A new type of economy can only be built by professionals who possess high morale. This idea has been driving the efforts to re-organioze and improve the cultural life in the Region.

The range of cultural institution in the Region is impressive: National State Academic Yakub Kolas theatre, the Philharmonic, honoured theatre group of the Belarusian «Lyal’ka» puppet  theatre, 728 libraries, 622 interest and hobby clubs, 3 recreation parks, a Zoo, 28 museums, 18 methodology centres, 85 children schools of arts, 2 music colleges and 1 college of fine arts.

The list of cultural institutions continues with recently opened regional Houses of Crafts in Polotsk, Vitebsk, Dubrovno, and Roosony, and it is now 25 of them. Also, special refresher and training courses were established in Vitebsk for people working in the regional institutions of culture; in Miory a new centre for methodological and organizational support for people working in the institutions of culture was opened; and in Rossony a new motorclub started its work.

There are about 3000 cultural monuments in the Region with 862 being in the State Register of historical and cultural valuables.

The “Slavyansky Bazar in Vitebsk” festival has acquired a world-wide popularity. Also, there are other regular cultural events held in the Region: International Repin’s plenary assembly, International Chagall’s days in Vitebsk, International festival of organ music and International festival of old and modern chamber music in Polotsk, International festival of folk music in Postavy, International music and songs festival of the Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian along-Dnepr regions “Dnepr voices in Dubrovno”. Within a decade about 150 new amateur groups appeared in the Region, 163 groups were awarded the titles of “People’s” and “Model group”.

Close to the end of the 5-year period we started to restructure our institutions of culture trying to bring them closer to people’s homes, creating institutions of a new type; in agro villages, we started to create special social and cultural centres that will help people organize their leisure hours and give them a possibility to get together and relax.

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