Central House of Folk Art and Cinema (Central Cinema)

The House of Folk Art and Cinema "Central" in Kaluga opened on May 1, 1935, based on the sketch design of architect Mikhail Cherkasov. At the opening, the first film shown was "Without Dowry" by Yakov Protazanov, and Semyon Budyonny was present at the ceremony. The foundation of the building was laid from gravestones brought from the demolished cemeteries of the Lavrentyevsky and Krestovsky monasteries, and a plaster sculpture of a boy nicknamed "Alyosha" stood at the entrance for a long time. During the occupation in 1941, a cabaret for German officers operated in the foyer, and after the city's liberation, the premises were temporarily converted into a hospital for the wounded.