Russia (bbabo.net), - In Krasnodar's House of Books, one of the country's largest stores of its time, the last literature department is closing. It was supplanted by stalls and fairs of fur coats. The correspondents visited the book pavilion and found out why Krasnodar is losing one of its symbols.

The townspeople were the first to tell about the closure of the bookstore in social networks. Visitors entering the pavilion today with disappointment in their voices ask sellers the question: "Are you moving?", Seeing empty shelves. “No, we are closing, and we are sending the goods to the warehouse,” follows the answer, already polished by frequent repetition.

The last working day of the store ends on February 13th. Employees said they were informed of the closure on January 18, giving them less than a month to get ready.

The two-storey building of the House of Books is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. It has become a truly bookish monument of architecture.

Once the literary departments occupied all two floors. There were sofas along the facade windows where one could sit with a book. There were departments of musical, technical, artistic, foreign literature, second-hand bookshop. Up to five thousand people came here every day.

"The Book House," recalls the writer and journalist Ivan Karasev, "was a special place for cultured people." In there were exhibitions, meetings with writers, artists.

In the mid-1990s, the bookselling enterprise was left to the mercy of private traders. The premises have been rented out. And literature was confidently supplanted by furniture stores, utensils and jewelry stores. At one time, they even tried to sell used cars here.

The most critical moment came in 2008, when, as part of the reconstruction of the historical part of Krasnodar, it was proposed to turn the Book House into a shopping and office center. The project included a significant intervention in the appearance of the building. The area in front of the facade was immediately fenced off, without prior permission for construction. They dug a pit. The townspeople managed to defend the architectural monument. Now his appearance is not in danger. But along with the departure of the book, something more is lost - its spirit.

All the heated disputes over retail space take place right next to the regional administration, whose building is located nearby - across the road. However, dubious reforms with the House of Books seem to go unnoticed not only by regional officials, but also by the mayor's office of Krasnodar. "What is happening now in the House of Books is an indicator of the government's priorities," says Krasnodar journalist and publisher Tatyana Vasilevskaya. "If bookstores used to be built, today they are being closed, but books educate the individual."

According to the management of the store, the authorities of the region decided to transfer part of the retail space to the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth Policy of the Kuban. They plan to open a center for children's creativity. The townspeople are perplexed: "Is he really needed here?".

The correspondent turned to this department for information, but the request was redirected to the press service of the regional administration. But even there they gave a very lengthy answer: "We do not have additional information about tenants of commercial premises in the Book House." It turns out that any sign can "play" on the facade...

Rossiyskaya Gazeta is monitoring the situation.

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