THE KAZAN KREMLIN

For over a thousand years of its history, the white-stone, symbolic and legendary Kazan Kremlin has heard almost every language of the world and hosted common tourists, ministers and presidents. Imperious-looking and powerful, it calls Muslims to a prayer in mosques and at the same time lets Orthodox church bells ring loud. By becoming a home to numerous museums, it invites guests from all over the planet every day. This architectural and historic monument was rightly included in UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List as early as in 2000.

Its vast territory contains not only the residence of the President of Tatarstan and administrative buildings, but also the Kul Sharif Mosque, the Blagoveschensky (Annunciation) Cathedral and the famous Syuymbike Tower, which is in fact one of the few leaning structures in the world. Made of red bricks it strikes your eye at first glance. The construction of the Tower is shrouded in legends, which on the other hand could be said about the whole thousand-year-history of the Kazan Kremlin. One of such legends tells about a great underground kingdom under the city, where a fire-breathing dragon called Zilant dwells. The underground of Kazan is also mentioned in the descriptions of the trench under the Kremlin walls dug out by Ivan the Terrible’s army. The trench started from the famous Dair bath house on the bank of the Bolaq River, whose impressive masonry vaults were used as protection from air attacks.

The Kazan Kremlin State History, Culture and Art Preserve Museum was founded on the territory of the modern Kremlin exactly 20 years ago. The total area of this preserve museum is about 150 thousand sq. m, the outside perimeter of the walls is about 1800 meters, there are 8 fortress towers, and 3 of them are gate towers. Today tours are organized here almost in all languages of the world and permanent museum exhibitions are open to visitors.

Those who get tired of exploring treasures of the white-stone miracle, are advised to take some rest at a small restaurant, which is located right behind the thick walls in the Pushechny Dvor (Cannon Yard) building.

The Kazan Kremlin never sleeps. During the day it hosts guests, and at nighttime it switches on its beautiful illumination, making everyone admire the ancient architecture in new and exciting ways.

The Kazan Kremlin complex has been formed over the period of the 10th – 21st centuries. It includes the Kazan Kremlin hill-fort (10th – 16th centuries), the stone and brick Kremlin (16th – 18th centuries), architectural structures (16th – 19th centuries), a complex of defensive structures, including walls and eight towers (16th – 18th centuries). During the pre-Mongolian period, from the 11th to the first half of the 13th century, the Kazan Kremlin used to be a military and trade settlement. In the 12th century it became an outpost on the North border of Volga. From the second half of the 13th century till the first half of the 15th century the Kremlin had been turned into the center of the Kazan principality of the Golden Horde, and after its collapse it became the administrative and military center of the Khanate of Kazan. After the Siege of Kazan in 1552 by Ivan the Terrible’s army the city became the administrative and military center of the annexed Volga region. In 1708 the Kremlin was the center of Kazan Governorate, in 1922 it became the administrative center of the Tatar Autonomous Republic, and from 1992 on it is the state center of the Republic of Tatarstan as a part of the Russian Federation.