Kazan Kremlin: photo and reviews of tourists. The Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin

The capital of Tatarstan - one of the oldest centers of civilization - is often called the "city of unique monuments". And indeed, many generations of scientists and educators, poets and masters, generals and just heroes have grown on the rich in landmarks and traditions of the Kazan land. The history of the city is connected with the destinies of Derzhavin, Pushkin, Shalyapin, L. Tolstoy, Lobachevsky and others.

general information

Kazan in terms of its historical values and the preservation of cultural heritage is almost equal to such megacities as St. Petersburg or Moscow. After all, it is not for nothing that it is considered the Russian third capital. Its architectural monuments are of great value for the history of Russia. And such masterpieces as Syuyumbike - the falling tower, the oldest building of the times of Ivan the Terrible, the Blagoveshchensky Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin, the complex of the Cannon Court (still from the time of Peter the Great) preserved to this day, amaze with its architectural forms. Moreover, the Governor's Palace with the Kul-Sharif mosque received the status of a world heritage.

Under the auspices of UNESCO was taken and the only existing in the world Tatar fortress, built many centuries ago and retained its original features. This is the Kazan Kremlin, a photo on the background of which brings home every tourist who has visited this city.

Pearl of Tatarstan

The very first buildings on the territory of the fortress appeared at the beginning of the eleventh century. It was then that the Bulgarian tribes settled in the hill on which the ancient structure adorned, and began to erect a wooden military outpost - the Kazan Kremlin.

Kazan developed, and the citadel with its mausoleums and mosques existed until the middle of the sixteenth century. But in 1552 the city was completely destroyed by Ivan the Terrible. In the same year, the construction of another, a new Russian fortress on the bank of the Volga River was started. It was built by Pskov masters, led by Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Shirya.

Architecture

The Kazan Kremlin is framed by an ancient fortress wall. It is completely erected from white Volga limestone. The towers of the Kazan Kremlin in the number of eight pieces date back to the sixteenth century. At the same time the Annunciation Cathedral was built. A little later - in the eighteenth century - was built Syuyumbike - a falling tower. A complex of buildings in the Cannon Court and the Junkers College were erected in the nineteenth century, and the Kul-Sharif Mosque is nowadays.

The hill on which the Kazan Kremlin was built is surrounded on three sides by water. It was an ideal place to build a fortress. The very first fortifications of the Bulgarian nomadic tribes appeared on the banks of a small river at the turn of the tenth and eleventh centuries, although some archaeological finds are evidence that the settlement on this site existed much earlier.

History of the Kazan Kremlin

A stone fortress was erected in order to defend the northern borders of the Volga Bulgaria. By the middle of the thirteenth century, the Mongolian troops, headed by Khan Baty, had advanced significantly in the east into the depths of Europe. The rule of the Golden Horde was established not only over Rus and the Crimea. At the same time, Bulgaria fell, turning into a Mongolian province.

After the destruction of the city of Bulgar, the new capital was moved to Kazan. The local Kremlin became the residence of the ruler, and the city itself was renamed. But local residents did not accept the new name, therefore the principality began to be called Kazan ulus.

After the death of the Golden Horde in 1438, an independent Khanate was founded. Active work began to strengthen the stone walls of the Kremlin. They, according to the chroniclers, became "unapproachable military".

On the territory were erected a palace and mosques - stone Nur-Ali and wooden Khanskaya, which was later named after Seid Kul-Sharif. It was he who in 1552 defended the Kazan Kremlin from the soldiers of Ivan the Terrible.

Russian fortress

Until today, not a single khan's building survived. Moreover, when the Kazan Kremlin turned into a Russian fortress in the middle of the sixteenth century, the Orthodox churches began to be built on the places of Muslim buildings - the "center of infidelity". Even Syuyumbike, right up to the nineteenth century, mistakenly attributed to the buildings of the Khan period, was built much later, already in Russian times. And the proof of this are many elements, their architecture, especially the pilasters and places for images.

After the conquest of the city, Ivan the Terrible sent architects there. They started a new building. First, the main structures - temples and towers - were erected with wooden ones. It is believed that the first of the stone was built a small church in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The Imperial Residence

In the first half of the nineteenth century, Nicholas I decides that the governor of the city will perform the functions of the tsar's governor. At the same time it was planned that the Kazan Kremlin, whose photo shows the monumentality of this architectural complex, will become an imperial residence. In connection with this, the construction of the governor's palace began. The structure was designed by the architect Constantine Ton. He owns the idea of creating in Kazan a smaller analogue of the Grand Kremlin Palace. During the construction work, Nicholas I personally watched closely. As a result, the building turned out to be a striking example of a mixed Russian-Byzantine style adorning the Kazan Kremlin.

Excursion

For its thousand-year history, a complex of architectural monuments has repeatedly changed its appearance. But the clutches of ancient mosques and towers preserved deep underground, as well as many burial places, have remained to this day. Now in the territory for visitors open museums of the Kazan Kremlin, dedicated not only to this ancient fortress, but in general the history of the people, Islamic culture and nature of this region. There is also a memorial of the Great Patriotic War in memory of three hundred and fifty thousand Tatarstanians who have not returned from the front.

