The Construction of Kislovodsk as a Soviet Resort City in the 1920s and 1930s

Before the 1917 revolution, Kislovodsk was the third summer capital of the Russian Empire. But after the Bolsheviks came to power, the city received a new understanding as a socialist resort town. Urban development in Russia began in a new direction: socialist cities were expected to represent the values of new ideology and society both in their planning and social structure. However, towns such as Kislovodsk and many others did automatically not fit in into the conception of a model “socialist” town, as in their imperial period they were places of leisure for bourgeoisie and nobles. While the city’s primary functions were still mostly the same, living conditions had been impacted by changes in the political landscape and material structure of the city. Within the framework of the new Soviet ideology in the 1920s, these cities became resort cities, places where the Soviet man was “recovered” after the work. This research is built upon the analysis of the concept of Soviet urbanism and the Soviet city, on the other hand, this idea is correlated with the concept of recreation and recreation policy in the USSR. It would be crucial to identify which urban structures have been reviewed and rebuilt, as well as how the plans were really carried out. Thus, the main research question is how did the government initiatives of the 1920s and 1930s influence the transformation of Kislovodsk into a Soviet resort? The source base of my work are legislative materials (the annual reports of the resort administration, the explanatory notes on budget spending reveal, the multiple estimates etc.) and photos of Kislovodsk in the beginning of the 20th century. These documents is crucial for the understanding the goals and priorities of the Soviet government in the reconstruction of Kislovodsk as a Soviet resort city. Additionally, they demonstrate the actual changes that have occurred in the city.