Top 10 magnificent places of Kazan. Did not see - did not recognize Kazan!

Nothing so refreshes emotions as a change of scenery and new experiences. But what to do when the laid vacation has already been safely spent the past summer days? There is a way out: use well weekends. Today I will prove that to the brim to be filled with new impressions, plunge a little into the Eastern fairy tale and even feel a little abroad without leaving your home country.

So, we go on a weekend to Kazan with its thousand-year history and traditions, with ancient architecture and national cuisine.

Kazan is a really luxurious city for the weekend. You will have to accept this once you find yourself on its streets, where every building and alley seems to breathe history and ancient legends. Getting to Kazan you feel comfortable and well-groomed European city, and its numerous minarets, unusual names of streets and squares give a unique oriental flavor.

You can start your acquaintance with the city on a tourist double-decker bus in red. The ticket can be bought from the driver, it is valid for one day (500p) or two days (600p). This means that you can get on the bus and get off an unlimited number of times during these days. On the route it has 10 stops, it is most convenient to start the tour from Tukay Square. After purchasing a ticket, the driver will give you a small brochure about the sights of the city and the tour route, a plaid if you decide to sit on the second floor (it is unheated) and most importantly headphones with an audio guide. The audio guide automatically adjusts at stops at traffic lights and traffic jams and plays the tour in 8 different languages!

1. Kazan Kremlin.

In general, the city center is quite compact, so with good weather you can walk around all the main architectural monuments. Touching upon the theme of the architecture of the city, I cannot but mention the Kazan Kremlin, although in every guidebook it is given the lion’s share of attention, but words cannot be thrown out of the song. This is the oldest part of the city, as befits the city fortification, located on a hill and surrounded by a strong defensive wall. You can get to it on the pedestrian street Bauman or climb the Kremlin street. By the way, since 2000, the Kazan Kremlin has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are a lot of architectural monuments on the territory of the Kremlin, the most interesting of them are the mystical Syuyumbike Tower, the pride of all Kazan residents the residence of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan and the visiting card of Kazan - the Kul-Sharif mosque. The territory of the Kremlin is large, and if you walk through it with feeling, with sense, with arrangement, it will take more than one hour of time.

2. Old Tatar settlement.

But I want to dwell on the Old Tatar Sloboda in more detail, since nothing is mentioned about it in most guidebooks about Kazan. And it is very in vain, because it is a quiet and very atmospheric corner, in my opinion, the best reflects the character of the city and deserves special attention. In general, the area of the Staro-Tatar settlement is quite extensive, but the circle of our curiosity is represented by its small square located on the shore of Lake Kaban. The square is adjacent to the pedestrian street-promenade of Marjani with a scattering of benches, flower beds and souvenir shops. Its main object is the Al-Marjani mosque of the same name, built in the 18th century with the funds of parishioners by personal permission of Catherine II. This small mosque is a very important and iconic building for the entire Tatar people, the embodiment of the beginning of the society of multi-religious tolerance in Russia.

Pictured: Al-Marjani Mosque on the shores of Lake Kaban

3. Kazan Islamic College

Opposite the mosque on Zaini Sultan Street stands a giant two-storey wooden building with large windows in carved casings. The house is painted in all colors of the rainbow and is associated with the rich merchant house of the last century. It houses the current Kazan Islamic College. Not far from it is the dormitory of college students and a women's madrasah.

4. Hotel and restaurant complex "Tatar estate"

Along the square opposite Lake Kaban stretched across the street numerous cafes and shops. Among them is the hotel and restaurant complex "Tatar Manor", a very colorful place, like the district itself. Expectedly, the restaurant specializes in national cuisine, its feature is that dishes are prepared in a real old Bulgarian oven! In addition, the complex has another interesting feature: in the courtyard it has a small museum and an art gallery. Anyone can visit the yard for free, including those who are not visitors to the restaurant.

National Tatar cuisine is characterized by an abundance of flour products and the addition to dishes when cooking internal animal fat. In general, there are many different cafes and restaurants in the city, a variety of cuisines and different wallets. But still the city catering significantly prefers oriental cuisine. The absolute dignity of the establishments include chic interiors, where not only the stomach, but also the eye rejoices. It seems to me that the very names Pashmir, Rubai, Sultanate, Bukhara are capable of magnetizing for dinner.

