations have taken Russian courses with Liden & Denz in recent years:
Liden & Denz is a five-time winner of the prestigious ST Star Awards in the World Languages category, earning a place in the ST Hall of Fame.
The awards are presented each year at a lavish gala in London.
EAQUALS is an association of language schools founded in 1991 with over 100 members in about 30 countries. Eaquals only awards its seal of quality to institutions that meet its high standards. To become an accredited member of Eaquals, a school must pass a rigorous examination. On-site inspections also take place regularly. The Liden & Denz campuses in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Riga are accredited members of Eaquals.
IALC is a worldwide network of leading independent language schools that teach their respective national languages to foreign students. Member schools are subject to IALC’s quality assurance scheme, which sets high professional standards for all service areas. Liden & Denz is the only Russian member of the association.
Students from Norway can apply for a Lanekassen scholarship if they receive tuition at one of the Liden & Denz language institutes. The prerequisite is a booking through one of our authorised agents in Norway. A list of these agents is available on request.
The Russian courses at our centres are recognised as Bildungsurlaub by many German federal states.
