It was on a warm summer afternoon I boarded that train in Saint Petersburg, starting on my way east, from Europe towards Asia. It was a long trip through the endless Russian plains. In the mostly occupied by adolescent soldiers third-class carriage, there wasn’t much opportunity for talking. Leave aside some short conversations with an old lady heading to her hometown in Kazakstan and the conductor, I mostly had to wait quietly and patiently for the day and night to pass. By noon the next day, the train finally had reached my destination: the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan.
Kazan is a city built at the confluence of Volga and Kazanka Rivers. Its name probably derives from the Turkic root kazan, meaning cauldron; there is a number of different stories trying to explain the name’s origin. It is a bicultural city, with its peoples being divided evenly between Russians and Tatars. With a population of about a million and a quarter people, it is the sixth-largest city in Russia. It has been granted the right by the Russian Patent Office to brand itself as the ‘third capital’ of Russia.
I exited the station and found myself in a spacious square, under a wide deep-blue sky interspersed with fast-moving, fluffy clouds. I walked to the canteen opposite the station entrance and got myself a mushroom pirog (pie) and a cup of coffee. I sat on a bench, and no sooner than I took the first bite off my pie, I was under raid from a flock of unnaturally fat and suicidally bold sparrows who tried to eat my pie away straight out from my hand. I only managed to finish off the pie in relative peace after diverting them by throwing crumbs on the ground.
Every last tiny bit of the pie ended up in a stomach or another, and then was I briefly left alone to enjoy my coffee. Soon I got a new company… Two drunken vagrants were heading for my bench at a slow pace; the soberer of the two supporting the other – who was almost in a coma – on his shoulder. First came the stench of vodka and, soon after, they, too, reached the bench. The one remained unconscious; the other lit a cigarette and stroke up a conversation with me. He told me about his current problem: that his passed-out friend over there has a train to Moscow to catch, and he has to wait there with him all the while so to put him on the train. We then spoke about various other things, and he eventually invited me to stay in an abandoned building nearby, together with him and other homeless folks of the city, in case I didn’t have a place to sleep. That wasn’t the case. So I thanked him for the company and the proposal and started on my way.
I was going to stay at my friend Olga’s place in the eastern suburbs of the city. I still had a few hours to wait until she finished work. So I decided to walk the 10 km to her place and have a first look at the city. A couple of hours later I was settled for the day. I needed some good rest. The next morning I had to head downtown again and explore Kazan. I was suggested by my friend a nice walking route passing by various of the most interesting sights of the city, and this is what I saw…
Ekiyat Puppet Theater
My first stop was the Ekiyat Puppet Theater. This was founded in 1934 and since 2012 it is housed in this amazing, reminiscent of an epic fairytale castle building you see below. I find Russian architecture generally somehow more cheerful and fairytalish, but this is the kind of building that would have made my heart leap in excitement if I was to see it in my childhood.
Kazan Millenium Park
Continuing my way towards the center, I strolled through Millenium Park. This was opened in 2005 in honor of the city’s millennium anniversary. It’s a nice open area with beautiful gardens, a few sculptures, wide lanes, and plenty of benches to sit and relax. In its center, there is a cauldron fountain, symbolic for one of the legends related to the city’s foundation. I found the park nearly empty. Other than a few gardeners laboriously preparing the park for the summer and the imminent World Cup, I was the only soul in it and had the chance to spend some quiet, introspective time sitting on one of its benches.
Tukay Square
Right beside the northwestern side of the park, there lies Tukay Square. This is the very heart of the city of Kazan. The most central subway station of the city is located there. In the middle of the square, there is a pretty fountain with a statue which looks like a famished mermaid. By the side of the fountain, there is an old bronze clock with some inscribed lines in Arabic – verses of the Quran, one could easily guess. Due to it being a favorite meeting point for couples, it’s been dubbed the lovers’ clock. Across the street from the square, lies the Koltso (ring) Shopping Center. It owes its name to the characteristic ring-shaped corridor attached to its facade.
Bauman Street
From Tukay Square starts Bauman Street: the city’s central pedestrian street: Kazan’s equivalent of Moscow’s Arbat Street. This is where all the fancy shops, cafes, and restaurants; the gorgeous, Russian (and Tatar in this case) girls sauntering elegantly up and down; and the peculiar to Russia dressed-in-silly-animal-costumes advertisers striving to hand you over their leaflets are to be found. Other than that, the street also has some fountains, artworks, old buildings, and a few lindens. For the record, Bauman was (who else?) a hero of the revolution.
Epiphany Cathedral (Bogoyavlensky Sobor)
In Bauman Street lies also the Epiphany Cathedral, probably the most impressive building of the city altogether – Well… there is actually nothing so very special about the temple itself, but about its belltower rather. This was built at the end of the 19th century in Russian baroque style, and it reaches a height of 74 meters. I attempted to climb to the top and marvel at the view, but it was closed during that time, and I didn’t see any timetable either. I suppose, though, it must be open for the public to climb it at some times.
