The space of public accessible cultural and educational places of leisure in the provincial city, centre of governorate, during the First World War: opportunities and problems of infrastructure (on the materials of Samara)

The article contains a study of the infrastructure of public places, i.e., libraries, theater, cinema, garden and park zone, of the city of Samara during the First World War, as well as the activities of the city government for its improvement. The author estimates the material and technical characteristics of the cultural and educational institutions and leisure areas, their convenience for visiting by the viewer, reader, or walker. On the base of the materials from Samara, the author came to a conclusion, that, despite the existence of diverse places for cultural and educational leisure in the urban space, such institutions and areas of the provincial center did not provide necessary convenience for visitors according to all criteria. It is revealed that local self-governmental bodies carried out measures to equip and improve the available public leisure cultural and educational places during the war, sought to maintain and develop their infrastructure, enforce safety requirements.