Kazan Kremlin, Tatarstan: description, history, architecture

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

There are so many interesting and memorable places in our country that a lifetime is not enough to see them all. Today we will go to Tatarstan. The attraction that the capital of the republic is proud of 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 entire territory of the complex today is a museum-reserve, which has been under the protection of UNESCO since 2000. The Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) is the main attraction of the republic. On a vast territory, Tatar and Russian cultural traditions are harmoniously combined.

Kazan Kremlin: history, architecture

Building and settlement of the hill, on which the Kremlin is now located, began many centuries ago. ByAccording to some reports, 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 Volga Bulgaria. At the end of the 13th 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 Kremlin buildings were damaged, and almost all mosques were destroyed. The tsar ordered the construction of a white-stone Kremlin here, and for this purpose architects were sent from Pskov to build the Moscow Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed. The fortress was significantly expanded, and the wooden fortifications were replaced with stone ones in the first half of the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the 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 government offices were carried out here. In addition, the Cathedral of the Annunciation was reconstructed.

After the October Revolution (1917), the bell tower of the Annunciation Cathedral, the temple of the Spassky Monastery, the chapel at the Spassky Tower and other unique objects were destroyed in the Kazan Kremlin. 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 Kul-Sharif mosque. Today it is one of the largest in Europe. Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan)the only one of its kind, a vivid example of the synthesis of Russian and Tatar architectural style. It is also the northernmost point of distribution of Islamic culture in the world.

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

Kremlin Structures

The Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) is a museum-reserve covering an area of 13.45 hectares. The perimeter of the walls is about 1.8 thousand meters. This vast territory houses the WWII Memorial Museum, the Museum of Islam, the Hermitage-Kazan Center, the Museum of the History of Tatarstan and other institutions.

Spasskaya Tower

This tower houses the Front Gates to the Kremlin. The architects Shiryai and Yakovlev built the tower in 1556. The height of this building is 47 meters. The tetrahedral base has a straight arched opening. The octagonal tier has arched openings on each side and is a belfry where the alarm bell is located.

At the top is a brick cone crowned with a five-pointed star. Another octagonal cone contains a striking clock. They glorified the Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan). The interesting design of the first clock, which was installed in the 18th century, interested manyforeign masters producing such mechanisms. This was explained by the fact that the clock was arranged very unusually - a dial rotated around the fixed hands.

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

Places of presence

The project of the provincial office was developed by the architect from Moscow V. I. Kaftiryev. The building appeared in the Kremlin at the end of the 18th century. There were offices (for receptions) and living rooms for the governor's family. The second floor was reserved for a luxurious throne room with choirs for the orchestra. A guardhouse was built in the middle of the 19th century on the site where the Sovereign's Court was located in the 15th-17th centuries.

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.

Transfiguration Monastery

Kazan Kremlin, the description of which can be seen in almost all advertising brochures of the city, is famous for another object. The monastery complex is located in the southeast of the Kremlin territory. 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 fraternal corps is bordered by a fencemonastery. Monastic cells were built here in 1670. Much later, a gallery and a treasury house were erected. The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, as well as the chambers of the archimandrite, are located at the western wall of the complex. The church building was reconstructed according to the project of A. Schmidt in 1815. Interestingly, during the reconstruction, the basement of the 16th century was preserved in its original form.

Junker School

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

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

Kul Sharif Mosque

In the courtyard of the school is the most beautiful mosque in the city. Four minarets soared fifty-seven meters into the sky. The capacity of this grandiose building is 1500 people. The minarets are painted turquoise, which gives the structure a surprisingly light appearance. In addition to the mosque, the complex includes a huge open library-museum, a publishing center and the imam's office.

A rounded small beautiful building with a turquoise dome, located south of the mosque, is a fire station, which is stylistically connected with the architectural complex. Kul Sharif has been recreatedin 2005. Funds for its construction were donated by citizens, as well as enterprises of the capital.

