The Kazan Kremlin is a historical, architectural and cultural monument that combines Orthodox and Muslim, Russian and Tatar motifs in its appearance. The Kazan Kremlin is located on the cape of a high terrace on the left bank of the Volga and the left bank of the Kazanka.
The formation of Kazan began precisely with the construction of the fortress on the hill. And the fortress on the hill, as is now believed, was founded at the beginning of the 11th century. TO XVI century the city acquired the appearance of a powerful wooden and stone fortress with the Khan's courtyard, high mosques and mausoleums.
In 1552, Kazan was taken by storm by Russian troops under the control of Ivan the Terrible and annexed to the Russian state.
According to the royal decree, the fortress was reconstructed and rebuilt in stone under the leadership of the famous Pskov masters Postnik Yakovlev (creator of St. Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow) and Ivan Shirai.
In 1992, the Republic of Tatarstan was formed as part of Russian Federation. The Kazan Kremlin became the residence of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan. In 1994, the State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve "Kazan Kremlin" was created.
The Kremlin territory is an irregular polygon in plan, repeating the contours of the Kremlin hill, stretched from the northwest, from the Kazanka River, to the southeast, to the 1st May Square and the Gostiny Dvor building.
The Kazan Kremlin has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
In total, this list includes 12 monuments located on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The total area of the Kremlin is 150 thousand square meters.
The outer perimeter of the walls is about 1800 meters. In the 16th-17th centuries there were 13 towers. To date, only 8 have survived.
Spasskaya travel tower
Built in 1556-1562.
Initially it was a white stone two-tier tower with a cranked passage, covered with a high wooden roof and a hipped roof.
The upper two tiers and the tent were built in the 18th century.
In the middle of the 19th century, a pointed arch was pierced into the fortress wall to the right of the tower. Over time, the elbow driveway was laid. After the revolution, a through passage was made through the Spasskaya Tower.
In the 18th century, a clock “with ringing” was installed in the upper tier, and even earlier a large alarm bell was moved from a small belfry.
In 1963, an electric clock with dials on three sides of an octagon and with automatic strikes appeared on the tower.
In front of the tower until the middle of the 19th century there was a moat with a stone bridge.
Until 1917, the tower was crowned with the double-headed coat of arms of the Russian state.
Replacing the wooden tent of the Southeast Tower
Basement of the Transfiguration Cathedral.
Here was located monastery, founded in 1556.
In 1855-1862, a multi-tiered bell tower was built in the spirit of late classicism. It was closed in 1918. Most of buildings are broken.
Sheikman Passage
In the 16th-18th centuries the street was called Bolshaya. After 1918 Sheikman Passage is called in honor of one of the leaders of the Kazan party organization, who was executed in 1918. White Czechs.
On the left is the Khazine museum complex.
The complex includes the Museum of Natural History of Tatarstan, the Hermitage-Kazan Center,
Great Patriotic War Memorial Museum and Art Gallery.
On the right is the fire department building ("skullcap")
Preobrazhenskaya Tower
A guardhouse was erected on top of the tent; its covering is completed by an ensign with the image of Zilant - the coat of arms of the city of Kazan.
Kul Sharif Mosque
The main cathedral mosque of the Republic of Tatarstan and Kazan.
Construction of the temple began in 1996 as a recreation of the legendary multi-minaret mosque of the capital of the Kazan Khanate of the Middle Volga region in the 16th century. The mosque was destroyed in October 1552 during the assault on Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible.
Named in honor of its last imam, Seid Kul-Sharif, one of the leaders of the defense of Kazan.
Granite and marble were brought from the Urals, interior decoration - carpets - a gift from the Iranian government, a colored crystal chandelier with a diameter of five meters and weighing almost two tons was made in the Czech Republic, stained glass, stucco, mosaic and gilding.
The mosque building in plan consists of 2 squares intersected at an angle of 45° in the form known in Muslim world sign meaning "blessing of Allah"
At the corners of the main volume there are 4 main minarets, 2 small minarets and 2 more at the corners of the main entrance portal.
The total number of crescents is 8 - according to the number of minarets.
The height of each of the four main minarets is 58 meters.
