Sociocultural space of the Penza region during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945)

In the local history literature, the problem of the development of the cultural environment of the Penza region during the Great Patriotic War, as a rule, was considered in the context of the socio-economic development of the region, including during wartime. The staff of the State Archive of the Penza Region published several works on the Great Patriotic War in Penza as an evacuation center. The article by N.I. Zabrodina "And the days last longer than a century ...: from the history of Penza libraries" presents material on functional responsibilities, the implementation of library activities during the Second World War ^[1].

Researchers of the Penza State Pedagogical Institute named after V.G. Belinsky have formed a serious array of materials about the Penza region during the war. In this part, it is necessary to note the articles by O.A. Sukhova, G.E. Gorlanov, V.A. Vlasov. In the 2014 monograph "Penza Region in the History and Culture of Russia" edited by O.A. Sukhova, in the section "Penza Region in the era of the Great Patriotic War", the role of literature, theater and fine arts is considered as an important propaganda and mobilization factor of the spiritual and moral forces of the Soviet people in the fight against the Nazi invaders ^[2].

The dissertation of O.V. Tuzova "Musical culture of the Middle Volga region during the Great Patriotic War" examines the system of institutions that carried out musical activities in the Middle Volga region, their material and personnel base during the Great Patriotic Wars, studies the managerial professional concert, educational, composing and amateur spheres of regional musical culture in 1941-1945, demonstrates the influence of evacuation-re-evacuation processes on the musical life of the region, the processes and phenomena of the musical life of society in the Kuibyshev, Ulyanovsk and Penza regions, specific for wartime, are analyzed ^[3].

In the work of E.I. Kostyukova "The book business of the Volga region during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. (based on the materials of the Kuibyshev, Ulyanovsk, Penza and Saratov regions) "the press and fine art are considered as means of agitation and propaganda, the activities of theaters and musical culture as a factor of Victory are highlighted ^[4].

Of interest are the survey works of the regional level. S. N. Kuzichkin published the work "The source base for the study of the role of the rear during the Great Patriotic War (based on the materials of the State Archive of the Penza region)" ^[5]. L.A. Koroleva in the work "Theaters of the Penza region during the Great Patriotic War" ^[6] gives a brief historiographical review of the research topic, characterized the practice of theater groups and activities of local Soviet-party structures to change the work of theaters – adjusting the repertoire with a focus on wartime, training professional personnel, performing financial tasks, strengthening the material and technical base of theaters, participating in fundraising for military needs. In the study by A.A. Koroleva, L.A. Koroleva "Soviet school in the initial period of the Great Patriotic War (based on the materials of the Penza region)" ^[7], the restructuring of schools in the Penza region in a military manner in the conditions of the Great Patriotic War is characterized. It is noted that military-physical training of students becomes a priority, feasible work in agriculture, repair work, scrap metal collection is organized.

Based on the historiographical analysis of scientific works on the chosen topic, it can be concluded that despite a significant number of works by domestic researchers on the use of the cultural potential of the USSR in the course of ensuring Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the regional and micro-regional (local) level of the problem is poorly systematized. The preparation of scientific papers based on new archival information and documents that have become available to researchers today will not only expand the documentary base of the contribution of the Soviet people to Victory, but also actively hinder the actions of the collective West to falsify the history of the Great Patriotic War.

Thus, the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation "On the creation of the Documentation Center "World War II and the German occupation in Europe" notes that a special resolution of the Bundestag of Germany dated October 9, 2020 refers to the creation of a Documentation Center, "special emphasis" in the work of which is planned to be made on the formation of memory in Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian cultures about the Second World War. At the same time, the Russian or Russian culture of memory is not mentioned at all, even despite the colossal number of Soviet citizens who died during the Great Patriotic War who lived on the territory of the RSFSR" ^[8].

Systematic attempts to interpret the events and results of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in accordance with the foreign policy requests of Western countries are the most important direction in the information war against Russia, which actualizes the task of countering historical untruth and protecting the true history of the Great Patriotic War.

