Central Regional Studies Bureau

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CENTRAL REGIONAL STUDIES BUREAU (CRSB) was a public organization coordinating regional studies in the country. Central Regional Studies Bureau was created in 1922 by the decision of the 1st All-Russian Conference of Scientific Societies for Regional Studies, with Leningrad and Moscow departments. In 1922, it was subordinated to the Academy of Sciences, from 1925 — to People"s Commissariat of Education of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The Organizational Centre of the Central Regional Studies Bureau was in Moscow, and the Research and Methods Centre was located in Leningrad (at 5|1 Millionnaya Street). The Central Regional Studies Bureau was headed by academician S.F. Oldenburg (1922-27), P.G. Smidovich (from 1927), heads of Leningrad Department of Central Regional Studies Bureau were deputy director of Central Regional Studies Bureau D.O. Svyatsky, N.N. Pavlov-Silvansky, A.E. Fersman, other participants included geographer and ethnographer D.N. Anuchin, climatologist A.F. Vangengeim, historian I.M. Grevs and others. The Central Regional Studies Bureau included the following sections: Section of Bibliography and Regional Photography (headed by Pavlov-Silvansky) Section of Excursions and Expeditions (headed by B.A. Fedchenko), Section of Phenology (headed by Svyatsky), Section of Nature, Art, Everyday Life and Antiquity (headed by P. E. Vasilkovsky), a library (headed by Oldenburg) and a publishing house. In 1930, the Central Regional Studies Bureau controlled the work of over 2,300 organisations for regional studies and excursion stations, overseeing All-Russian conferences and competitions in regional studies, and educational programmes. The Central Regional Studies Bureau published Studies of Local Lore Journal (1923-29), the Bulletin of the Central Regional Studies Bureau, reference and methodological literature. Leningrad specialists in Regional Studies (Grevs, N.P. Antsiferov et. al.) developed the concept of humanitarian regional study” in contrast to the narrow industrial regional studies cultivated by the Government in which the setting and the city were viewed as a collective personality. Considerable attention was paid to preserving monuments of culture. The activity of the Central Regional Studies Bureau caused suspicion of the Government. Arrests of experts in regional studies began in 1929. In 1930, G.E. Stern, G.E. Petri and others were convicted for Counter-Revolutionary Activity of the Central Regional Studies Bureau. In August 1931, Antsiferov, B.F. Chirskov et. al. (all in all 25 people) were convicted in the case of Counter-Revolutionary Group in the Excursion Centre fabricated by the Joint State Political Administration Board. By the decision of the Second Congress of Specialists in regional studies of Leningrad Region in December 1929, the Society For Regional Studies was liquidated. The purge of the staff of Central Regional Studies Bureau took place in the early 1930, and the Leningrad Section of Nature, Art, Everyday Life and Antiquity was closed. In May 1930, its Leningrad Department was liquidated by the decision of the Presidium of the Central Regional Studies Bureau. In 1931, the Society of Marxist Specialists of Regional Studies was subordinated to the Communist Academy with a purpose of directing regional studies to the path which is required during the building of socialism; the Regional Studies Journal was merged with News of Central Regional Studies Bureau Bulletin and renamed Soviet Regional Studies. In 1931-32, suburb excursion centres in Pargolovo, Strelna, Ozerki, and Lakhta were closed, the Museum of nature of the Northern shore of the mouth of the Neva in Lakhta was liquidated (the larger part of the collections was destroyed). In 1937, by Decree of the Soviet of People"s Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Central Regional Studies Bureau was dissolved.

References: Анциферов Н. П. Из дум о былом: Воспоминания. М., 1992.

T. V. Morgacheva, E. V. Rusakova. Antsiferov Nikolay Pavlovich
Anuchin Dmitry Nikolaevich
Chirskov Boris Fedorovich
Fedchenko B.A.
Fersman Alexander Evgenievich
Grevs Ivan Mikhailovich
Oldenburg Sergey Fedorovich
Pavlov-Silvansky N.N.
Pavlov-Silvansky Nikolay Pavlovich
Petri Georg (Bernhard) Eduardovich
Smidovich Peter Germogenovich
Stern Georgy Alexandrovich
Svyatsky Daniil Osipovich
Vasilkovsky P.E.
Wangenheim Alexey Feodosievich
Анциферов Н. П. Из дум о былом: Воспоминания. М., 1992 1922