Based on the analysis of the archival material and periodicals, the article considers the excursion activity as a form of cultural and mass leisure, as well as the factors of its development in the region. It describes the most popular forms and directions of Stalingrad - Volgograd residents and guests of the city and region. Summarizing the documentary material allowed to characterize the state, content and problems in the organization of the excursion business.

The article deals with the causes, course and results of the November days of 1961, when there were mass meetings in Stalingrad dedicated to renaming the city. For the first time the previously unpublished archival sourcesare introduced, which allows describing the attitude of the citizens to renaming the city. The analysis of the events of November 1961 allows supplementing the well-established knowledge about the actual problems of history of the Soviet society: “cult of personality” of Stalin and the process of “de-Stalinization”.

The article deals with the main forms of organization of educational work in the state educational institutions of the Stalingrad region in the final stage of the Great Patriotic War. It shows the successes and achievements,as well as some challenges in the process of restoration and organization of work of schools and kindergartens in the city.

Based on the archival documentary material, the article deals with the work of public authorities and movements on social support of veterans and peoplewith disabilities. It represents actual and statistic materials which allow finding out the role of the state in raising the standards of living of the population of Stalingrad and the region. The forms of social supportof veterans and their families are characterized.

There are analyzed the areas of work of the Key uba institutions in organization of leisure of people in Stalingrad (Volgograd) in 1953-1964.

There is characterized the staffing issue of culture institutions of the Stalingrad (Volgograd) region in the period of the Khrushchev thaw. There are revealed the main areas of educational level increase and qualification of staff, described the ways of staffing.