At a new historical stage, the need to study the experience of the confrontation of the Soviet man on the cultural front is also relevant in the framework of the so-called information and psychological warfare. In this vein, the analysis of the adaptation strategies of the Soviet man in the conditions of the transition of all spheres of society to military rails requires special attention. Today it is necessary to take into account the experience of cultural construction during the Great Patriotic War, to continue to conduct a historical search for positive aspects of the organization of cultural life in the rear and at the front, to assess the problematic aspects of such work.

The documents studied by us show that by September 1941 all cultural and art institutions of the Penza region, with the exception of the regional drama theater, were liquidated or mothballed ^[9]. By that time, the Penza Regional Executive Committee had disbanded the regional concert bureau, then the Penza Regional House of Folk Art, and the apparatus of the Department of Arts Affairs was reduced to a minimum. "Concert activity in the region is not controlled: numerous private groups with a very dubious repertoire and low artistic quality travel around the region. Such a situation cannot be in the best possible way," N. Bespalov, head of the Department for Arts Affairs at the SNK of the RSFSR, signaled in his letter to the regional Executive Committee ^[10].

The restructuring of work in the cultural sphere of the Penza Region coincided with the arrival of the former head of the Penza Regional House of Folk Art, K.V. Korolev, to the leadership of the Arts Department. At the state level, the issue of restoring art institutions liquidated due to the outbreak of the war has been identified. So, from September 26, 1941, the work of the preserved Penza Art School was restored ^[11], from September 27, the work of the Penza Regional Museum of Local Lore was officially resumed ^[12]. The latter carried out, as a rule, only extra-museum work, and its main function began to be expressed in political and educational activities. The first project of the museum in the conditions of war was the creation of an anti-fascist exhibition, which worked on the squares of the Goragitpoint ^[13]. The State Literary Museum, evacuated to Penza and opened on November 7, 1941 on the basis of the Penza Museum of Local Lore, was involved in this task. Turgenev ^[14], as well as the library. Lermontov, Art Gallery and Penza Art School ^[15].

Since the beginning of the war, many district houses of culture have been repurposed into propaganda points for the service of the mobilized and their family members. In order to assist the military enlistment offices in mobilization, the Bashmakovsky RDK changed the design of the building for two days (June 22-23, 1941), created a help desk, and prepared a concert on the defense theme. During the first month of the war, the Nizhnelomovsky RDC organized 9 concerts for the levies of the mobilized, allocated cultural brigades to serve the evacuees who were staying ^[16].

City and district libraries, without curtailing their usual work, organized the maintenance of hospitals and military units with books. The regional Library organized only in 1941 34 bookshops with the number of 2900 books ^[17]. More than 1,000 books were transferred with echelons to the front, and during the year the regional library organized 314 readings in hospitals ^[18].

Since the first days of the war, the arts institutions of the Penza region have launched patronage work in the units and institutions of the Red Army. The leading role in the interaction between cultural and art institutions was assigned to the Penza Regional House of Folk Art, whose work was restored after a certain interval on July 9, 1942 ^[19]. From the beginning of the war to October 1, 1942, the Penza Regional House of Folk Art, where all the military patronage work was concentrated, together with the actors of the regional drama theater, variety, collective farm, Kuznetsk and Serdobsky theaters, 2843 performances were given. In the autumn of 1941, the regional House of Folk Art organized a mobile theater of miniatures of the defense direction and organized performances at the Frunze Plant in Penza ^[20].

In the Penza region, as in the USSR as a whole, the collection of financial resources from the population to the defense fund, for military loans, etc. was strenuously going on. In this regard, Penza art institutions systematically gave performances and concerts to the Defense Fund, for the construction of the squadron "Soviet Artist" ^[21]. So, on December 8, 1941, the Penza Regional Drama Theater named after A.V. Lunacharsky held a creative evening "Employees of the Regional Drama Theater to the Homeland Defense Fund". The program of the event, developed by the artistic director of the theater A.D. Treplev, included the works of N. Zaryan "Angry Song", I. Bakhterev and A. Razumovsky "Commander Suvorov", V. Druzhinin "Leningrad", M. Rylsky "Moscow", Ya. Brushtein "To be Continued", A. Surkov "They will not return from the East", M. Isakovsky's "Mother's Punishment" ("Punishment to the son"), V. Vishnevsky's "Optimistic tragedy", K. Simonov's "The Guy from our city", etc. ^[22]

