The settlement of the Kremlin Hill began in antiquity.
The history of the Kazan Kremlin covers more than a thousand years and several historical stages.
The settlement of the Kremlin Hill began in antiquity. The earliest discoveries in this area date back to the Mesolithic period. The first people were attracted by the natural and geographical conditions. The Kremlin Hill was once surrounded by water on three sides: from the east, it was framed by a chain of lakes that fed into the Kazanka River, which washed the hill from the north; the muddy stream of the Bulak River protected the fortress from the west and southwest. The construction of a fortified settlement on the Kremlin Hill, which laid the groundwork for the growth of modern Kazan, is linked to the Volga Bulgarian state.
Fortification construction began at the northern tip of the Kremlin hill around the turn of the 10th–11th centuries.
The Bulgars appeared in the Kazanka River basin at the turn of the 9th to 10th centuries. By the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries, they had inhabited the Kremlin Hill, erecting a powerful line of fortifications on its southern side, including a steep ravine and an earthen rampart with a entrance gate. On the eastern and northern sides, there was a log palisade with pointed burnt ends.
The fortress gradually became overgrown with a settlement (posad); craft and trade flourished here, and by the beginning of the 12th century, a self-sufficient city had emerged. The strengthening of Volga Bulgaria’s role in the region, as well as military raids on its territory by Russian Duchies, influenced Kazan’s further development. During this period, strong white stone walls were built on the site of the previous wooden fortifications, which existed until the Kazan Khanate era. In the 12th and first half of the 13th centuries, Kazan remained an important outpost of Volga Bulgaria’s northern borders as well as a trade centre.
Following the fall of the Golden Horde in the middle of the 15th century, Kazan became the administrative centre of the state, which was known as the «Kazan Khanate» and stayed that way from 1438 to 1552.
After Volga Bulgaria became part of the Golden Horde in the 1220s–1240s, Kazan grew from a small border Bulgarian fortress with military and commercial functions on Volga Bulgaria’s outskirts to a fairly large regional centre.
The former fortifications along the eastern and northern slopes disappeared in the middle of the 15th century, but this section of the wall was restored during the Kazan Khanate period. The southern line of fortifications continued to function without significant changes until the middle of the 15th century. The moat on this side was also preserved, though its depth had been significantly reduced.
Following the fall of the Golden Horde, the Kazan Khanate was established here and existed from 1438 to 1552. Kazan had become its administrative centre. During this period, the Kazan fortress expanded beyond its previous fortifications. Inside the fortress, building densification is taking place; the Khan’s courtyard appeared, as well as brick and stone buildings such as the Khan’s palace, cathedral, mosques, and mausoleums are being constructed. Kazan during the Khans’ epoch was a large commercial and handicraft mediaeval city with a high level of cultural and educational development, where representatives of various peoples and religions coexisted peacefully.
The increased geopolitical importance of Kazan as a Russian state stronghold in the Volga region has highlighted the need to expand and strengthen its defensive structures.
In 1552, the Kazan Khanate became a part of the Russian Tsardom. The increased geopolitical importance of Kazan as a Russian state stronghold in the Volga region has highlighted the need to expand and strengthen its defensive structures. In 1556–1562, famous Pskov architects Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Shiryai were sent to Kazan on Ivan the Terrible’s orders to construct a new white-stone Kremlin. Under their supervision, a new system of fortifications consisting of 13 towers and fortress walls was built on the site of the old fortress. The new Kazan Kremlin was expanded in a southern direction. Its borders were finally formed at the beginning of the 17th century and have stayed that way until the present day.
In addition to defensive structures, Pskov craftsmen built the first Orthodox churches on the grounds of the Kazan Kremlin: Annunciation Cathedral and St. Cyprian and St. Justina Church. The Trinity-St. Sergius and the Saviour’s Transfiguration Monasteries were founded.
The buildings from the Khan’s period existed for a long time: the Khan’s mosque, palace, and mausoleums were used to store weapons and ammunition, but they were finally dismantled.
