Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan. It is a port city located on the left bank of the Volga River. Kazan has the official registered title “The Third Capital of Russia”. And unofficially the city is called “the capital of the Tatars of the whole world”.
Kazan is over a thousand years old. The city is considered one of the largest economic, political, educational and cultural centers in Russia. Therefore, there are many attractions here. Even the most spoiled tourist will find where to go and what to see in the Tatar capital.
Museums and Historic Sites
The Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve is one of the main attractions of the city. It is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. It is believed that the Kremlin was built in the 10th century. It was a fortress on the banks of the Kazanka River. Today the Kremlin is a historical, architectural and art museum-reserve.
It includes the Syuyumbike tower, named after the Kazan ruler. According to legend, Ivan the Terrible fell in love with the queen and offered to marry him. She agreed on condition that the tsar build a tower within a week, which will be higher than all Kazan madrasahs. And as soon as the building was erected, Syuyumbike threw herself off her.
Another architectural structure in the Kremlin is the Kul-Sharish Mosque. It was built relatively recently - at the end of the twentieth century. This is the main Mosque of Tatarstan. However, it is opened for prayers only on major Muslim holidays, such as Kurban-Bayran and Ramadan.
The Orthodox Cathedral of the Annunciation stands next to the mosque on the territory of the Kremlin. It is considered one of the oldest surviving Orthodox structures in the middle Volga region. It was built in the 16th century. At that time, the temple was wooden, but later a stone cathedral was erected in its place. Also from the cult architectural monuments on the territory of the Kremlin there is the Palace Church, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.
The Governor's Palace is located in the northern part of the Kremlin. It was built in the middle of the 19th century. In Soviet times, there was the Presidium of the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers of the Tatar ASSR. And today it is the residence of the President.
There are many interesting museums outside the Kremlin. One of these is the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan. It has been operating since 1895. The museum funds include more than 800 exhibits. By visiting the exhibition halls, you can get acquainted with nature, important historical events of the republic, archaeological monuments, and the culture of the Tatar people.
In the State Museum of Fine Arts, visitors are introduced to the collections of works by European artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Durer, the collection of Old Russian painting of the 15th-19th centuries, as well as paintings by I. Repin, I. Aivazovsky, I. Shishkin, and others.
There are many museum houses and apartments in Kazan dedicated to the activities of famous figures of science, literature and art who once lived and worked in the capital of Tatarstan. Among them are the museums of M. Gorky, Lenin, G. Tukay, L. Tolstoy, Baki Urmanche and others.
Modern landmarks
Millennium is the name given to the highest bridge in Kazan. It crosses the Kazanka River and connects Vishnevsky Street with Amerkhan Avenue. The length of the bridge is 1524 meters. And the main feature of the attraction is a 45-meter pylon in the shape of the letter "M". A bridge was built for the 1000th anniversary of the city.
Among other things, there are many theaters, art galleries and other interesting places in Kazan. Residents of the capital of Tatarstan cherish the architectural heritage inherited from their ancestors, and also strive to leave their mark on history and create new sights every year.
