Kazan Kremlin, Tatarstan: description, history, architecture

There are so many interesting and memorable places in our country that there will not be enough life to see all of them. Today we will go to Tatarstan. The landmark of the capital of the republic is the Kazan Kremlin, the oldest part of the city, a unique complex of historical, archaeological and architectural monuments that reveal the centuries-old history of the Tatar people, the ancient city and the republic as a whole.

The whole territory of the complex today is a museum-preserve, which has been under the protection of UNESCO since 2000. Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) is the main attraction of the republic. Tatar and Russian cultural traditions harmoniously blend in a vast territory.

Kazan Kremlin: history, architecture

The building and settlement of the hill on which the Kremlin now resides began many centuries ago. According to some information, the first settlement appeared here in the 10th century, and already in the 12th century the Kremlin became an outpost of the northern borders of Bulgaria's Volga. At the end of the XIII century, the Kremlin became the center of the Kazan principality of the Golden Horde, and later - the Kazan Khanate.

After Kazan was taken by the troops of Ivan the Terrible, most of the structures of the Kremlin were damaged, and almost all mosques were destroyed. The tsar ordered the construction of a white-stone Kremlin, and for this purpose architects who built the St. Basil's Cathedral from Moscow were sent from Pskov. The fortress was considerably expanded, and the wooden defensive structures were replaced by stone ones in the first half of the 17th century.

In the 18th century Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) lost its military function and became the cultural and administrative center of the Volga region. In subsequent centuries, the construction of the Governor's Palace, the cadet school, the bishop's house, the spiritual consistory, and the building of the places of presence were conducted here. In addition, the Annunciation Cathedral was reconstructed.

After the October Revolution (1917) in the Kazan Kremlin, the bell tower of the Annunciation Cathedral, the Church of the Spassky Monastery, the chapel under the Spassky Tower and other unique objects were destroyed. In the nineties of the XX century the Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) became the residence of the president of the republic. At this time, large-scale restoration work began.

Since 1995, work began on the construction of the mosque Kul-Sharif. Today it is one of the largest in Europe. The Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) is a unique example of a synthesis of Russian and Tatar architectural style. It is also the most northern point of the spread of Islamic culture in the world.

Today, many tourists from different countries of the world visit Tatarstan. The most interesting attraction of the republic is the Kazan Kremlin. It should be noted that in order to inspect all its facilities, it will take at least two days, and the sightseeing tour lasts only an hour and a half. But, since we are not limited in time, we will get acquainted with the sights of the Kremlin in more detail.

Constructions of the Kremlin

Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) is a museum-reserve, occupying an area of 13.45 hectares. Perimeter walls - about 1.8 thousand meters. This huge territory houses the World War II Memorial Museum, the Museum of Islam, the Hermitage-Kazan Center, the Tatarstan History Museum and other institutions.

The Spasskaya Tower

In this tower there are the front gate to the Kremlin. The architects Shirya and Yakovlev built the tower in 1556. The height of this structure is 47 meters. The quadrangular base has a straight arched opening. The octagonal tier has arched lumens on each side and is the belfry where the alarm bell is located.

On top is a brick cone, crowned by a five-pointed star. In yet another octagonal cone are the hours of combat. They glorified the Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan). An interesting device of the first hours, which were installed in the XVIII century, interested many foreign masters who produce such mechanisms. It was explained by the fact that the clock was arranged quite unusually - around the fixed arrows the dial was rotating.

The traditional analogue was changed in 1780. The clock, which is located on the walls of the Spassky Tower today, was installed in 1963. It is noteworthy that with the beginning of the battle of the chimes the snow-white walls gradually turn into a rich crimson color.

Places of interest

The project of the provincial chancellery was developed by the architect from Moscow V. I. Kaftryev. The building appeared in the Kremlin in the late 18th century. Here were the offices (for receptions) and living rooms for the family of the vicar. The second floor was reserved for a luxurious throne room with choirs for orchestra. On the place where the Gosudarev Court was located in the XV-XVII centuries, a guardhouse was built in the middle of the 19th century.

Today, the Department of External Relations of the President of Tatarstan, the Central Election Commission and the Arbitration Court are located in the premises of the former office.

The Transfiguration Monastery

The Kazan Kremlin, a description of which can be seen in almost all the city's advertising brochures, is famous for another object. In the south-east of the Kremlin there is a monastery complex. In the center of it are the remains of the Transfiguration Cathedral, destroyed in the twenties of the XX century. At the foot of the main wall of the cathedral you can see a small cave, which since 1596 was the burial place of the Kazan miracle workers.

The brotherly building borders on the fence of the monastery. In 1670 monastic cells were built here. Much later, the gallery and the treasury house were erected. The church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, as well as the chamber of the archimandrite are located at the western wall of the complex. The building of the church was reconstructed according to the project of A. Schmidt in 1815. It is interesting that during the reconstruction the 16th century sublet was preserved in its original form.