In the 17th century, a Cannon Yard was established in the western part of the Kazan Kremlin on the site of the former Khan’s Guard to repair and manufacture weapons.
In the late 17th–early 18th century, the Syuyumbike Tower was built and served as a watchtower.
The Kazan Governorate (Gubernia) was established in 1708, resulting in the construction of a building called Prisutstvennye Mesta in the second half of the 18th century for civil servants’ use.
In 1848, the Governor’s Palace was built by order of Nicholas I, and it housed the emperor’s apartments, governor’s rooms, and court servants’ rooms. In the 19th century, the buildings of the Junker Military School, the theological consistory, and the new Bishop’s House were built on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin. The architectural ensemble of the Kazan Kremlin, which finally took shape in the middle of the 19th century, has mostly preserved its historical appearance and has survived to the current day.
During the Great Patriotic War, Kazan served as a staging point for the evacuation of civilians, factories, and equipment from the country’s western regions. The city housed more than 70 evacuated enterprises of the Soviet Union, and its population grew from 401 to 515 thousand by 1942.
During the Soviet period, the Kazan Kremlin became the administrative centre of the TASSR. The bell tower and cathedral church of the Saviour’s Transfiguration Monastery, the bell tower of the Annunciation Cathedral, the St. Cyprian and St. Justina Church, and the Chapel at the Spasskaya Tower were all destroyed, and Orthodox relics were lost as a result of large-scale anti-religious activities.
During the Great Patriotic War, Kazan served as a staging point for the evacuation of civilians, factories, and equipment from the country’s western regions. In this regard, a part of the Kazan Kremlin’s territory and buildings were provided as housing for workers from the USSR aviation industry’s Moscow plant No. 22. In addition to administrative buildings, the Kremlin at the time housed apartments, a kindergarten, a dormitory, an armour school, and a canteen. During the war, the Kazan Kremlin suffered greatly: buildings converted into dormitories and apartments were in dilapidated condition, and the Kremlin walls and towers partially collapsed. In the second half of the 1940s and 1950s, the work was being done on spot repairs to buildings, architectural elements, and landscaping the Kremlin’s territory. During this time, no full-scale systematic restoration of the Kazan Kremlin facilities occurred.
The Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve was created on January 22, 1994, by edict of M. Sh. Shaimiev, the Republic of Tatarstan’s first president.
In 1993–1994, in order to carry out restoration work, under the guidance of architect S.S. Aidarov and historian-archaeologist A.H. Khalikov, a document, “The main directions of the scientific concept of preservation, restoration, and use of the Kazan Kremlin’s ensemble and priority measures and their implementation,” was developed. This document established the course of archaeological surveys and restoration works.
The Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve was created on January 22, 1994, by edict of M. Sh. Shaimiev, the first President of the Republic of Tatarstan. Ildus Vakhitov has been appointed as its first director. By now, 9 towers and walls have been restored on the territory of the museum reserve; 4 towers have been preserved and museumified; the building of the Residence of the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan has been completely restored, and archaeologists have studied the major part of the Kremlin’s territory. As a result of the restoration work, the foundation of the Syuyumbike tower was strengthened; the Khan’s palace, the Khan’s mosque, and the tomb of the Kazan khans were museumified; and a mausoleum was built to rebury the Kazan khans’ remains, which were discovered during archaeological excavations. The buildings of the Cannon Yard Complex were restored, and the Annunciation Cathedral was reopened.
The construction of the Kul Sharif Mosque began in 1995. It was opened with great solemnity on June 24, 2005, to commemorate Kazan’s 1000th anniversary.
In 2000, the Kazan Kremlin’s historical and architectural complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 2022, a new exhibition area appeared in the building of Prisutstvennye Mesta. In 2023, the Spasskaya Tower Museum was opened in the Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve. At the same time, work on the reconstruction of the Prometheus Design Bureau’s 1967 Crimson Chime began at the Spasskaya Tower. The Spasskaya Tower has been opened to the public for the first time since the 16th century. Today, the Kazan Kremlin is one of Russia’s most popular tourist destinations, with over 4 million visitors per year.