5. Ekiyat Family Cafe.

In the center on Bauman Street, a family cafe with almost half a century of history "Ekiyat" ("Fairy Tale") is worth visiting. The cafe has been operating since 1970 and perfectly prepares both national cuisine and European dishes.

6. Kazan fast food "Tatmak".

Kazan has its own fast food, which is patriotically called "Tatmak", specializing mainly in branded pizza with a variety of fillings, but you can also order, for example, a Tatburger with Adyghe cheese. Every resident is probably familiar with Tatmak, especially the numerous students of the city. Yeah, cheap, yeah, good.

7. Puppet theater.

After dinner, it is time to think about spiritual food. A huge number of museums are expected in the city, but I suggest going to the Puppet Theatre with the already familiar name "Ekiyat" ("Fairy Tale"). The building itself seems to have descended from Disney cartoons about fabulous princesses. The repertoire of the theater includes more than 40 plays, which present fairy tales of the peoples of the world, on historical and modern themes. The theater has only one drawback: tickets must be booked in a month! That's what it means to be wildly popular with viewers.

8. Kamal Theatre and Tinchurin Theatre.

If you are one of the avid theatergoers, then you will surely be interested in two amazing theaters: the Kamal Theater and the Tinchurin Theater, named after the great playwrights. The performances in them are in the Tatar language, but if you firmly decided to join the theater art, then headphones with simultaneous translation in Russian and English are issued in the foyer. Of course, with such a translation, humor, zest is partially lost, but no native speaker will leave indifferent.

9. The Temple of All Religions or the Temple of Peace.

The next day you can go to the Temple of All Religions or the Temple of Peace. It is located very close to the city, in pos. Old Arakcino, which can be reached by city bus. Visually, it looks more like a fairy-tale town than a separate building, so densely on it are spires, turrets, domes, stained glass windows, mosaic decorations. In the ensemble there is an Orthodox church, a Muslim mosque, a Jewish synagogue and a pagoda. The construction of the temple began in 1994 and will continue to this day. The building promises to have a space view, as the project provides domes and other iconic elements of 16 religions, including religious cults of disappeared civilizations.

10. Engelgart Astronomical Observatory.

And the most romantic will surely be delighted with the excursion to the observatory. Engelgart Astronomical Observatory, located 20 km from the city, has more than a century of history. You can get to it by train from the central station to the Observatory station. Next, you will need to cross the village on foot and climb up a mountain of 1.5 km. The tour should be booked in advance, it passes twice a day. The tour begins at 20:00 and will last about 2-2.5 hours, depending on sunset.

In the building of the Observatory there is a planetarium that opened in 2013, these are different organizations, so you need to pay extra for entering it. Secretly speaking, the new planetarium is somewhat “pop” and interesting probably only for children, and does not cause as much emotion as the observatory. You will not be able to return to the city by train, so you will have to use taxi services. In this case, I can say that a tour is organized from the city, with a round trip included, but it will need to be taken care of in advance.

Kazan is also known as the sports capital. What are Ak Bars, Rubin, Universiade, after all? By the way, it was the Universiade that became a turning point in the development of the city, many sports (Kazan-Arena) and not so (Chasha) facilities were opened specifically for this event. I suggest cheering for the city's hosts at the Ak Bars or Rubin game. Girls can also have a good time at the match, if only because in the stadium you can cry from the heart with everyone, thereby saying goodbye to the accumulated stress.

Pictured: Kazan Arena Stadium

And finally, do not miss the chance to admire the city from the observation deck of the Kazan registry office building “Cup”. It was built based on the legend of the emergence of the city and there is no elevator to the observation deck, so you will have to climb the stairs. But the most persistent will be rewarded with a chic panoramic view of the city.

What one word could describe Kazan? I'd say "rich" about her. She generously gives new impressions and charges emotions. We had a busy weekend, and we haven’t mentioned the island of Sviyazhsk or the ancient city of Bulgar yet. Of course, it is impossible to visit all its sights in one weekend, especially since acquaintance with any city or country does not tolerate rush. Kazan should be savored, leisurely strolling along the promenades and winding streets in the center, peeking into the windows of the cafe and taking pictures for memory. And the unconquered peaks can be left until next time, because you will definitely want to come back here again.

Text by Diana Yusupova