Kazan Kremlin
Walking down to the northern end of Bauman Street, I reached the most important site of the city: the Kazan Kremlin. This is a citadel at the confluence of Volga and Kazanka rivers. Due to its strategic position, it historically attracted lots of Turkic hordes’ chiefs who established their fortifications as early as the beginning of the 11th century, thus bringing the city of Kazan to life. In 1552, after a many-year-long siege, the citadel finally fell under the mighty assault of the notorious Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible. This event, after more than a century of bloody battles, terminated the Russo-Kazan Wars; and decided which of the two cultures will control the center of Eurasia, becoming thus one of the world’s greatest nations.
The citadel complex contains several picturesque historical buildings, some of which date back to Ivan’s time. The oldest of all is the Annunciation Cathedral, built in 1554. The most imposing and renown building is the Kul Sharif Mosque. An original mosque with the same name existed in the same spot, prior to Ivan’s troops flattening it during the siege. Its reconstruction was completed in 2005, consuming ample funds donated by the Gulf’s petrol tycoons. It now is Europe’s largest mosque and can accommodate up to 6,000 worshippers.
This was the first time in my life I ever entered a mosque in a non-predominantly-Muslim country. Out of habit, I kept my eyes open looking for the place where I’m supposed to take my shoes off, as I proceeded to the temple’s entrance together with a bunch of other tourists. There was no such, I figured out. Just like everyone else, I walked straight into it with my shoes on. The ground floor was more of a museum than a temple. There were two winding staircases inside the walls. They led up to a gallery overlooking the secluded, inaccessible-for-infidels second floor of the mosque, which was the actual worshipping ground. A number of believers were there kneeling and prostrating on the elaborate oriental carpet which covered the floor; praying solemnly under the surveillance of the tourists and their cameras on the gallery above.
Palace Square and the Palace of Agriculture
Having enjoyed plentily the epic atmosphere prevalent within the Kremlin’s walls, as well as the fantastic views of the city and the rivers without, I got down and continued my stroll. Right off the citadel’s eastern wall lies the Palace Square. By its southern side stands the monumental building of the Ministry of Agriculture, usually referred to as the Palace of Agriculture. It is distinguished by the gigantic, metallic tree sculpture which adorns its glass facade.
Kremlin Embankment
The Kremlin Embankment was created recently, in 2015, to host a nice promenade along the Kazanka River south bank. I took the walk and enjoyed some really nice views of the river, the Kremlin, and the Millennium Bridge. There are plenty of nice restaurants with outdoor sitting areas and a separate lane for cycling and roller-skating. Speakers all along the promenade were playing mild classical music. The Museum of Kazan Millennium is also situated there.
Gorky Park
By the east end of the promenade, Gorky Park is located. The area was in use since the 18th century already, when wealthy Kazanians started to build there their summer houses. It was then known as Russian Switzerland. Today it is a popular place for locals to escape the city’s rush. It covers a rather big area which is more of a wild forest than a city park. Within its premises, one finds fountains, several playgrounds, sports grounds, an open-air gym, and a sky park. More interestingly for me personally, there was also the common for Russia ‘chess-ground’: where mostly old men gather to play chess. I stopped by, had a fast game, and continued exploring the city.
Kazan Family Center
Next was the north bank of Kazanka River. I crossed over to the other side via the Millennium Bridge. I passed through the city’s business district – where the glass towers; the overpriced, American-style restaurants; the costumed chaps; and all the like are to be found – and got to amble back westwards along the river bank. The most interesting sight on the north bank of Kazanka River is the Kazan Family Center. This is a huge mushroom-shaped building which, if I understood well, isn’t used for much else other than hosting wedding ceremonies – extravagance to the next level; even the Catholic Church had a few more uses for their cathedrals. This time was an exception though. The Fifa World Cup was going to start in a few days, and the space was reserved for setting up the giant screen (and the giant bar necessary to make drunk some thousands of attendees) where the games would be projected. So the street in front of it was currently closed for the traffic and the space of the Family Center was closed for visitors.
Kyrlay Park and Nizhneye Zarechye Beach
Another interesting place I found on the north bank was Kyrlay Park. There is an amusement park in there, plenty of shade, and a nice overall atmosphere. Near the park, there is also a beach known as Nizhneye Zarechye: It’s not the kind of beach you see in a postcard, but it’s alright for a place located several thousands of miles away from the sea.
Estuary of Kazanka River
Having completed this long circle, I crossed back to the south bank of Kazanka by the bridge running over the dam constructed at the point where Kazanka flows into the Volga. The views of Europe’s largest river are wonderful from over the bridge. At the mouth of Kazanka, there is also a nice church built on a small island.
Black Lake Park
Back to the center of the city, a bit before sunset, I strolled through Black Lake Park. There is a large pond in its middle which apparently is the black lake. It seemed to be a favorite place for teenagers, big companies of whom were chilling here and there.
That was what interesting I got to see in Kazan during these two days. After this long walk, I eventually found myself back at Tukay Square. There I met with my friends and we spent a cozy evening with beer, shisha, and chatting in a bar nearby. Afterwards, we also did a drive around to see the city by nighttime. Finally, we returned home early to sleep. Early on the next morning, I had to catch a train to Ekaterinburg.
Stays & Activities in Kazan
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