PALACE OF CULTURE AS SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CENTERPIECE OF A TYPICAL SOVIET CITY (THE CASE OF THE PALACE OF CULTURE NAMED AFTER Yu. A. GAGARIN, VOLGOGRAD)
The article analyzes the role and place of palaces of culture as material cultural heritage in the ideology of the Soviet society. The Palace of Culture named after Yu. A. Gagarin, built in 1936 in former Stalingrad, has been taken as an example of the Stalinist neoclassical architectural school. The article examines the architectural evolution of Stalingrad in the context of changing attitudes and values in the society. Moreover, two reconstructions of the Palace of Culture in 1946 and 1961-1965 are analyzed, as well as the role of the building in the modern social and cultural development of the city.