Kazan is situated in the central time zone. The city lives according to Moscow time. Astronomic noon comes to Kazan 46 minutes earlier than to Moscow and 1 hour 15 minutes earlier than to St.Petersburg.
Kazan’s extent from north to south is 28 km, and from east to west is more than 30 km. There are more than 1700 streets and side streets in Kazan and their extent is more than 1000 km.
Electrical circuit voltage is 220 volt.
Not so long ago Wi-Fi was for charge but today there are free of charge hotspots in restaurants, hotels and public institutions of Kazan.
Today there are many Russian and Kazan companies in the communication market of Kazan, which sell IP telephone service. You can buy international telephone cards in any cell communications office.
There are five TV companies, 10 radio stations and more than 150 newspapers and magazines in Tatar and Russian languages in Kazan.
Kazan can also be found in the Internet:
Mayor’s office
1000 year Anniversary of Kazan
Recreation facilities in Kazan
First fast food restaurant McDonald’s on Bauman Street was opened in Kazan in 1998.
Average salary in Kazan is 14 138 rubles – 382,1 Euro (for the beginning of 2008). Average cost of square meter of dwelling in Kazan is 39 684 rubles – 1072,5 Euro (primary market) and 41 761 rubles – 1129 Euro (secondary market).
More than 40 thousand cars are registered in Tatarstan every year. Motor car park numbers more than 300 thousand cars (250 cars per 1000 people). There are many official dealers of world famous car enterprises in Kazan.
Kazan pigeons – active, graceful not large - are famous among the pigeon breeders of the world. At one time Kazan was one of the leaders of pigeon breeding among the Volga region cities. The color of their feathering is different – red, yellow, black and white. The flight of Kazan pigeons is light and smooth, flushing, they rise in small circles, playing around and somersaulting.
Kazan cat is one of the symbols of Kazan, the most popular print hero in Russia in XVII – XIX centuries. Kazan cats became famous when in 1775 Catherine II came to Kazan and while staying in one of the hotels noticed that there were no mice, because cats exterminated them all. St. Petersburg was full of mice and Catherine II made a decree to catch and to bring 200 Kazan cats to St. Petersburg. They say, that still nowadays the cats’ offsprings live in the storerooms of the St.Petersburg museums.
Their first movie the Kazanians could watch in indoor theatre in Panaeyvsky Garden in 1896. “Dynamo” stadium is situated on that very place nowadays.
There is the underground temple of Ilya Muromets, which you can visit with the guide. It is situated on the island in Kazanka River, in the vault under the over ground part of the temple - monument in the name of Icon of the Vernicle Image of the Saviour, which is also known as the monument to the soldiers, who died during the capture of Kazan in 1552. In spring, when water level rises, the vault is flooded.
According to the reminiscences of famous dissident writer Vassily Aksenov, in the morning of May, 9, 1945, when all the city celebrated the Victory, the elephant walked through the central streets of Kazan. He walked through the Liberty square, along Lobachevsky street, Chernoe Ozero (Black Lake) Park to the Kremlin, along Bauman and Kuibyshev street. The elephant was accompanied by the camel. These days famous Durovs’ circus was on tour in Kazan and decided to celebrate the Kazanians in such way.
Motorcycles, bicycles and scooters are among the most popular means of transportation of Kazan youth. More than 200 people are the members of scooter-clubs and cycle-clubs and more than 100 people are the members of motorcycle club.
There are more than 250 water reservoirs in Kazan. The most part of them, 75, is in Novo-Savinovsky district, more than 40 are in Sovetsky district, more than 30 reservoirs are in Privolzhsky district. Some of them became shallow, but the most part keeps environmentally clean and you can even find muskrats and ducks here. The deepest lake is situated in the chain of Blue lakes (Golubye Ozera) with radon springs, its depth is 20 meters.
There are 2 pedestrian streets in Kazan – Bauman street and half of Peterburgskaya street. Both the streets are situated in the center of the city and Peterburgskaya street is the extension of Bauman street. The length of pedestrian zone is 2,5 km.
The highest fountain in the city is situated in the center of Kazan, near G.Kamal theatre on the lake of Kaban. The water jet is 50 meters high. Here, in front of the theatre, you can also find the complex of “dancing” fountains. It is one of the favorite places in the city.
In Kazan the edges of the pavements in St.Petersburg manner are called “porebrik” and in Moscow manner the entrance is called “front door (podyezd)”, bread “the loaf of bread (bukhanka)” and white bread is called “long loaf (baton)”. Besides, there are some words which came to the Russian language from Tatar, such as “ayda” (let’s go), “babay” (grandfather), “araky” (vodka), “bish gramm” (5 grams), “akcha” (money), “balyk” (fish), “shulay shul” (exactly so), “bik yakhshy” (very good), “bayram” (holiday), “bashka” (head). All these words can be heard in everyday speech of Russian Kazanians.
In the modern arms of the Republic of Tatarstan you can find a winged ounce. There is a legend about the young orphan boy, who was brought up by the white winged ounce. The ounce is the symbol of fertility and the protector of the nation and the state.
In the arms of Kazan you can find winged dragon Zilant. His image is very popular in Kazan architecture from the ancient times. This rear image gave the skilled craftsmen the opportunity to improvise. They depicted him in stone, plaster, iron, wood, cast iron. Zilant symbolizes the strength and creation for the favor of a man.