The dome is decorated with shapes associated with the image and decorative details of the “Kazan Cap” - according to one version - the crown of the Kazan khans, taken to Moscow after the fall of Kazan, and now on display in the Armory Chamber.
The interior space of the mosque is designed for one and a half thousand people, and the square in front of it can accommodate another ten thousand.
Memorial stone dedicated to the foundation stone of the Kul Sharif mosque.
Northern part of the Kremlin.
Blagoveshchensky cathedral
The cathedral was founded on October 4, 1552, on the day of the ceremonial entry of Tsar Ivan IV into Kazan.
The king personally chose the location for the future temple opposite the palace of the Tatar khans and Muslim mosques.
The wooden church was cut down in three days; The construction of the white stone temple began only in 1556.
Completed in 1562 and consecrated on August 15 of the same year.
Tower of the main building of the Cannon Yard.
In 1812-15 On the territory of the Artillery (Cannon) yard there was one of the largest cannon factories in Russia, new cannons and parts for them were manufactured, and damaged ones brought from the army were repaired.
The Syuyumbike Tower is the architectural emblem of the city.
Its name is associated with the name of the Tatar queen Syuyumbeki, the wife of the last two Kazan khans.
Built in the second half of the 17th and early 18th centuries.
The Syuyumbike Tower belongs to the “leaning” towers (like, for example, the Leaning Tower of Pisa), as it has a noticeable inclination to the northeast.
On this moment the deviation of its spire from the vertical is 1.98 m.
The tower consists of seven tiers: the first three tiers in plan are square quadrangles of different heights, the next two are octagonal, two more are a faceted brick tent and a watchtower, the last is a green spire topped with a gilded “apple” on which rests a crescent.
The total height of the tower is 58 meters.
Residence of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The building was built in the 40s. XIX century in the so-called pseudo-Byzantine style. The project was drawn up by the famous Moscow architect A.K. Ton, author of the design of the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
On the right you can see the remains of the palace of the Kazan khans.
Gate of the Presidential Palace complex
Bishop's House
Currently, the building houses the Office of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan.
At the moment, a transport interchange is being built near the Kremlin at the exit from the Lenin Dam towards the city center.
View from Kremlevskaya Street.
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01. The main entrance and entrance to the Kremlin is the Spasskaya Tower.
The Kazan Kremlin has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000. Built in the 16th-19th centuries, the Kremlin ensemble incorporates diverse and unique buildings that annually attract thousands of tourists from all over the world. No trip to Kazan is complete without visiting this place. Over the past 20 years, the Kremlin has undergone serious restoration and now looks very elegant.
02. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the exhibition “Eternal Man” was organized. In general, the Kremlin regularly hosts various cultural events and exhibitions.
Years of construction of the Kazan Kremlin structures:
Spasskaya Tower - 2nd floor. 16th century
Annunciation Cathedral - 1561-62
Fraternal Corps - 1670
Cannon yard (Southern and Northern buildings - XVII, Eastern building - XVIII centuries)
Syuyumbike Tower - XVIII century
Governor's Palace - 1840s
Kazan Military School - 1840s
Kul Sharif Mosque - 1996-2005
03. Courtyard of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery and Spasskaya Tower.
04. Brotherhood building of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.
05. Kul-Sharif Mosque.
The Kul-Sharif Mosque is the youngest of the Kremlin buildings. It was built in 1996-2005 and opened in the year of celebrating the millennium of Kazan, taking over the status of a cathedral from the al-Marjani mosque. The mosque received its name Kul-Sharif after the last imam of the multi-minaret mosque of the capital of the Kazan Khanate, destroyed during the storming of Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible in 1552. It is worth paying tribute to the architects of Kul-Sharif: the mosque harmoniously fit into the Kremlin ensemble and became another symbol of the city.
06. In the foreground is the fire department building, stylistically related to the mosque.
07. The Kremlin is located on a high hill and at one time was considered impregnable.
08. Stone walls were built already under Ivan the Terrible. After the construction of the white-stone Kremlin, there were 13 towers, of which only 8 have survived.
09. Opens from the loopholes beautiful view on the ice rink, where the Russian figure skating championships were held, he won his first gold medals at the national championship, and in 2013, table tennis players competed as part of it. In the fall of 2016, the Sports Barn will host the World Championships among mixed teams.
