Modern cultural centers are not very similar to the institutions of the club plan of the times of the USSR, when more than thirteen million people participated in amateur performances alone. In addition, houses and palaces of culture existed at the expense of the state, visiting any studios and circles, any kind of amateur performances was free, in contrast to what is happening now. Neither educational nor leisure tasks often face the institutions of the club plan of the Russian Federation.
Terminology
What in the understanding of modern man does a cultural center mean? Most often this term is used when they want to denote an organization or certain buildings where various values of the surrounding society are concentrated, multiplied and promoted in life, most often from the field of art or culture. It can be a public art association or a private initiative, but most often cultural centers are run by the state.
Term use
This term is used in practice when it is necessary to indicate which category an object belongs to. This is said either of a large multifunctional complex that can cover several spheres of culture or art at the same time, that is, institutions and objects with a narrow specialization cannot be called this term. When the traditional cultural function of an institution is one, it is not the center. For example: a library, museum, theater, concert hall and so on.
In the second case, they talk about the establishment of a cultural plan that has a confessional, national, social orientation. For example, the Russian Cultural Center in the state of Monaco, which was founded not so long ago, through a library, a children's school, language courses and the Russian Club, not only supports the native cultural environment among Russian-speaking people in nearby territories, but also acquaints the indigenous people of Monaco with the variety of Russian realities.
Variety of shapes
It turns out that the boundaries in which this term is used are quite blurred. On the one hand, it is close to the traditional form of the institute, which is represented by the People’s Club, Palace or House of Culture. And on the other hand, these are such varieties of public organizations as national associations or art centers.
This can be exhibition galleries, libraries and concert halls, if all kinds of educational and educational work are carried out there, that is, if these organizations are of a wide profile, where culture and science work together.
Specific traits
Nevertheless, one important feature of a cultural institution must be present without fail, regardless of its type - this is a non-profit basis of activity. As well as propaganda of a multilateral and integrated culture. If they say about the city, for example, that St. Petersburg is an important industrial, transport and cultural center, then this does not mean a separate institution.
You can also say about the distinguishing feature of a certain area, that is, the same term, only in the "urban" use. For example, there is a place in the city where all theaters, concert halls, libraries, stadiums and even the zoo are concentrated. Maybe this happened historically, but it is likely that this is the plan of the "fathers of the city."
I must admit, many modern cities are built on this principle: infrastructure - kindergartens, schools, hospitals, squares and parks in remote microdistricts are present, and cultural buildings are moved outside of them. This area where they are concentrated can be called the cultural center of the city. And this will be the next value.
Public Council
In 2008, at the Ministry of Culture, planning options for cultural centers were developed in order to optimally correlate their occupancy and costs. A schedule has also been drawn up for the creation of such institutions in small towns of the country. Fifty members of the Public Council were created in Moscow, among which were journalists, architects, museum workers, writers, and artists. The rich experience of the Soviet era was discussed, when cultural institutions were present even in the smallest villages and were extremely functional.
Each had a variety of children's clubs and studios, choirs, folk theaters, and interest clubs; various mass events and amateur performances were periodically held. In the construction of cultural centers, this experience should have been taken into account. In 2015, about fifty of these institutions should have already opened.
Club or House of Culture
In the USSR, every House or Palace of Culture was necessarily a center of educational and cultural work. The classification of such institutions was as follows: territorial clubs and houses of culture under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture; departmental - under the control of the union of an enterprise, educational institution, institution, and so on; clubs for the intelligentsia: Teacher’s House, Writer’s House, Architect’s House, Artist’s House and others; House of Culture of an individual state farm or collective farm; House of Officers; House of Folk Art; Palace for pioneers and schoolchildren.
Club institutions of other countries
The countries of the former USSR and the Warsaw Pact, like the Russian Federation, are now moving away from the names of the Soviet era. The houses of culture are now called magnificent: the Palace of Congresses, the Concert Hall or the cultural center. However, in many places the old names remain due to tradition. In addition to the socialist countries, similar institutions (not by name, but by the very essence) have existed in many capitalist countries for a long time and are functioning successfully.