The work in the field of art was also intensified thanks to the newly arrived theaters in the Penza region. At the beginning of the war, the following were evacuated to the Penza Region through the Department of Arts: the Ukrainian Miniature Theater (worked in the Regional Stage system); the Rostov Jazz Ensemble; the Rostov Musical Comedy Theater; the Moscow Central Music School ^[23], located on the lower floor of the Penza Art School ^[24].

It was organized as a self-supporting collective from December 1941 and the Penza Regional Opera and Ballet Theater. By the decision of the Penza Regional Executive Committee, the theater was granted permanent premises in the Club on May 1 (Moskovskaya str., 29), then in the Club named after him. Dzerzhinsky. However, since September 1942, the premises of the Club named after Dzerzhinsky was transferred to the Rostov Musical Comedy Theater evacuated to Penza in connection with a long tour. The artistic collective of the Penza Regional Opera and Ballet Theater was replenished with evacuated actors from Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev, Odessa and Kharkov ^[25].

Ensured the implementation of higher-level decisions in the days of war and work. In 1941, the Penza Regional House of Folk Art held a regional exhibition of amateur artists. During the years of personnel starvation and mobilization, self-taught artists of the Kirov House of Culture and the Kirov Club. Dzerzhinsky was systematically decorated with parks, gardens, squares with propaganda posters ^[26]. Penza artists actively worked on propaganda windows, which were initially published by the Penza self-supporting publishing house and were highly appreciated in the Moscow press at the All-Union plenum of the Organizing Bureau of the Union of Artists. This was due to the fact that in the ranks of Penza artists there was a professor of painting P.I. Kotov, who actively participated in the organization of the Moscow windows of TASS ^[27]. Later, propaganda windows of Penza artists began to be published in the newspaper "Stalin's Banner" ^[28].

The museum fund of the Penza Art Gallery was replenished in 1941 with the artistic values of Kiev museums, which in 1942 were handed over to the Sovnarkom of the Ukrainian SSR and re-evacuated to Ufa ^[29]. In 1942, as part of the 25th anniversary of October, the Penza Art Gallery took part in the organization of the exhibition "Patriotic War" in the House of the Party Committee and the Park of Culture.

By 1942, the network of cultural and art institutions, despite the difficulties of the war, had grown significantly. By October 9, 1942, the Regional Drama Theater, the Kuznetsk Theater, the Serdobsky Theater, the Regional Collective Farm and State Farm Theater, the Ukrainian Variety Theater, the Defense Theater of Miniatures, the Regional Stage and the Rostov Jazz Orchestra and Theater, the Penza Art School, a music school, an art gallery, the organizing bureau of the Union of Artists were located in the Sursky Krai art system ^[30]. In September 1942, K.V. Korolev initiated a letter on the transfer of self-supporting collectives of the Mobile Defense Theater of Miniatures, Kuznetsk and Serdobsky stationary drama theaters to a solid network of guest theaters ^[31].

Penza institutions of culture and art not only carried out their direct work, but also came up with all-Union initiatives. In 1942, the staff of the Penza Regional Drama Theater named after Lunacharsky made a proposal to organize an All-Union Socialist competition of theaters. "To educate the audience in the spirit of Soviet patriotism and hatred of the German occupiers with new high-quality performances about the Patriotic War… Due to the consolidation of working time, to create a "Defense Performance" in excess of the plan ... We accept patronage over the Penztextilmash plant," it was noted in an appeal to employees of theaters of the Soviet Union ^[32]. The repertoire of the theater has acquired a pronounced civic-patriotic character.

