Cultural life of Saratov

Saratov, founded at the end of XVI century, has been playing a significant role in the history of Russia. After revolution, in 1918, they even thought about moving the capital of the Soviet Union to this Volga city, which was one of the few outposts of young Soviet republic in the European part of Russia.
Saratov is often called the cultural capital of the Volga Region. Saratov Radischev Fine Arts Museum became the first public museum in Russian. It was opened in 1895, seven years earlier that the world-famous Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Nowadays, it presents one of the largest and the most significant museum collections in Russia. It also includes museums of such famous Saratov artists as Borisov-Musatov Museum, Pavel Kuznetsov and the Museum of Petrov-Vodkin in Khvalynsk. The Radischev Museum regularly holds exhibitions, classic music concerts, theater performances, lectures on arts, meetings of Saratov intellectual clubs and other cultural events.    
The Radischev Museum is not the only museum in Saratov. The wonderful museums of such Saratov writers as Konstantin Fedin, Lev Kassil and Nikolay Tchernyshevsky are also partners of Saratov Conservatoire and its students regularly perform there. Saratov literary museums have unique expositions and they are the only museums of XX century Russian literature in the Low Volga region.
The Saratov Museum of Local Lore is very important for international students as their acquaintance with the Saratov region starts here at the expositions, dedicated to history and nature of region.
Saratov Circus deserves special attention. It was founded by Nikitin brothers in the middle of XIX century. For a long time in Russia traveling circus companies had been giving performances at the fairs, but in 1876, the Nikitin brothers built a special building for the Circus in Saratov. It was the first permanent circus in Russia. Since 2016, Saratov has been hosting a unique international competition “The Princess of Circus”, which brings together the strongest and the most beautiful circus ladies. In May 2026, the circus ladies from all over the world will present their most breathtaking numbers to the international jury.  
Saratov is famous for its theater school. The Theater Institute is an integral part of the Conservatoire structure. For more than a century its graduates have been performing in theaters of different Russian cities and staring in movies. Names of Boris Andreev, Oleg Yankovsky, Eugene Mironov, Vladimir Konkin, Serge Puskepalis, Maxim Matveev and many others are well known to Russian people. Famous Russian actor Oleg Tabakov is also closely connected with Saratov, as he started his artistic path in the theater club “Young Guard” under Natalia Sukhostav.
There are several theaters in Saratov including Drama Theater, Theater of Young spectator, Opera House, Puppet Theater, Magic Tricks Theater. They are closely connected to the Conservatoire and its Theater Institute and regularly provide venues for students’ performances, hold numerous festivals and artistic laboratories, participated by the stars of the world stage.  [To be continued…]