A lot of houses of culture in Latin America (they are called - Centro cultural), in Spain. Folk art and social activities in Germany are extremely developed, for example, concerts, performances, festivals, exhibitions are held in the House of World Culture in Berlin, and all these mass events are prepared with the support of the government, but on a voluntary basis. In France and Canada, the institutions of the club plan are called the houses of culture (Maison de la Culture), and their activities are absolutely similar to the clubs of our country in the Soviet era. In Montreal alone, there are twelve such houses of culture.
Arkaim
Cultural centers have always existed throughout Russia, and new ones are currently being created: parks with natural landscape themes, as well as historical and archaeological ones. There are many places in the country where such remote times are studied, about which even folklore does not remember anything.
Centers where culture and science interact, for example, such a plan the city of Arkaim (Chelyabinsk region), where two seemingly unremarkable hills that archaeologists are interested in, are becoming very popular. This discovery has become sensational.
First, representatives of all kinds of esoteric groups flocked to it, then the study of the area passed under the wing of the state, and a reserve was formed. By the way, he is not alone there: The "Country of Cities" of the Southern Urals has twenty-four such places where the cultural center is the city.
Interesting move
The experimental site from which the reserve began to settle down gradually revealed a number of ancient dwellings of the seventeenth century BC. First, the reconstruction affected one of them, and they did it without modern tools, using only those that were made exactly like the bronze age samples found during excavations.
Thus was born the cultural and historical center, called the Museum of Ancient Production. Tourists can not only watch the structures of the age of the pyramids, but also take part both in experiments, and in the construction itself, in the reconstruction of dwellings. Only here there are more than four hundred interesting archaeological sites, you can join the culture of different eras.
Tatar settlement
Cultural institutions have many types: these are libraries, museums, theaters, houses of culture and palaces. And there are complex, syncretic plans, such as the NOCC on the outskirts of Stavropol. The base was the historical monument "Tatar Settlement", the museum of local lore and the local university. Cultural centers have united to combine scientific work, security and museum (exposition) with cultural, entertainment and educational activities in the territory of this archaeological paleolandscape park.
This is a very complex, one might say, multi-layered monument, which operated in four historical periods: Khazar, Sarmatian, Scythian and Koban. The cultural centers of Russia almost nowhere have such well-preserved fortifications, places of worship, with systems of roads, burial grounds and many more objects that can be used to trace different aspects of the life of our very distant ancestors - from the eighth century BC. These are the ruins of ancient walls, strewn with centuries-old shards of jugs and pots, ashes of bonfires and hearths that went out hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
Prospects
The preservation and use of archaeological heritage, as a rule, takes place through the creation of such complexes on the basis of open-air museums that combine scientific, enlightening and many recreational activities, which is why many cultural centers of historical and cultural direction are open and are preparing for opening.
In small cities, the basis for their functioning can be any community of local historians with the support of the local administration. Even the house of culture can be the starting point for creating a center for the study of the historical heritage of the region. The road is overpowered by a walker, so enthusiasts who begin this journey should be helped in every way. Almost all successful enterprises start small, here you can recall the Vadim Zadorozhny Museum of Technology , located in the Moscow Region. Cultural institutions should enjoy the full support of the state.
Problems of development of small cities
The government is interested in creating new educational and entertainment facilities in the form of historical and cultural centers in small cities of Russia. As early as 2013, wording was introduced into the materials of the government, indicating the goals for such work.
The cultural centers of Russia are very unevenly located. Most of their clusters are in large cities. Therefore, there is a disproportion in the quantity, quality and variety of cultural services that citizens receive in the country. The cultural centers of Moscow or St. Petersburg cannot be compared by these parameters with the services offered to residents of remote small towns. And to create new opportunities for creativity, self-realization, physical development, spiritual enrichment is necessary for all, without exception.
Many dozens of different nationalities live on the territory of Russia, and cultural centers can promote a full-fledged cultural exchange between neighboring nationalities. The quality of life with the good work of unifying multifunctional centers will contribute to improving the quality of life of the population, regardless of place of residence. Also, this path will help the development of the infrastructure of the village or city, even create new jobs. The outflow of population from small towns will be prevented.