Palaces of Culture in Urals in Context of Architectural Policy of USSR (1920s-1980s)
https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2024-13-4-383-407
Abstract
For the first time, a comprehensive analysis of the entire set of club buildings from the Soviet era in the Urals region (Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Perm, Orenburg regions, Bashkir and Udmurt ASSR) has been undertaken. The author of the article compiled a database comprising over 300 units. Information on specialized buildings of palaces of culture erected in cities and industrial settlements of the region in the 1920s-1980s was analyzed. The most popular standard projects of club buildings as well as individual projects were identified. A detailed description of palaces of culture, whose architectural appearance resonated widely in the public sphere, is provided. It is shown that in the late 1940s to early 1950s, under the dominance of neoclassical architectural aesthetics, a series of projects embodying exemplary characteristics were implemented in the Urals, clarifying the degree of centralization of the cultural policy of the USSR. The placement of specific cultural complexes is characterized in detail. A conclusion is drawn that club construction in cities and industrial settlements of the Urals was uneven both spatially and chronologically. The peak of construction was in the 1950s, with a significant decrease in the pace of building palaces of culture by the 1980s; the majority of clubs were concentrated in major industrial centers. The massiveness of club construction was determined by the use of standard projects, yet this does not diminish the specific valuable qualities of Soviet palaces of culture as a crucial element of historical heritage.
Supporting agencies: The study is supported by Russian Science Foundation, project number 21-78-10119 “Cultural Heritage in the Urals: social role, transformation, transmission” (led by A. S. Palkin)
About the Author
K. D. Bugrov
Institute of History and Archeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Konstantin D. Bugrov, Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor,Senior Researcher, Institute of History and Archeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Professor of the Department of Russian History, Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin
Yekaterinburg
copus Author ID: 55976156600
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Review
For citations:
Bugrov K.D. Palaces of Culture in Urals in Context of Architectural Policy of USSR (1920s-1980s). Nauchnyi dialog. 2024;13(4):383-407. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2024-13-4-383-407
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