By 1942, the staff of the Penza Regional Drama Theater named after Lunacharsky collected 80 thousand rubles from the performances to the Defense Fund, 70 concerts and 12 performances were given for Red Army units, 5 plays of defense significance, 17 performances at the defense enterprises of the city, over 30 concerts and three performances for the 1942 sowing campaign ^[33].

By September 1, 1942, the Penza Regional Stage was organized in Penza ^[34]. In April 1942, the Penza collective of pop artists hired as part of an exchange with the Tambov Concert Bureau "Caucasian Song and Dance Ensemble" consisting of 16 people with a deduction of 10% of the gross fee for the maintenance of the stage for a period of 1 month.

On October 5, 1942, the staff of the Rostov-on-Don Musical Comedy Theater, consisting of 189 people, arrived in Penza ^[35]. "The presence of the Rostov–on-Don Musical Comedy Theater in Penza has the most disastrous effect on the situation of the opera, since the attention and interest of all organizations is focused on the operetta," sarcastically stated in the report on the work of the Penza State Regional Opera Theater ^[36].

One of the tasks that fell on the shoulders of art institutions was to ensure the morale of the people of the rear – the village workers who provided the sowing and harvesting campaigns, the workers of the education network. Grain procurement issues were a priority in wartime and were discussed at the highest level. So, on November 24, 1942, a member of the State Defense Committee (GKO), Deputy chairman of the SNK-Council of Ministers of the USSR A.I. Mikoyan arrived in Penza to hold a joint meeting of the Bureau of the Penza Regional Committee of the CPSU (b) together with the Presidium of the Regional Executive Committee ^[37]. The visit of a statesman of such a high rank during the Great Patriotic War was not previously reported in the local history literature. "Here are the Moscow, Tula regions, they did not reduce the norms there, but they are finishing the blanks there, and you have 27%. You have lost heart, and another job will begin there, having sat down, there will be no time to engage in grain procurement," A.I. Mikoyan spoke emotionally in Penza ^[38]. It should be noted that according to archival information during the Great Patriotic War, Penza art institutions gave over 7000 concerts and performances during the cultural service of agricultural companies, raising the mood of workers ^[39].

After the arrival of A.I. Mikoyan, the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy took patronage over the collective farms of the Penza region. In Ternovsky, Kamensky and Golovinshchinsky districts, the academy staff conducted two-day seminars for senior staff of collective farms, state farms and agronomists of district land departments. About 3,000 collective farmers attended lectures on the achievements of agricultural science. The regional seminar was also held for mechanics from all over the region ^[40].

The war and lean years caused another wave of religious sentiments among the population. A number of cases were reported to the Penza Regional Committee of the CPSU(b) when believers organized group prayer services with a request for rain and harvest. For example, at the beginning of May in the village of Ogarevka, Danilovsky district, a group of women in the number of 13-15 people walked around the village at night with icons and religious songs, praying for rain and harvest ^[41]. Of course, at that time it was presented as facts testifying "to the absence of mass party and educational work among the population, the termination of radio stations in a number of districts of the region, the belated and rare delivery of newspapers to collective farms and brigades" ^[42].

The weakening of agitation and propaganda work was indeed observed, but in a real dimension. During the year of the war, cultural and educational institutions fell into disrepair. By July 1942, many of the reading rooms were closed: 5 out of 27 huts worked in the Moksha district, 3 out of 25 in the Chembarsky district ^[43].

In such difficult conditions, cultural institutions continued to fulfill their tasks. On December 11, 1942, the Penza Region sent two brigades to the front to assist front-line Red Army amateur activities. It was difficult to find even basic winter uniforms for 20 people. In manual mode, it was necessary to "knock out" household items for the workers of cultural brigades. "I ask you to give an order to the Regional Trade Department on vacation for teams without soap cards, tooth powder, cologne and cigarettes available in the Department Store, and products for the road according to the list," the arts department petitioned the Penza Executive Committee ^[44].

