Modern culture of PMR is characterized by its originality and variety. It has been created by the confluence of customs, traditions, ceremonies, rituals, rites, crafts, forms and genres of art of the nations living in Pridnestrovie for centuries. These elements of culture have formed a particular type of mentality based on the Christian faith of the population living in region, mutual respect and acceptance of different spiritual values.
Today, Pridnestrovie has a well-developed network of cultural institutions, whose purposes are the development of creative abilities and the organization of leisure activities of the population. About 165 club facilities with 61.4 thousand seats are located in all settlements of the republic. They are presented by recreation centers and clubs, which organize various leisure activities including thematic evenings, exhibitions, concerts, coteries. In a typical year, the republic hosts 700 to 800 musical, choreographic, and theatrical amateur groups with around 11,000 members including more than 300 groups just for children and teenagers (comprising approx 5,000 members).
Besides the amateur groups, there are five professional groups in the republic including the Republican Theater founded in 1970, the State Dance and Folk Music Company "Viorika", the Pridnestrovie State Circus, and the State Symphony Orchestra. Finally, In 1999 the Pridnestrovie State Philharmonic was organized.
Festivals year round
Every year, professional and amateur groups of the republic participate in a number of traditional social activities, including the "Martsishor" International Festival of Folk Arts, the Days of the Slavic Languages and Culture, the Republican Week of Children's Music, Books and Theater, the Day of the Republic, the "Golosa Pridnestrovya" (Russian - Voices of Pridnestrovie) Republican Competition for the Young Performers, the Republican Contest of Children's Creativity, the New Year's Customs and Ceremonies Contest.
Libraries are extremely important for cultural and educational work. The republic has 429 public libraries containing about millions of books, magazines, and journals. Of the total number of libraries, 220 are located in towns and cities and 202 in villages. Book collections of the republican libraries are used by 336,000 readers including 154,000 children and teenagers. And there's free Internet access, too! Libraries have been hooked up and are now local centers for online access points.
Museums showcase Pridnestrovie's history
Pridnestrovie has a long and rich history. The museums are active in conservation of the republic's historical heritage. Nowadays, 25 museums with their branches including 8 historical museums, 10 memorials, 4 museums of local lore, 2 art museums, and 1 industrial museum are located in the republic. They are located in the cities and regional centers of the republic as well as in the historical places where famous people lived and worked. New exhibits are sometimes added to the museum collections. In 1998 the "Benderskaya Tragediya" (Bender Tragedy) museum was opened in Bender, documenting the war atrocities and human rights abuses of neighboring Moldova's 1992 invasion attempt. As a result of the implementation of the archaeology state program, the local archaeological museum became the owner of one of the richest collections in Europe related to the late Scythian culture epoch including gold items found during the summer 1999 archaeological expedition in a burial mound complex located near the village of Chobruchi (in the Slobozya region of PMR).
Exhibitions of the local and foreign painters are organized in the exhibition halls and picture galleries of the republic.
Cinemas, too, in the multiethnic republic
Eight movie theaters are located in all cities and larger towns of the PMR. Besides, 52 motion-picture projectors are installed in club facilities.
International motion-picture festivals including "Zolotoi Viteaz" (Gold Knight) held in 1994, "Belyi Aist" (White Stork) held in 1996, and the "Zerkalo Vremeni" (Mirror of Time) republican documentary films competition held in 1999 were organized in the republic.
Pridnestrovie is a multinational and multiracial country. This "big melting pot" has built a strong country with a rich culture. Thus, the national cultural societies including those of the Ukrainian, Belorussian, Jewish, Bulgarian, and German ethnic groups and the Russian community of Pridnestrovie play an important role in the culture and art development of the nations living in the PMR. Public holidays, festivals, parties, outdoor entertainments, and social gatherings are organized by the national cultural societies.
Pridnestrovie has several concert halls with the total seating capacity of more than 800 including the State Cultural Center (the Palace of the Republic), the "Tiraspol" Movie and Concert Complex, the municipal recreation centers located in Tiraspol, Bender, and Rybnitsa, and a number of community centers of Slobozya, Dnestrovsk, and other settlements.
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