It is worth mentioning a very unpleasant moment. Login to observation deck Preobrazhenskaya Tower - paid, 50 rubles. If there were a lot of people who wanted to go there, or some stunning view opened up, this could be somehow understandable. But the Kremlin is already subsidized and conducts a lot of commercial activities, and at the same time it is essentially wrong to charge for air. The big question is how legal such activities are (tickets, cash registers, etc.) or whether this is another self-made variation, as in the Kazan Family Center.
The history of the creation of the Kazan Kremlin dates back to the 11th-12th centuries. Initially, the fortress was built as a defensive structure of Volga Bulgaria to protect against enemy attacks. Shopping arcades were located here, a mosque was built, and the main decoration of the square was the Kremlin. But everything was destroyed and burned in 1552 during an attack by the troops of Ivan the Terrible. After the conquest of Kazan, the new ruler ordered the Kremlin building to be rebuilt on Kazan Hill and the appearance of the administrative center to be restored.
In the 18th century, the Kazan Kremlin received the last enemy attack - Emelyan Pugachev in 1773 and defended its positions. The enemy retreated, but archaeologists still find the consequences of the destruction today.
After the creation of the Republic of Tatarstan in 1992, the Kazan Kremlin became the first residence of the president. Active work began to restore the cultural and historical heritage: buildings were restored, museum complexes were opened. In 2000, the unique open-air museum was included in the list cultural heritage UNESCO.
The main attractions of the Kremlin
One of the striking attractions of the Kazan Kremlin is the Kul Sharif Mosque. Built from snow-white marble, the mosque is decorated with blue domes and minarets. The mosque received its name in honor of the national hero of Tatarstan - Imam Khul Sharif. The imam took a direct part in defending the mosque during the attack by the troops of Ivan the Terrible and was killed. The mosque was burned and rebuilt for the 1000th anniversary of Kazan. Construction took 9 long years and became the main event in the capital's anniversary year. The Kul Sharif complex occupies an area of about 19 thousand sq.m. and consists of a mosque, foundation stone and administrative building. The mosque can accommodate 1,500 people, and the surrounding area can accommodate up to 10,000 people.
The Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery and the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin were built in the middle of the 16th century, the latter was rebuilt, reconstructed and restored several times. Currently, work is underway to connect these complexes to the Museum of Archeology of Tatarstan.
Another attraction of the Kazan Kremlin is the Siyumbike Tower, which is part of the Presidential Complex. The tower, 58 meters high, has a peculiar tilt to the side 1.8 m from the axis. Thanks to the strengthening work carried out in 1998, it was possible to stop the fall of the tower.
Excursions around the Kazan Kremlin
The Kazan Kremlin is located in the central part of the capital of the republic. You can get here by public transport to the "TSUM" stop, or by metro to the "Kremlevskaya" station.
Entrance to the territory of the Kazan Kremlin is free for all visitors. Here you can order both group and individual tour. They will take you to all the important places and tell you a lot interesting information from the history of the fortress.
The Republic of Tatarstan is proud that on its territory there is a particularly valuable cultural and historical site of federal significance - the Kazan Kremlin. This museum-reserve was created back in 1994 and since then has delighted every visiting tourist with its originality, luxury and wealth.
The pride of Tatarstan is the Kazan Kremlin
This building is the only Tatar fortress in Russia in which practically nothing has changed. reveals for tourists the layout of that time, urban composition, functional features architectural complexes. Several styles are combined here: from the Volga-Bulgar to the Golden Horde, from the medieval Kazan-Tatar to modern Russian.
Basic facts of the museum complex
The complex is located in the central part of Kazan, just on the left bank of the Kazanka River of the same name. The total area of the museum is about 13.5 hectares, and the Kremlin itself occupies approximately 150 thousand square meters. m. It is noticeable to the naked eye that this historical value, which once again emphasizes that you are in
The reserve includes several buildings, among which it is worth noting: the Kremlin made of brick and stone, which dates back to the 16th-18th centuries, main Kremlin, which was built in the X-XVI centuries and other architectural buildings of the XVI-XIX centuries.