But the everyday troubles concerned not only the brigades going to the front, but also the creative workers of theaters evacuated to Penza. There were no elementary clothes and shoes: "the regional drama theater asks for assistance in purchasing five coats, five woolen men's suits, 7 pairs of women's shoes, 8 pairs of men's shoes and five suits of pioneer cloth for people in need" ^[45]. The situation was no better in terms of ensuring the working conditions of regional theaters. The Nizhnelomovsky regional collective farm and state farm theater, despite the military patronage work, had no transport, which prevented the delivery of firewood, and the theater premises were not heated. The performances were held with two small kerosene lamps, according to the food cards, the workers received only bread and sugar. "In the theater, you can see the oldest actor Valov, instead of shoes on his feet, he has a sheepskin tied with a rope," the chairman of the Penza Regional Committee of Art Workers F. noted in a memo. Komov ^[46]. A similar situation was in the Kuznetsk City Theater. The theater did not receive fuel, the actors were not given food rations, the employees were not provided with housing ^[47]. But we emphasize that the situation with the provision of goods and food was a common difficult and not always solvable task not only for workers of culture and arts. In wartime conditions, the intelligentsia, like all groups of the population, was on the verge of survival. "... I have collected 90-85 measures of potatoes in my garden, 7.5 measures of millet – there is something to eat. ...Now we teachers are being raised little by little. Here we were given 4 kg of salt, 800 grams of honey, 4 liters of kerosene, they gave me a blouse, a knitted T–shirt, a white paper one – it will be possible to wear instead of a shirt," the teacher from the village of Golitsyno of the Penza region noted in a letter ^[48].

In 1942, the main task of art institutions was to cultivate Soviet patriotism, expand the cultural and political horizons of the population. The coordination of this issue was transferred to the local history department, which was supposed to organize the collection and generalization of materials about the Great Patriotic War. In this regard, a Regional anti-fascist exhibition was opened in Penza by the efforts of many institutions. At the head of the performers were museums, regional libraries, houses of sanitary education ^[49]. At the same time, we note that most of the local history museums in the districts of the region were mothballed by 1942. In fact, the Kuznetsk, Serdobsky, Vadinsky, Narovchatsky, Regional Antireligious, Atmissky (Agricultural and Local History Museum) were closed to visitors. The reason for the conservation is the use of buildings for the deployment of military units ^[50]. Therefore, the primary local history circles organized at museums, cultural centers, libraries or at enterprises, collective farms, state farms, MTS, educational institutions and research institutes became the basis for organizing the construction of a local history network. By nature, they were sectoral (historical, botanical, geological). Local history museums should actually take the initiative to organize local history circles ^[51].

During the difficult wartime, the staff of the M.Y. Lermontov House Museum in the village of Lermontovo did not stop their work either. Under the leadership of Director A.I. Khramov, the museum managed to put on a massive work, marked by the order of the People's Commissariat of Education. The museum staff not only preserved the estate complex, the crypt-monument and exhibits associated with the name of the poet-patriot, but also carried out extensive exhibition and lecture work in houses of culture, collective farms, clubs, introducing the life and work of M.Y. Lermontov, with his patriotism. On May 1, 1942, since the beginning of the war, over 12 thousand people have visited the museum ^[52]. The House Museum of V.G. Belinsky in Chembar also carried out a lot of mass work.

The V.G. Belinsky Park of Culture and Recreation in Penza in December 1943 opened a winter theater on its territory, despite the absence of some materials that could not be found on the spot (velvet, electric lamps, paper for advertising and posters) ^[53].

The Penza Region also took an active part in measures to increase cultural and educational work in areas liberated from German occupation. According to the order No. 1609-r dated 06.09.1943 of the SNK of the RSFSR ^[54], the Penza Regional Executive Committee was instructed to provide public education bodies with transport for the delivery of literature to book depositories and sending completed libraries to train stations in due time. In particular, the Penza Region needed to complete and send 197 libraries to the liberated areas by November 1, 1943, including 40 libraries with 20 thousand books each.

