Restoring Vacations after the War 153the woods, and mass games, cinema, and dancing every night for the dura-
tion of their stay.^61
Purposeful culture meant lectures on ideological, political, and cultural
themes; concerts of serious music; and games that encouraged vacationers to
use their wits and expand their knowledge. The Sochi cultural bureau pre-
sented a total of 1,623 lectures in its 1949 season, with topics on literature,
art, science, and politics accounting for more than half. In these years of Cold
War threats and new mobilization, lectures on the “international situation”—
once the stuff of jokes in the 1920s—now drew serious attention and praise
from vacationers.^62 The bureau also organized 2,500 group excursions that
emphasized cultural and natural destinations, led by knowledgeable guides
who would provide maximum cultural value to the visitors. Symphony con-
certs, both live and recorded, contributed to ongoing education in music ap-
preciation.^63
Making one’s own music constituted a widespread and popular form of
vacation activity, both in the stationary places and among tourists. “Amateur
productions,” featuring folk music and dance, dramatic readings, and choral
singing, had been a staple of vacation evenings since the 1920s, inexpensive
and empowering at the same time. Tour groups would rehearse their pro-
grams while on the road, culminating with a gala performance at the tour’s
closing campfi re. Every sanatorium and rest home tried to stockpile collec-
tions of instruments for use in these concerts; some even procured folk cos-
tumes. Such performances could also aid in ongoing political education: in
one Moscow sanatorium, a new amateur program, “The Struggle for Peace,”
was added to the repertory in 1950.^64
Active recreation included participatory sports, games, and dancing. Pho-
tographs of rest home activities often show outdoor volleyball games, which
entertained players and spectators alike. In the cultural organizer’s activity
box were books such as 365 Games and Leisure Hours , and organized quiz
games—called viktorinas —amused and educated vacationers with a spirit of
knowledge and competition. Simultaneous chess and checkers tournaments
also attracted participants and praise. And everywhere there was dancing.
Although in the early years of the Cold War, “West European dances” like
- TsGAMO, f. 7223, op. 1, d. 305 (reports on Moscow region cultural work, 1947), l. 11;
GARF, f. 9493, op. 3, d. 1660, l. 37. - GAGS, f. 24, op. 1, d. 322, l. 2. Lectures on the international situation were guaran-
teed to put audiences to sleep. Koenker, Republic of Labor , 166–167. One anecdote from the
early 1930s: Ivan Ivanovich has a job for life: every day he climbs Moscow’s highest tower to
ring the bell when the world revolution starts. Eugene Lyons, Moscow Carrousel (New York,
1935), 324. - GAGS, f. 24, op. 1, d. 322, l. 2. On a rainy Saturday in May 2006, retracing the canoni-
cal itinerary of Soviet vacationers, I was the sole visitor to the Nikolai Ostrovskii Literature-
Memorial Museum, and there were only a handful of visitors to the landscaped terraces of
the Dendrarium. See GAGS, f. 24, op. 1, d. 355, ll. 21, 45. - GAGS, f. 178, op. 1, d. 9; f. 24, op. 1, d. 460; GARF, f. 9520, op. 1, d. 193, l. 112; Ts-
GAMO, f. 7223, op 1, d. 590 (cultural work report for 1950), l. 4; d. 305, l. 13.