  In the gauge theory of gravity based on the Poincare group (the semidirect
product of the Lorentz group and the spacetime translations) the mass
(energy-momentum) and the spin are treated on an equal footing as the sources
of the gravitational field. The corresponding spacetime manifold carries the
Riemann-Cartan geometric structure with the nontrivial curvature and torsion.
We describe some aspects of the classical Poincare gauge theory of gravity.
Namely, the Lagrange-Noether formalism is presented in full generality, and the
family of quadratic (in the curvature and the torsion) models is analyzed in
detail. We discuss the special case of the spinless matter and demonstrate that
Einstein's theory arises as a degenerate model in the class of the quadratic
Poincare theories. Another central point is the overview of the so-called
double duality method for constructing of the exact solutions of the classical
field equations.
