Kazan: A City of Harmonious Contrasts

11 points4 km1 hour

Get to know Kazan, where an ancient kremlin sits beside modern rebuilds, a mosque beside an Orthodox cathedral, and city legends beside real historical events. The route starts in the heart of the city, the Kazan Kremlin, and leads along touristy Bauman Street to the quiet Black Lake park, Freedom Square and the National Library, ending on the Kremlin Embankment with views of “The Bowl” and the Ferris wheel.

Route author

Alina Rakhmanova

Things to do

👀 Watch city life
🏛️🕰️ Compare the eras
📸 Take photos

Route points (11)

Governor's Palace in Kazan

Point on route “Kazan: A City of Harmonious Contrasts”

Point 2

Governor's Palace

🏟️ Architectural landmark • 🏰 Palace • 📜 Historic site

Historical Background

Heading south from the Taynitskaya Tower, it's hard to miss the Governor's Palace, now behind a wrought-iron fence. The building has always served the rulers of these lands: in ancient times the khans' palace stood on this spot, followed by the chief commandant's house. At first, as the name says, the governor really did sit here; later, in Soviet times, the building housed the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet and the Council of Ministers of the Tatar ASSR. Today the palace is the residence of the Rais (head) of the Republic of Tatarstan. It was Nicholas I himself who ordered a “military governor's house with imperial quarters” to be built here, in 1836. He personally chose the site and spent several years approving the plans. So the palace wasn't simply built “to an architect's design” but on the emperor's personal orders.

About the Architecture

The current building went up in 1845–1848 to a design by the famous Moscow architect Konstantin Thon, who also designed the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. The interiors were done by the architect A. I. Peske. The palace is in an eclectic style with elements of Russian Classicism, Baroque and Old Russian architecture.