Places to visit

In the first half of the 16th century the Kazan Kremlin was a white-stone fortress, before that the outpost had been defended by massive oak walls. There is a whole range of architectural monuments in the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, among them the Syuyumbike Tower, Governor’s Palace (current residence of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan), Public Offices, Cadet School, archeological remains of one of the most representative buildings of the complex of the khan’s court, khan’s mosque and tombs of Kazan khans dating back to the 15th-16th centuries that are currently displayed as museum pieces. An Islamic mosque, Kul Sharif, and an Orthodox church, Annunciation Cathedral, stand side by side inside the Kazan Kremlin and represent a perfect example of a peaceful coexistence between two religious confessions.

The Kremlin’s premises comprise administrative buildings and museums, including the Khazine National Art Gallery, Museum of Natural History of the Republic of Tatarstan, Great Patriotic War Memorial Museum, Hermitage Kazan Centre (branch of St. Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum), Museum of Islamic Culture.

In 2000, the Kazan Kremlin was included in UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Thanks to its location on the right bank of Lake Nizhny Kaban, the settlement offers an unforgettable panoramic view.

The history of the Old Tatar Settlement began shortly after Kazan fell to the army of Ivan the Terrible. Outstanding representatives of the Tatar people – intelligentsia, religious leaders, merchants and manufacturers – resided in the settlement in the 18th century. Yunusov Square is the heart of the Old Tatar Settlement.

Its architectural appearance is shaped by buildings that date back to the late 18th-early 19th centuries. Most popular destinations and places of interest are buildings that belonged to Tatar bourgeois class and intelligentsia: Yunusov-Apanaev House, Shamil House, Mardjani House, Kayum Nasyri House, Shamil Yusupov House and many others. The Oriental Club was opened at the settlement in the 19th century where famous poets cited their poetry and first Tatar plays were staged. An astonishing array of mosques – Mardjani Mosque, Apanaev Mosque, Golubaya (‘Blue’) Mosque, Galeev Mosque, Burnaev Mosque and Hay Mosque (now known as the Nurulla Mosque), the largest among them, – are situated within the settlement.

The Gabdulla Tukay Literary Museum, Kayum Nasyri House Museum are open for visitors on the premises of the Old Tatar Settlement, the Galiaskar Kamal Tatar Academic Theatre is located there as well.

Bauman Street was not always a pedestrian street, there were trams, trolleys and buses running along it. Nowadays both ends of the street are connected with the underground stations Ploschad Tukaya (‘Tukay Square’) and Kremlevskaya.

The historical silhouette of Bauman Street is accentuated with low houses that date back to the 19th-20th centuries. Walking along the street, visitors can take a look at Kazan’s places of interest, sample delicious local food in the House of Tatar Cuisine, pop into boutiques and souvenir shops to buy a wide range of exclusive mementos to take home as gifts.

Speaking about Bauman’s destinations and tourist attractions, we must mention such places as the Bell Tower of the Epiphany Church, John the Precursor Monastery, Kachalov Kazan Academic Russian Bolshoi Drama Theatre, National Bank of the Republic of Tatarstan, Publishing House. At the very beginning of the street, there is an Arabian style clock, a popular meeting point for Kazan citizens. The pedestrian street is decorated with a fountain representing a nix (‘Su anasy’ in Tatar), fountains with doves and frogs. Visitors of Kazan enjoy taking pictures with the royal carriage of Catherine II, by which she travelled to Kazan in 1767, monument to Feodor Chaliapin, the Russian opera and chamber singer, and sculpture of the legendary Kazan Cat. The Monument to Prime Meridian installed in Bauman Street marks the reference point from which all road distances to Moscow, New York, Mexico City, North Pole and other destinations are measured.

Ruins of the ancient town of Bolgar are located on the left bank of the Volga River, 140 kilometres away from Kazan. Founded in the 10th century, it used to be an economic, political and cultural centre of Volga Bulgaria.

The Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex is the northernmost monument of Muslim architecture and a unique example of the 13th-14th century Bolgar-Tatar art of building. Ruins of the Cathedral Mosque and Grand Minaret that survived the centuries can be seen in the central part of the town. The Northern Mausoleum, where members of Bulgar nobility were buried, is located nearby. Among other ancient buildings of this period are the Black and White Chambers, Eastern Mausoleum and Khan’s Bath.