The Penza Region celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Red Army at a high level. Grave grave of Lermontov, the director of the museum in Tarkhany made a report in which he told how the soldiers of the Red Army visited the grave of Lermontov, put up a guard of honor, and it was touching to see how they all approached the grave of this great poet-patriot. It is important to record the stories of fighters, participants in the liberation of sacred Russian cultures," it was noted in the transcript of the meeting of the Local History Section dated 27.04.1943.^[55] Together with the Union of Soviet Artists, a thematic exhibition "25 years of the Red Army" was organized in the Penza region ^[56].

The Penza Art School was on a special account with the authorities of the RSFSR. Despite the difficult situation and the budget deficit of the region, by order of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR No. 2185-r dated 11/15/1943 signed by Chairman A. Kosygin in connection with the celebration of the anniversary of the artist I.S. Goryushkin-Sorokopudov, the Penza Regional Executive Committee was allowed to spend 50 thousand rubles to purchase his paintings for the Penza Art School Art Gallery. The People's Commissariat of Finance of the RSFSR was instructed to provide 30 thousand rubles in the budget of the Penza region for 1944 for the repair of the workshop of I.S. Goryushkin-Sorokopudov and the improvement of the estate of the Penza Art School ^[57].

The Regional Drama Theater created a number of bright patriotic performances during the war years: "Commander Suvorov", "On the Eve", "Invasion". The art institutions of the region actively joined in direct assistance to the front. They contributed 2562,816 rubles to the defense fund, sent 7 artistic and 9 creative and directing teams to the front, gave more than 6,600 performances and concerts in units and institutions of the Red Army ^[58].

250 readings of fiction were conducted, in February and April 1944 two days of cultural recreation of the wounded soldier were held, within which 190 concerts and performances were held. For active military work, the Committee for Arts Affairs under the SNK of the USSR and the Central Committee of the SSS awarded certificates of honor to 70 creative workers of the region. The Department of Arts and the Regional Committee of the Union of Art Workers introduced a passing Red Banner (won by the collective of the regional drama Theater) and a passing silver cup (won by the collective of the Regional Stage) for active military patronage work ^[59].

Political and educational work did not slow down either. Despite the difficulties associated with the lack of kerosene and light in the districts of the region, 828 reading rooms, 35 houses of culture, 1 rural library, 39 party rooms were organized in the region. In early January 1943, a regional meeting on political education was organized in the region ^[60]. "The Presidium of the Centrosoyuz telegraphed to the Consumer Union of the Penza region to ensure the supply of kerosene primarily to the political and educational institutions of the village at the expense of the fund allocated for the month of December for a wide market" ^[61].

In 1943, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, by Resolution No. 385 of 04/16/1943, granted the petition of the Penza Regional Executive Committee and the Administration for the Arts of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR to include the Penza Self-supporting Opera Theater in the solid network of state theaters of the RSFSR from April 1, 1943.  Assigning him the 3rd tariff group immediately created a number of sensitive difficulties in terms of creating tolerable material and living conditions for the creative staff and excluded the possibility of inviting highly qualified workers to the theater who require improved material and technical capabilities for themselves. January-April 1943, the artists of the theater worked at their stationary place in the Club. Dzerzhinsky, the second half of May and June, the opera theater – in the summer theater of the V.G. Belinsky Park of Culture and Recreation, from June 1 to September 1 – in the Penza Regional Drama Theater, and after that was forced to return to its premises ^[62]. On September 1, 1943, the theater consisted of 14 soloists of the choir of 20 people, 12 people of the ballet group, 23 people in the orchestra and 2 conductors – F.P. Vasersky and M.Y. Shkolnikov. The repertoire included "The Barber of Seville", "Pagliacci", "Rigoletto", "Faust", "Demon", "La Traviata", "Cio-cio san" ^[63].