Annunciation Cathedral

This is the oldest stone building in Kazan, which has survived to this day. It was consecrated in 1562. The architecture of the cathedral traces the trends of Pskov, Vladimir, Ukrainian and Moscow architecture. Helmet-shaped domes, located on the side domes, were replaced in 1736 with bulbous ones. The central dome is made in the Ukrainian baroque style.

In the main basement of the temple, a museum of Volga Orthodoxy has been created. A little further is the house of the bishop, which was built in 1829 on the site where the palace of the Kazan bishops used to be. The consistory completes the ensemble. This building was rebuilt from the Bishop's stables.

Artillery Yard

Behind the mosque and the school is the Cannon Yard, or rather, its southern building. This is the oldest structure of the complex - it was built at the very beginning of the 17th century. An artillery factory began operating here in the 19th century. And last year there was a restoration. The creation of the exposition of the Museum of the Cannon Yard has begun.

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. According to the depth of occurrence, this object belongs to the Khan's era of the Kremlin. In those days, residential buildings were built here.

Governor's Palace

It was built in 1848 for the governor of Kazan with royal chambers for especially honored guests. The work was supervised by K. A. Ton, who is known for his amazing works. This is the Cathedral of Christ and the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow. The Khan's palace ensemble used to be on this site.

The second floor of the palace is connected with the palace church by a passageway. It was called Vvedenskaya, it was built in the 17th century. Today, the Museum of the History of Statehood operates inside the church, and the president of Tatarstan and his family live in the governor's palace.

Syuyumbike Tower

This is the symbol of Kazan. The tower was named after the Tatar queen. As the legend says, Ivan the Terrible, having learned about the beauty of Syuyumbika, sent messengers to Kazan with an offer to the beautiful girl to become the Moscow queen. But the envoys brought a refusal from the proud beauty. The enraged tsar 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 there should be a tower in the city that would eclipse all existing minarets in height.

Ivan the Terrible fulfilled the desire of his beloved. During the festive feast, Syuyumbike said that she wanted to take a goodbye look at her native city from the height of the newly built tower. Climbing to the top platform, she rushed down.

Outwardly, this building is very reminiscent of the Borovitskaya tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Unfortunately, there is no exact data on the time of creation of this attraction.

The tower consists of five tiers, whichdecrease in size. The last levels are octahedrons, which are crowned by a 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 structure is 58 meters. In the last century, three reconstructions took place here, since the fall of the tower was recorded. Today, the vertical deviation of the spire is 1.98 meters.

Tainitskaya Tower

Below Syuyumbike are the Taynitsky entrance gates. This name was given to them in honor of the dungeon that leads to the source. During the siege of the city, it was used by local residents. Previously, the tower was called Nur-Ali. Russian residents of the city called her Muraleeva. It was blown up during the capture of the Kremlin. It was through these gates that Ivan IV entered the city.

The tower was restored, but the architectural decoration was made in the 17th century. Now on the upper tier there is a cafe "Muraleevy Vorota".

Kazan Kremlin: tours, prices, opening hours

The Kremlin excursion department invites guests of the city and local residents to take a walk around the museum-reserve, accompanied by professional staff. Tours are conducted in Tatar, Russian, German, English, Turkish, Italian and French.

The entrance through the Spasskaya Tower is open daily. The entrance to the Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan) is also carried out through the Tainitskaya Tower. Opening hours: in summer - from 8:00 to 22:00, and in winter - until 18:00.

The cost of the tour for a group of six people is 1360 rubles. From a group of more than six people - 210 rublesadult.

How to get there?

Kazan Kremlin (Tatarstan), whose address is Kremlevskaya, 2, is located on the left bank of the Volga. You can get here by buses No. 6, 29, 37, 47, trolleybuses No. 4, 10, 1 and 18. Stop "TsUM", "St. Bauman" or by metro - stop "Kremlevskaya".