Junker College

On the territory of the Kremlin there is an arena, which was built according to a project built earlier in St. Petersburg. This building was intended for combat training. Today here is the Institute of Literature and Art. Ibragimova. Behind the arena is the school building. It was created by the architect Pyatnitsky under the barracks for the cantonists.

The building was transferred to the military department in 1861, later it opened a cadet school.

Kul-Sharif Mosque

In the courtyard of the school is the most beautiful mosque in the city. Four minarets shot up to the sky at fifty-seven meters. The capacity of this grandiose structure is 1500 people. Minarets are painted in turquoise color, which gives the building an amazingly bright image. In addition to the mosque, the complex includes a huge open library-museum, publishing center and administration of the Imam.

A round small beautiful building with a turquoise dome, located south of the mosque, is a fire department, which is stylistically connected with the architectural complex. Kul-Sharif was recreated in 2005. Funds for its erection were donated by citizens, as well as enterprises of the capital.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral

This is the oldest stone structure in Kazan, which has survived to this day. It was consecrated in 1562. The architecture of the cathedral traces the trends of the Pskov, Vladimir, Ukrainian and Moscow architecture. Helmiform makowice, located on the side chapters, in 1736 was replaced with onion bulbs. The central dome is executed in the style of Ukrainian baroque.

In the main basement of the church, the Orthodoxy Museum of the Volga Region was established. A little further is the house of the bishop, who was built in 1829 on the site where the palace of the Kazan bishops was earlier. Concludes the ensemble consistory. This building was rebuilt from the bishop's stables.

Artillery yard

Behind the mosque and college is the Cannon Court, more precisely, its southern building. This is the oldest structure of the complex - it was built in the very beginning of the XVII century. The plant for the production of artillery began to work here in the XIX century. And last year there was a restoration. The creation of the exposition of the Museum of the Cannon Court began.

Nowadays permanent exhibitions, demonstrations of fashion collections, chamber performances are held on the territory of the complex. Near the southern building you can see a fragment of a brick building on a stone foundation. In terms of depth of occurrence, this object belongs to the Khanate era of the Kremlin. In those days, houses were built here.

Governor's Palace

It was built in 1848 for the governor of Kazan with the royal chambers for especially honored guests. Supervised by the works of KA Ton, who is known for his amazing works. This is the temple of Christ and the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow. This place was formerly the khan's palace ensemble.

The second floor of the palace is connected with the palace church by a passage. It was called Vvedenskaya, it was built in the 17th century. Inside the church today operates the Museum of the History of Statehood, and in the Governor's Palace lives the president of Tatarstan with his family.

Tower Syuyumbike

It is a symbol of Kazan. The tower was named after the Tatar queen. As the legend says, Ivan the Terrible, who learned about the beauty of Syuyumbike, sent messengers to Kazan with an offer to a beautiful girl to become a Moscow queen. But the messengers brought refusal from the proud beauty. An angry king captured Kazan. The girl was forced to agree to the proposal of Ivan the Terrible, but she put forward a condition: that in seven days in the city stood a tower that tallened all the existing minarets.

Ivan the Terrible performed the wish of the beloved. During the festive feast Syuyumbike said that she wanted to take leave of her native city with a glance from the height of the tower that was just built. Climbing to the top platform, she rushed down.

Outwardly this structure is very similar to the Borovitskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Unfortunately, there is no accurate data on the time of creation of this landmark.

The tower consists of five tiers, which decrease in size. The last levels are octahedrons, which crown the tent in the form of an octagonal truncated pyramid and a spire with a crescent. From the spire to the ground the height of the building is 58 meters. In the last century, three reconstructions took place here, as the tower fell. Today the deviation from the vertical of the spire is 1.98 meters.

Tainitskaya Tower

Below Syuyumbike are the Tainitsky entrance gates. This name was given to them in honor of the dungeon, which leads to the source. At the siege of the city, local residents used it. Earlier the tower was called Nur-Ali. Russian residents of the city called her Muraleyeva. It was blown up during the seizure of the Kremlin. It was at this gate that Ivan IV entered the city.

The tower was restored, but the architectural decoration was completed in the 17th century. Now on the upper tier there is a cafe "Muraley Gate".

Kazan Kremlin: excursions, prices, working hours

Guests of the city and local residents of the Kremlin's excursion department invite you to take a walk through the museum-reserve, accompanied by professional staff. Excursions are conducted in Tatar, Russian, German, English, Turkish, Italian and French.

The entrance to the Spassky Tower is open daily. Through the Taynitskaya Tower, an entrance is also made to the Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan). Working hours: in the summer - from 8:00 to 22:00, and in the winter - until 18:00.

The cost of the excursion for a group of six people is 1360 rubles. With a group of more than six people - 210 rubles from an adult.

How to get there?

The Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan), whose address is Kremlevskaya, 2, is located on the left bank of the Volga. You can get there by buses No. 6, 29, 37, 47, trolleybuses No. 4, 10, 1 and 18. Stop "Central Department Store", "Ul. Bauman "or on the metro station" Kremlyovskaya ".