In 1943, the Opera and Ballet Theater gave about 120 concerts for the Red Army, many of them were visiting, in the garrisons of the Penza region. The theater sent a brigade to the front for a period of two months, and also twice allocated its employees to the Penza front concert brigade sent by the Department of Arts. In 1943, the theater organized three performances to the Homeland Defense Fund, two cultural trips to hospitals. The theater patronized the Penza Art School and assisted in the work of the army amateur ^[64]. By the end of 1943, after the departure of the Rostov Musical Comedy Theater, the theater was provided with the premises of the Club. Dzerzhinsky. The theater was provided with the necessary financial assistance ^[65]. In 1944, the theater showed the premiere – "The Mermaid" (A. Dargomyzhsky), "The Couple's Bride" (N. Rimsky-Korsakov), etc. ^[66]

In April 1943, the Penza Regional Department for the Arts formed a brigade for the artistic service of fighters and commanders, which worked on the Southern Front. The brigade included artists of the regional stage, the regional drama theater, the Rostov musical comedy theater ^[67]. In total, 7 art brigades visited the combat zone during the war, in which Penza artists were involved ^[68]. At the highest level, the work of Penza cultural workers has been repeatedly noted as exemplary. "I ask you to convey to the artists of the Penza region, who collected 1475685 rubles and 3244 rubles in bonds to the Defense Fund, who sent gifts to the veterans and helped the families of the veterans – my brotherly greetings and gratitude to the Red Army. April 13, 1944", – it was noted in the next telegram of I. Stalin ^[69].

"During the years of the Great Patriotic War in the Penza region, not only all previously existing art institutions were preserved, but also new ones were created: Opera and Ballet Theater, Children's Puppet Theater, Theater Studio at the regional Drama Theater, Children's Music School in Kuznetsk, Penza Music School," it was noted in July 1944 at a meeting of the Penza Regional Executive Committee ^[70].

As a creative gift for the Penza audience, the following People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the state Prize, soloist of the Academic Bolshoi Theater M.D. Mikhailov (August 1943) and Honored Artist of the Republic, soloist of the same theater M.P. Maksakova (in July 1944) came to Penza during the war years ^[71].

The workers of Penza and the districts of the Penza region were greeted with joy with the news of the liberation of the city of Orel from the Nazi occupiers. According to the order of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR No. 2115-r dated 11/14/1943, the People's Commissariat of the RSFSR was allowed to re-evacuate the Turgenev State Museum from the city of Penza to the city of Orel and spend 116.5 thousand rubles on its re-evacuation, four railway wagons were instructed to be allocated for the transportation of museum materials ^[72].

Against this background, a movement to assist in the restoration of the destroyed economy of the city of Orel and the districts of the region has been widely deployed in the Penza region. In our cities and districts, commissions were created to patronize the restoration of the destroyed economy of the Oryol region. Having calculated their capabilities and resources, enterprises and institutions of Penza allocated a lot of equipment, tools, and industrial goods to the Eagle. Among the workers of the city and districts of the region, the collection of gifts to the Oryol residents was very active.  On behalf of the workers of the region, a delegation of regional party, Soviet and public organizations brought the first gift to the Oryol residents – an echelon of industrial and household goods consisting of 73 wagons ^[73].

At the same time, the fact of transferring a number of institutions of the Penza region to other regions of the country is interesting. So, according to the order of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR dated 30.06.1943 No. 1096-r, the Serdobsky Drama Theater, created during the war, was transferred to Molotovsk, Arkhangelsk region. This decision of the republican department was made despite the indignation of the Penza Regional Executive Committee. "39 districts of the region are served by only three theaters. Serdobsky Drama Theater serves a large group of districts of the region. Therefore, the Regional Executive Committee categorically objects to the transfer of the theater to Molotovsk, the Regional Executive Committee asks to keep the Serdobsky theater in our region," the protest letter noted ^[74].

The beginning of the stage of the revival of the base of cultural houses, reading rooms and amateur art circles of the Penza region can be attributed to 1944, when the active equipping of cultural institutions with equipment and equipment began. So, in 1944, the Penza region received 150 pieces of harmonies and bayans, 450 pieces. plucked instruments, 3000 tons of strings, 150 sets of chess, 40 pcs. bow tools, 600 sets of oil, watercolor and dry paints, 150 brushes, 900 pieces of lamp burners with cuvettes ^[75]. In 1944, a regional review of rural amateur performances was held. In total, by this time there were 1035 amateur art groups in the region, numbering 9.7 thousand people ^[76].

