Kazan - City Information

Kazan info

Kazan, which like Rome stands on seven hills, is the capital of the ancient people and country whose names, though familiar, are shrouded in misconceptions. The people are the Kazan Tatars; the country is Tatarstan. Situated, as a result of historical circumstances, in the very heart of Russia, only eight hundred kilometres to the east of Moscow, Kazan is the capital of a multi-national republic that occupies the area between the Volga and the Ural Mountains. The Tatars have their own language, their own culture, their own age-old traditions and festivals, their own faith, but their past has been and remains intertwined with the history of Russia in the most dramatic and sometimes fateful way. The population of Kazan is 1,143,600 (2010 Census), whcih makes is the eighth most populous city in Russia.

Kazan was founded as an outpost on northern borders of Volzhkaya Bulgaria. During 13th-14th centuries Kazan was an important trade and political center in Golden Horde. In 1438 Kazan city was declared the capital of Kazan Khanate. As a result of the Siege of Kazan (1552) Russia under Ivan the Terrible conquered the city for good and the majority of the population was massacred. The Kazan Khanate declared its independence in the early 17th century, yet it was suppressed by Kuzma Minin in 1612. In 1708, the Khanate of Kazan was abolished, and Kazan became the center of a guberniya. After Peter the Great's visit, the city became a center of shipbuilding for the Caspian fleet. In 20th century the city experienced a lot of events. Kazan became one of the centers of revolution, in 1918 during the Civil War heavy battles were held for Kazan. In 1920 the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed with the capital Kazan. In 1930s intensive industrialization of Kazan city began, at the same time the population rapidly grew. During World War II a lot of big plants were evacuated to Kazan as well as a part of the USSR Academy of Science. In post-war period Kazan city intensely developed, in 1979 the population was over 1,000,000. In 1990s Kazan became one of the financial and political centers of Russia.

Today Kazan city is the center of Tatar people culture. Since 2000, the city has been undergoing a total renovation. The historical center, including its Kremlin, has been rebuilt. The city's population consists almost entirely composed of both Russians (about 48.8 percent) and Tatars (about 47.5 percent). The city itself is divided into 2 parts that have been historically inhibited by Russians and Tatars with mosques and Orthodox churches on the corresponding sides.

Kazan is a large railway, highway and airway junction. It is the most important economic center of the region. Main industries of Kazan city are automotive, chemical, food, light and petrochemical industries. An innovative economy is represented by the largest IT-park in Russia which is one of the largest of its kind amongst Eastern Europe science parks.

City is one of the biggest scientific centres of Russia. Kazan formed a big number of scientific areas and schools (mathematical, chemical, medical, linguistic, geological, geobotanical, etc. There are 44 institutes of higher education in Kazan, including 19 branches of universities from other cities. Kazan Federal University (founded in 1804) is third oldest university in Russia after Saint Petersburg State University (1724) and Moscow State University (1755).

One of most famous city sights is Kazan Kremlin, which was declared the World Heritage Site in 2000. It is the chief historic citadel of Tatarstan built on behest of Ivan the Terrible on the ruins of the former castle of Kazan khans. The Kazan Kremlin includes many old buildings, the oldest of which are the Annunciation Cathedral, Söyembikä Tower and the Spasskaya Tower, Secret Tower and the Governor's House.

Kazan is a home for famous Tatar festival 'Sabantuy, featuring with folk games, pole climbing, sack races, tug-of-war, weightlifting, water-carrying races and grain-sack fighting, as well as Rudolf Nuriev International Ballet Festival and the Shalyapin International Opera Festival which have become Kazan brand.

More about Kazan at Wikipedia

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