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)

Taynitskaya Tower in Kazan

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

Point 1

Taynitskaya Tower

🏟️ Architectural landmark • 🏯 Fortress remains • 📜 Historic site

Historical Background

Even today, looking at the Kazan Kremlin, you can see that it sits on a fairly large rise above the rest of the city, and in ancient times this was even more striking. Back then the location was ideal for defending the city and watching over two large rivers: the kremlin stands on a high cape above the Kazanka, near where it flows into the Volga. That is why this spot can be considered one of the oldest historic cores of Kazan. And it is here, in the very heart of the city, that we begin our journey. Standing by the northern walls, closer to the Kazanka River, you can picture yourself as an ancient Bulgar without a twinge of historical conscience: right here, by the Taynitskaya Tower, are some of the key and oldest archaeological excavations in the Kazan Kremlin.

About the Name

The tower takes its name from a secret water source that could quench the townspeople's thirst during sieges. The Taynitsky Spring is a spring on the bank of the Kazanka that was reached by an underground passage. The besieged went for water in secret, hence the name (taina means “secret”). Over time the spring fell into disrepair and the secret passage was destroyed. In the days of the Kazan Khanate the tower was called Nurali, after Khan Nur-Ali. Later, in the Russian kremlin, it was called the Nikolskaya Tower, after a church that stood nearby.