In November 1944, measures were launched to restore and improve the work of reading rooms of clubs and district houses of culture. According to the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, it was instructed by 01.02.1945 to restore the reading rooms, rural clubs and district houses of culture closed in wartime, to return the premises belonging to them that were occupied for other purposes, to prohibit them from occupying for other purposes ^[77].

Gradually, funding for art institutions began to be restored. So, in August 1944, according to Order No. 2086-r of the SNK of the RSFSR dated 28.08.1944, the Penza Regional Executive Committee was allowed to spend 268.5 thousand rubles on repairing the building of the Penza Art School ^[78]. In June 1944, the Penza Regional Executive Committee sent a request to the SNK of the RSFSR about the need to repair the Penza Regional Drama Theater. Lunacharsky. The theater at that time had a good building with an auditorium for 1,500 seats, a large stage, and numerous utility rooms ^[79].

In 1944, the Penza Regional State Highway sent Tseitlin and Petrosyan brigades to serve the Tambov, Stalingrad, Ivanovo, Murom and Vladimir regions. In 1945, a creative exchange with the Ivanovo, Kalinin regions and the Donbass was supposed.

In 1945, cultural institutions joined the process of memorializing the Great Patriotic War and its heroes. The work on studying the participation of the region in the Great Patriotic War became mandatory and priority for all museums – collecting materials about the heroes of the Patriotic War, about the combat path of local formations, about the work of the rear ^[80]. The scientific and research work of the museums of the Penza region was revived. Already in 1944, a number of publications were prepared for printing by regional museums: "Penza Museum of Local Lore: information about the minerals of the region", "The feat of private Vasily Ryabov", "1917 in the Penza region", "Penza collective farm chastushki", etc. The Narovchatsky Museum of the Penza Region published historical and economic sketches of the district ^[81].

A number of institutions continued to decline as part of the re-evacuation. So. on July 21, 1945, the Ukrainian ensemble of the Kameno-Podolsky Department of Arts left Penza for their homeland ^[82].

Despite the war, the Penza Region retained 90 state and 49 trade union and departmental film installations by March 30, 1945. Although the inspection bodies noted that 35 film installations were inactive, including 21 in the trade union and departmental network. But they were inactive for the most part due to the lack of electricity - 14; due to the incompleteness of cinema equipment and the need for major repairs – 14; due to the absence of premises and projectionists - 7. At the beginning of 1945, the Penza Region received 10 sound film cameras (of poor quality) and 13 power plants in the amount of 196,179 rubles ^[83].

During the war, the cinemas of Penza and Kuznetsk suffered greatly: "the rooms are dirty and not cozy, the buildings are not heated in winter, the foyers are not equipped, there are no reading rooms. The premises of cinemas, especially in the city of Penza, require major repairs," it was noted in the certificate of regulatory authorities ^[84].

Thus, during the Great Patriotic War, the Penza region tried to preserve the cultural heritage of the region. Due to the artists who arrived in the region from evacuated territories and internal compensatory mechanisms, cultural institutions restored their work, established a repertoire and contributed to maintaining morale among the population of the region. It is worth noting that despite the military actions and mobilization, cases of shortage of concert, opera and theater venues were not uncommon. At the same time, it is worth noting that the work of cultural and art institutions was concentrated in the regional center, while the outback lacked even heating facilities for the premises. The military actions of the library system of the region and cultural educational institutions were quite difficult to survive. 

The labor collectives of cultural and art institutions, despite the complexity of the situation, showed creative activity, participated in socialist competitions and went to the front line. At the same time, it should be noted that the stable work of the cultural environment in wartime conditions was not always provided by the authorities. It is difficult to imagine that five employees of the arts department of the Penza regional executive Committee and the apparatus of the party organization controlled and supplied the activities of all districts of the region. Largely due to the efforts of creative workers, ordinary librarians and home front workers, cultural and art institutions continued their activities. The role of human capital in extreme conditions during the Great Patriotic War still requires additional study, but their key role in preserving the socio-cultural space of the Penza Region as a rear region seems obvious.