Besides the Writers’ Union there are 3 literature studios in Kazan. More than 200 young poets and prose writers are among their members. ARS Poetica Studio (head - Timur Aldoshin) meets in Kazan State University, youth literature studio “White Crown (Belaya Vorona)” (head – Nailya Akhunova) meets in “Tatkniga” bookstore, Marl Zaretsky studio (head – Vil Mustafin) meets in Gorky Museum.
The highest point of Kazan for many centuries was the spire of the Suyumbike Tower with gilded half moon. The tower is situated in Kazan Kremlin and its height is 58 meters. New highest points in Kazan are two new 17 and 14-storey buildings of Kazan State University, which were built in 1973-1978.
The largest mosque in Europe is situated in Kazan. It was named after seid Kul Sharif (head of Kazan Khanate Muslims, XVI century poet, which died defending the khanate citadel). According to legend, the image of this mosque influenced the image of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, which was built in honor of seizure of Kazan.
The Raifa monastery, one of the masterpieces of XVII century Russian architecture is situated near Kazan. Here you can see wonder-working Georgian Icon of Our Lady and the church in the name of martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and their mother Sophia. This church is considered to be the smallest in Europe.
Kazan Icon of Our Lady - the greatest relic of the Russian Christianity, which was returned to Kazan by the Pope John Paul II, is kept in Kazan since 2005. The Icon is kept in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, which was built on the place of its invention.
One of the most famous “falling” towers in the world - the Suyumbike Tower – is situated in Kazan Kremlin. Deviation of its spire from the vertical line is 1,98 meters.
To the anniversary of Kazan the bridges over Bulak canal, which is in the center of the city, got their names. The most beautiful of them – Lebedevsky – connects M.Djalil and T.Gizzat streets, this bridge was also named humpbacked as it was built in the form of large arch. Next to it, there are Lozhkinsky, Romanovsky, Degtyarevsky, Baturinsky and Bulochny bridges. There are seven bridge signs, but bridges are six. Lift bridge non- existent today was situated in the canal mouth near the Kremlin. But the sign “Zharkovsky” was placed there regard for the history. There are 38 bridges in Kazan, including transportation and railway bridges.
There is a micro district in the Soviet district of Kazan which is called “Cuba” by the locals. Most of the “Khrushchev buildings”, built in 1960-s are situated here. This micro district surrounded by ravines actually reminds small heroic country, which struggled for its independence in 1960-s.
One of Kazan collectors of retro-cars owns BMW, in which the German Army colonel general Guderian came to Kazan Military Tank School in 1929. There he learned how to use new military equipment – tanks.
One of the favorite walking and resting places in Kazan is the Chernoe Ozero (Black Lake) park. There is a “Lovers’ Arch” in the entrance of the park. This arch has unusual acoustic effect: if two people stand on two sides of the arch and say some secret words to each other in a whisper – they can clearly hear each other. Many families appeared in Kazan thanks to this arch. They say, that this arch was built according to the drafts of Lobachevsky.
In the corner of Karl Marx and Mushtari streets there is a house, where was born famous Gala – wife of Salvador Dali. Later here lived famous Russian dissident writer Vassily Aksenov.
Tatarstan is famous for great love for horses. Trotters and racers, breeded in Kazan, are famous far beyond the Russian Federation. The largest in Europe and the only one in Russia International Equestrian complex is situated in Kazan. Acting champions of Tatarstan are considered to be the best ones in Russia. The legend of Russian horse breeding is the American standard brand stallion Rangout, which set up all-Russian record for trotters on the distance of 2400 m (3 minutes 2,1 seconds). He was considered the best horse of Russia for several times.
Kazan metro is the shortest metro in the world (for today Kazan subway has only 5 stations), the most expensive metro in the world (each kilometer of Kazan subway costs 69,8 million dollars) and the most beautiful in the world (the metro stations are clean and designed in an original way).
On Gorky street there is a bronze monument of water carrier. It depicts the first water carrier, passing the bucket of water to the small girl. Before the creation of first water supply system in 1874 the water supply was performed in this way. From that very time the history of Kazan water supply organization (Vodokanal) begins.
Small fountain depicting the nix girl (Su Anasy), holding golden comb, is situated on Bauman street. The nix girl is a hero of the fairy-tale, written by the Tatar national poet Gabdullah Tukay.
The most favorite places on Bauman street are the spot near the fountains and near Russian Drama Theatre named after V.Kachalov. The bronze copy of carriage, on which Catherine I rode around the city during her visit to Kazan, is placed before the entrance to the theatre.
If you have a ride through Arakchino settlement you can see striking building, “palace of all the faiths” – it is the house of Kazan artist Ildar Khanov. Inside the complex, there is the system of passages, arches, stairs, halls, suites of rooms, windows, and stained-glass windows. Outside there are Chinese and Indian domes, orthodox church cupola, mosque minaret with half moon, the Star of David. Planetarium and observatory are situated on the roof of the building.
Another remarkable building is Kazan circus – the architectural monument of XX century. It was built in 1965 and looks like reverse caldron. The say, that when famous Brazilian architect Niemeyer saw the photo of Kazan circus he was rather impressed. The photos of Kazan circus were published in nearly all Russian and foreign periodicals in 1972. The authors were granted the Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.
The most ancient stone building of Kazan is situated in the court of Peter’s and Paul’s Cathedral. It is the house of the merchant I. Mikhlyaev, which was built in the second half of XVI century. It is two-storeyed building with simple architectural style. Till 1739 it was the only stone building in the city and the best one. According to a legend, here the Great Emperor Peter I celebrated his 50-year anniversary.
