народная культура

The article examines socio-cultural environment (or cultural community) of Saratov province district towns that had been founded as fortresses: Tsaritsin, Kamyshin and Petrovsk. Their social structure did not differ much from that of the other district towns of the province. Their socio-cultural environment was dominated by folk culture marked by legends, traditions and relics that kept the memories of the war-time past of the fortress-cities alive.

The article describes the reasons that determined the significant role of Russian ethnic culture in the urban socio-cultural environment of Saratov province. Its manifestations in various spheres of city life and, in particular, in the look of these cities are based on written sources. For most county-level cities its influence on the cultural process was dominant. In the main city of the province its features were evident in spiritual and ceremonial life of the general population.