Tourists are also offered to visit the Museum of Bolgar Civilisation housed in the river port’s building and the Memorial Complex in Honour of the Official Adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgars in 922 where the world’s largest printed Koran is stored. Bolgar’s other must-visits are the Khan’s Palace, Healer’s House and craft workshops, as well as the White Mosque and the Museum of Bread that are located outside the Southern Gates of the town.

Bolgar can be reached from Kazan by bus or by river transport.

In June 2014, the Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

One of Tatarstan’s main tourist destinations, the island town of Sviyazhsk, is located 30 kilometres away from Kazan. It was launched in 1551 as a fortress supporting the troops of Ivan the Terrible.

Today the island serves as an open air museum and features 37 heritage sites, among them the Mother of God Dormition Monastery, St. John the Baptist Monastery, St. Nicholas Church, and the Cathedral of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Joy of All Who Sorrow’. The Trinity Church is one of the first buildings erected on the island and the only surviving monument of the 16th century Russian wooden architecture in the Volga Region. In the Dormition Cathedral, one can find murals covering an area of 1,080 square metres. It is a unique example of the old Russian wall painting tradition from the second half of the 16th century.

In order to feel the atmosphere of ancient Russia, visitors are welcome to visit a historical themed complex, called ‘Lazy Torzhok’, where they can enjoy a horse ride in a stable yard, do some craftwork at artisan workshops or take a carriage ride around the island. Sviyazhsk offers picturesque views of the Volga and Sviyaga rivers from nearly every location on the island.

Sviyazhsk can be reached by bus or by river transport. Sightseeing boats run regularly between Kazan and the island town.

The Raifa Monastery is located 27 kilometres away from Kazan. It was founded in the 17th century by a hermit named Filaret. It’s one of the first orthodox churches erected in this region after Ivan the Terrible’s conquest of Kazan. In 1661, an exact copy of the Georgian Mother of God Icon was brought here.

The following cathedrals are located on the premises of the Raifa Monastery: Georgian Mother of God Icon Cathedral, Trinity Cathedral and St. Sophia Church (built in the late 18th century). The beauty of the monastery complex is enhanced by carefully cultivated flower gardens and numerous statues created by the local novice and professional sculptor Vladimir Savelyev. There is also a picturesque lake located not far from the monastery. Its length reaches almost 1.5 kilometres. Numerous legends exist about this lake. Tourists are told that the frogs here do not croak in order not to disturb monks’ prayers. One can take a boat ride around the lake and marvel at its beautiful views, as well as check out whether the above-mentioned legend is true or not.

The Raifa Monastery is located on the premises of the Volga-Kama State Natural Biosphere Reserve. The park was founded in 1960 for the purpose of preserving unique natural ecosystems. The reserve has a tree nursery filled with over 400 different varieties of trees and shrubs from Europe, Asia and Northern America.

Founded in the 11th-12th centuries, the town of Elabuga is a perfect example of an old merchant town. It is located on a high cliff which offers a breathtaking panorama of the town. There are numerous legends describing the town’s origin. According to one of them, Elabuga was previously called ‘chyortovo gorodische’ or ‘goddamned town’.

Elabuga will pleasantly surprise tourists with abundance of greenery in the streets and old merchant houses that have been homes for many famous Russian people. Among such houses are the museum of the renowned landscape painter Ivan Shishkin, the estate museum of the cavalry maiden Nadezhda Durova, the first known female officer in the Russian army during the Napoleonic wars, and the House of Memory and Literary Museum of the poet Marina Tsvetaeva who spent her last days in Elabuga.

The Elabuga State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum Preserve also includes the Regional Natural History Complex, Portmoynya Museum (the one and only museum of laundry in the world), Bekhterev Museum of County Medicine and the Arts and Crafts Museum Workshop.

The heart of the town is the Savior Cathedral. It was built in the 17th century instead of the previous wooden church. The cathedral is located in Naberezhnaya Street, a favourite place for a stroll for locals and visitors alike. The street dates back to the 18th century when it appeared at the edge of a high slope of the Toyma River. It currently winds along the western districts of the town.

Alabuga, the largest special economic zone of industrial and production type in Russia, is situated not far from Elabuga.