In the protected area you can visit other interesting places . There are many museums open here: Islamic culture, the history of Tatarstan, the Cannon Yard and the history of the Annunciation Cathedral. You will be able not only to learn in detail about the culture and foundation of the city, but also about its traditions and people, right up to the present day. In addition, presented showroom“Manege” and the completely unusual “Hermitage-Kazan” center, where you can enjoy the contemporary art of this republic.
Kazan is proud of its cultural monument, which has been preserved since ancient times. Residents try to support the museum complex in every possible way, because this is a unique building not only of architecture, but also of history, which has not gone unnoticed. In 2000, this particular monument became a world cultural monument, as well as natural heritage UNESCO. In my opinion, this is the best praise and gratitude so ancient city, for the excellent storage of the valuable museum-reserve. Thanks to this, many tourists can admire the beauty and picturesqueness of the local Kremlin.
On a high hill located on the left bank of the Kazanka River, rises the symbol and main attraction of Kazan, its heart and soul - the Kazan Kremlin, which is a historical, architectural and archaeological site. During the capture of the city in 1551, many buildings and walls of the Kazan Kremlin were destroyed, so new ones were erected in their place. Today, centuries seem to be mixed on its territory: next to the buildings of the 10th century there are buildings of the 20th century.Since 2000, the entire ensemble has been protected by UNESCO. The area of the Kazan Kremlin is 150 thousand m2, and the total length of the walls, the width of which is about 3 m, is more than 2 km. The height of the walls of the Kazan Kremlin exceeds 6 m. A distinctive feature of the Kremlin is a unique combination of cultural and historical monuments Orthodox and Muslim religions.
Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin.
The current (since 2005) Annunciation Cathedral, built by Pskov craftsmen in the mid-16th century, is considered the real pearl of the complex. During its existence, the temple was rebuilt and reconstructed several times. Unfortunately, in 1922 the bell tower was irretrievably lost. At the same time, many valuables stored in the temple (icons, manuscripts, early printed books, gold embroidery) disappeared without a trace. Some exhibits were preserved through the efforts of art critic P. Dulsky and professor I. Stratonov. Today, the rescued rarities are part of the collection of the Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Towers of the Kazan Kremlin.
The Kazan Kremlin is famous for its watchtowers. 13 towers were immediately erected, of which only eight have survived at the moment. Tainitskaya and Spasskaya towers are the most famous, which are also gates. They were built in the 16th century.
Spasskaya Tower of the Kazan Kremlin.
Adjacent to the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, the Spasskaya Tower of the Kazan Kremlin burned several times, it was restored, and two centuries later its appearance was complemented by the clock installed on it.
Tainitskaya tower of the Kazan Kremlin.
The Taynitskaya Tower got its name thanks to a secret passage leading to a source of spring water. Unfortunately, it has not survived to this day.
Syuyumbike Tower of the Kazan Kremlin.
Visitors are attracted by the Syuyumbike watchtower, built at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. It can be called the Kazan “Leaning Tower of Pisa”. The deviation of the structure from the vertical is about 2 m. Thanks to the restoration work carried out and the strengthening of the foundation, its fall has been stopped.
Mausoleum of the Kazan khans.
You cannot ignore the Mausoleum of the Kazan Khans, located not far from Syuyumbike. It was discovered during sewer work completely by accident. This is the last refuge of two Kazan khans. The mausoleum was covered with a glass dome to ensure access in any weather.
Mosque of the Kazan Kremlin.
In honor of the celebration of the millennium of Kazan, the Kul-Sharif mosque was erected on the territory of the Kremlin, arousing admiration for its grandeur and unique beauty. In the evening, thanks to the spectacular lighting, everything here takes on an unforgettable look. Construction of a mosque near Orthodox churches symbolizes the commonwealth of two religions.
Governor's Palace, built in the 19th century, attracts tourists with its architecture. Today it serves as the representative office of the head of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Museums of the Kazan Kremlin.
There are several museums on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin:
- Museum of the History of the Tatar People and the Republic of Tatarstan, located in the Vvedenskaya Church.
- Complex "Cannon Yard".
- Junker School, with a Hermitage department, a WWII museum, an art exhibition and a natural history museum.
- Museum of Islamic Culture, which is located on the ground floor of the mosque.
Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.
The Kazan Kremlin complex also includes the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, founded in 1556. In the first years of Soviet power, most of its buildings were blown up. Today, restoration work is being carried out.
