Local self-government is one of the core principles of the political organisation of municipalities across Europe, and municipalities are the venue for citizens to directly experience politics. But they are also embedded in broader social and political contexts, which influence and shape political processes and structures at the local level. If we then want to understand local politics, we should widen the perspective of our analysis and examine regional culture, institutional settings and multilevel governance at least as potential determinants of variation. Examining two cities - Petrozavodsk and Tubingen -, social scientists and practitioners in politics and civil society analyse how local politics and political culture are shaped in multilevel governance and how participation and the organization of citizens function in different systemic settings.