We are Liden & Denz

Welcome to the world of Russian – Welcome to Liden & Denz!

On behalf of Liden & Denz, I would like to welcome you to our Russian language programmes in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Irkutsk and Riga. The range of courses we provide offer you a wealth of opportunities to study this historic language in a way that best suits your needs. And with our varied activity programme designed to make the most of the cultural opportunities on offer, your understanding of Russian will extend beyond simply the language.

Our schools are located in three of the regions most historic, beautiful and culturally rich cities:

  • St. Petersburg was the jewel of Imperial Russia and is an UNESCO World Heritage site
  • Moscow is Russia’s economic powerhouse and Europe’s largest metropolis
  • Riga is the beautiful Latvian capital, full of charm and history.

These three fantastic centres are the perfect locations in which to learn Russian, while immersing yourself in the culture and enjoying the legendary hospitality.

I co-founded Liden & Denz in 1992 and it is now one of the oldest, privately-run Russian language institutes.
All three of our institutes are regularly inspected by international accreditation bodies and operate a transparent quality assurance scheme. I am proud of the worldwide reputation we have gained as a first-class training facility, which has largely been through the hard work and dedication of our staff.

We hope you choose to study Russian with us and, whichever centre you choose, you will be assured of a warm welcome.

Walter Denz
Co-founder

Walter Denz

Liden & Denz is owned by co-founder Walter Denz, who grew up in Zurich, Switzerland and graduated from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in International Relations in 1989. He moved to London for an M.Sc. degree in Political Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and settled in early 1992 in post-communist Russia. Together with his partner and friend Sven Lidén, he set up the Liden & Denz Language Centre in St. Petersburg, one of the first private institutions for the teaching of Russian as a foreign language. Later, Walter ventured into tour operating (outbound) and in 2004 opened a sister school in Moscow, followed by Riga (opening in January 2014).

From 2008-2011 Walter was president of the International Association of Language Centres IALC and since 2012 he is vice-chair of Eaquals, the international accrediting body for language training institutes. He also is chairing the board of the Deutsche Schule St. Petersburg. With his family, Walter lives in St.Petersburg.

Julia Voevodina

Since 2012 the company is run by Julia Voevodina, who gradually built her career with Liden & Denz after graduating with honours from the St.Petersburg University of Economics as a specialist in Strategic Marketing in 2005. Before her appointment as managing director, Julia assumed different responsibilites in both St.Petersburg and Moscow and gained a lot of experience in the spheres of services and marketing. Human resources and operational management are her main priorities. Julia is a big fan of the study travel industry and global education issues.

Our customers

Demand for modern and communicative Russian is on the increase, be it for professional purposes or pure pleasure! Our student base is as diverse as the many course options we offer. For a number of reasons, Liden & Denz has been the Russian provider of choice for a wide range of international corporations doing business with, or in Russia. Since the early days, Liden & Denz has also been training a large number of diplomats from many countries.

Staff members from the following companies and organisations have booked Russian language courses with Liden & Denz in recent years:

Liden & Denz in the media

Anniversary celebration

Liden & Denz celebrates 25th anniversary

"Russian language provider Liden & Denz has celebrated its 25thanniversary with a gala dinner at the Olympia Concert Hall ...

Walter Denz, Founder of Liden & Denz Language Centres - Industry Faces

"Inspired by post-Soviet change and a lack of language knowledge, Walter Denz decided against pursuing his academic path and moved from Swit ...

Liden & Denz opens Russian school in Siberia

"Liden & Denz Intercultural Institute of Languages has announced the opening of a new campus in the Russian town of Irkutsk in Siberia, ...

Что такое для иностранца бизнес по-русски

Interview with Walter Denz at Fontanka TV from 3. February 2015 focusing on the current business climate and the need to speak foreign langu ...

Liden & Denz is a five-time winner of the prestigious ST Star Award in the category “World Languages”!

The ST Star Awards acknowledge the important mutual links between education providers and study travel agents that offer education to international students.
The awards are presented each year at a lavish gala in central London.

Winning the award five consecutive times, Liden & Denz has received ST Super Star status, securing a place in the ST Hall of Fame status.

Accreditations

  • Eaquals is an association for providers of language services, founded in 1991, with over 100 members in over 20 different countries. Eaquals grants its quality label to institutions that meet its high inspection standards. Before becoming an accredited member of Eaquals, schools and organizations must undergo a rigorous inspection based on the Code of Practice and Charters. All three Liden & Denz campuses  are accredited members of Eaquals.

  • The International Association of Language Centres is a worldwide network of leading independent language schools that teach the language of their country to students from abroad. Member schools are governed by the IALC quality assurance scheme, which demands high standards of professionalism in all aspects of service. Liden & Denz is the only Russian member of the association and had the honour to host the 2004 IALC AGM and Workshop in St.Petersburg. Liden & Denz St. Petersburg and Moscow are both members of IALC.

  • Liden & Denz campuses in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Riga are official telc examination centres. Language tests by the Frankfurt/Germany based not-for-profit organisation are used in over 2000 examination centres spread across 20 countries. The Russian telc exam is available for A1-B2 levels and is offered in all our centres once per month. Liden & Denz is the only licensed telc centre for Russian in Russia and Latvia.

  • Students from Norway can apply for a Lanekassen scholarships when learning at any of the Liden & Denz Language Centres, if they enrol through one of our authorised agents in Norway. A list of these agents is available on request.

  • Russian courses at our centres are recognised as “Bildungsurlaub” in various regions of Germany (Bundesländer). Here is a full breakdown of all our Bildungsurlaub recognitions (search for Russian).

  • Students from Sweden can apply for a CSN scholarships when learning at any of the Liden & Denz Language Centres, if they enrol through one of our authorised agents in Sweden. A list of these agents is available on request.

Academic Credits

Enrolled university students wishing to book an intensive immersion course with Liden & Denz may receive transferable credits. Candidates are advised to approach their study abroad advisor who will then contact us to initiate the recognition process.

With the following institutions we already have transferable credit agreements:

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Via an affiliation with Eurocentres, UWM university credits are available to students from the US studying at Liden & Denz St Petersburg. Students not studying at UWM should check with their home university if UWM credits are accepted there.

UWM Credit Awards Scheme

Pls enquire if you are interested in transferrable credits from the University of Wisconsin.

Brookhaven College, Texas

Brookhaven College a fully accredited, comprehensive American community college.

Follow this link for the MAP Russian Credit Courses and Registration Form