The city of Kazan
Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan (in the Russian Federation), it is sometimes called “the sports capital of Russia”. It is a largest port on the left embankment of the Volga River and the sixth largest city in Russia. The city is the economical, political, scientific and cultural centre of the Republic. It is thought that Kazan was founded about 1000 years ago (a coin issued in Bohemia, A.D. 929—930, was found there during an archeological dig), at the same time, Kazan was mentioned in Russian chronicles, from the 14th century.
The city was an outpost on the Northern borders of the Volga Bulgaria (the Turkic state which existed between the 7th and 13th centuries, around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers). Kazan was the capital of the Golden Horde (the western part of the Mongol Empire) from the 13th until the15th centuries. In 1438 AD Kazan became the capital of the Kazan Khanate, a newly organized state that emerged when the Mongol Empire collapsed. It was included into the Russian Tsardom, when the troops of Ivan the Terrible captured the city in the year of 1552.
The architectural appearance of Kazan was shaped by the influences of Orthodox Christianity, Islam and modern secular culture. In historic Kazan, there are 469 memorial buildings and estates.
The fortunate location on the trade routes between East and West, promoted to the city’s growth.
The city of Kazan is an important element within the West China-West Europe transport corridor. The Kazan Kremlin (1556) is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