The Spasskaya Tower

The first thing that tourists see that are suitable for the Kazan Kremlin is the Spasskaya Tower. It is made in the Bulgarian style and is crowned with a double-headed eagle. The tower was built in the 1660's. It was repeatedly updated and rebuilt.

In addition to the Spasskaya Tower, seven other similar structures were preserved on the territory of the fortress: Voskresenskaya, Transfiguration, South-East and South-Western, Consistorial, Bezymyannaya and Tainitskaya.

Süümbike

The main attention in the ensemble attracts this structure. Above the famous Pisa at two meters, this tower began to heel immediately after the completion of construction. By the 1930s, the angle of its inclination had reached a critical mark of one hundred and twenty-eight centimeters. And if it were not for restoration and strengthening works, its roll would be much larger.

The tower Syuyumbike is called the recognized architectural symbol of the capital of Tatarstan. To imagine Kazan without it is impossible, just like Egypt without pyramids, and Paris without the Eiffel Tower.

The graceful silhouette of this building attracts the attention of tourists, and legends and myths told about it truly fascinate. Here's one of them. Ivan the Terrible, who conquered Kazan, liked the beautiful queen. However, the beautiful Syuyumbike, who received a marriage proposal from the Russian Tsar, put the condition: to build in seven days such a tower, above which there will be no tower. At that time, her wish was fulfilled. And Syuyumbike herself, who supposedly decided to say goodbye to her beloved people, climbed up to this structure and rushed from it. Since then the tower has started to heel downwards ...

The Governor's Palace

This pompous structure is not only a cultural value. Today it, like in ancient times, performs political and administrative functions. Being once an imperial palace, today the palace is the residence of the President of Tatarstan. In many buildings adjacent to it, ministries and various departments are located.

Blagoveshchensky cathedral

It truly is one of the oldest monuments of Russian architecture preserved in the capital of this republic. The Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin was founded on October 4, 1552 on the orders of Ivan the Terrible. The wooden church was cut down in just three days in the wasteland. And already the sixth day of the same month it was consecrated in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin. The main part of the activity of many saints of Kazan is associated with this unique cathedral, here they are buried. Not bad preserved and the cell of the first bishop of this diocese - Archbishop Guria. And on the eastern side of the wall somehow miraculously preserved the oldest fresco depicting the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands.

Kul-Sharif Mosque

Monuments of the Kazan Kremlin in its list include a modern, but very beautiful building. This is the mosque of Kul-Sharif. For the first time the solemn namaz in it sounded on June 24, 2005. It bears the name of Said Kul-Sharif. It was the imam of that mosque called Al-Kabir, which existed here in the era of the Kazan Khanate and was destroyed by the soldiers of Ivan the Terrible.

Today, Kul-Sharif is considered a tribute to memory and respect for distant ancestors. The mosque is a very original synthesis of architectural styles and traditions, the most common in the Islamic world.

Kul-Sharif was built and is now positioned as the main mosque for all Tatars living on the planet. This is a festive Friday Moslem church, so Namaz is read in it no more than once a day. In general, the tourists come to the mosque, for which there are neither weekdays nor holidays.

How to get there?

The Kazan Kremlin is on the left bank of Mother Volga. You can get there by buses 6, 29, 37, 35, 47 and other routes, by trolleybus, and by metro. Near it a station "Kremlyovskaya" was built. Those who come by public transport, you can go to the stop "TSUM", "st. Bauman "," Palace of Sports "or" Central Stadium ".

The entrance to the territory of the Kazan Kremlin is free. You can go through the gate from the side of the Spassky Tower.

Reviews

After the revolution, a complex of architectural structures was badly damaged. But when in the nineties of the last century the Kazan Kremlin received the status of the residence of the President of Tatarstan, restoration work began here. Today tourists call this ancient fortress the first landmark of the city, every centimeter of which is permeated with history.

At the end of the last century, work began on the reconstruction of the Kul-Sharif mosque. And today it is considered one of the largest in the whole of Europe. And in 2003 a symbolic sculpture was installed in the park next to the Annunciation Cathedral. It was called "Architects of the Kazan Kremlin". From the sculpture the architects - Russian and Tatar - look at their works. After all, the fruit of their work - a unique architectural ensemble - was created and revived by the efforts of these two peoples.

Tourists complain: for inspection of all the sights of the Kazan Kremlin, one or two days is not enough. Some, those who are limited in time, choose a sightseeing tour. It lasts a half to two hours and costs about six hundred rubles for a group of up to ten people. Most of all visitors are impressed by the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kazan Kremlin. This snow-white construction with blue-blue domes, according to many believers, literally overturns their outlook.

The beginning of this millenium Kazan Kremlin met included in the UNESCO heritage. This unique value of the complex - a witness of the falls and ups of entire peoples who inhabited the Volga region at different times, - in their reviews necessarily mark those who have been here.