Governor’s Palace

OBJECT DESCRIPTION

The Kazan Governor’s Palace is located in the northern part of the Kazan Kremlin, on the site of the Khan’s Courtyard Complex during the Kazan Khanate era.

During his visit to Kazan in 1836, Emperor Nicholas I selected a location for the palace and ordered to build a «Military Governor’s House with an imperial apartment» in the Kremlin.

The palace project was created by Moscow architect K.A. Ton, who also designed the Cathedral of the Christ the Saviour and the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow. The palace’s construction was supervised directly by architect A.I. Peske, who was sent from St. Petersburg to assist in the rebuilding of Kazan just after the fire of 1842. The interior decoration was done by the architect M.P. Korinfsky.

The palace’s construction took place from 1845 to 1848. Bricks manufactured in Kazan were used to construct the Governor’s Palace. Until 1917, the palace was used by the Kazan Governor to manage governmental affairs.

The palace is a two-storey building, which includes the main building and adjacent service buildings. The building measures 56 by 40 meters and stands 28 meters tall.

The building has two entrances on its façade: porches on two columns adorned with palm capitals. The first and second floors are separated by the number of order pilasters and arched window apertures. The façade is a semicircle in plan with the passage leading to the palace’s courtyard. The building’s eclectic décor combines elements of Russian classicism, Baroque, and Old Russian architecture.

During the imperial time, the palace’s mezzanine floor housed the court servants’ rooms. The lower floor houses 17 rooms, including Imperial apartments, the Imperial bedroom, a private office, a restroom, and a reception hall. The first floor belonged to the Governor and included a bedroom, a private office and several halls. The governor’s chancellery was located on the ground floor.

Following the February Revolution of 1917, the Kazan Soviet of Workers’, Soldiers’, and Peasants’ Deputies was located in the Governor’s Palace. On the night of October 25–26, 1917, a meeting of the revolutionary staff was held in the building where Soviet rule was declared in Kazan. During the Soviet period, the Praesidiums of the Supreme Council and the TASSR Council of Ministers were located in this building.

The restoration of the building began in 1950. The main façade was restored in 1983 under the project of architect S.A. Kozlova, and the semicircular annex on the building’s north side was restored in 1996-1997. By 2001, the building and its interiors had been completely restored.

Today this building is the residence of the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan The coat of arms of the Republic of Tatarstan with a white leopard is on the central risalit of the building’s façade, while the presidential flag flutters at the top.