D. Kalinkin: “The houses in the “Tom Sawyer Fest” make the image of the old Kazan, they are our heritage”

The festival of the historic wooden houses restoration in Kazan ended in the yard of house №12 on Dostoevsky Street.

(KZN.RU, September 8, Ekaterina Vislavskaya). The festival “Tom Sawyer Fest” ended in Kazan with a holiday in the yard of one of the houses that were rebuilt this year on Dostovsky Street, №12. Denis Kalinkin, the head of the Kazan Executive Committee, presented certificates of honor to partners who contributed to the restoration of historical buildings.

6 houses were selected in the center of Kazan to participate in the festival. Volunteers under the guidance of experienced builders, blacksmiths, and architects, had to put in order the facades of the buildings that are examples of the historical wooden architecture of Kazan. Denis Kalinkin evaluated the results of the work on some of them during an excursion. It was conducted by Olesya Baltusova, an assistant to the President of the RT, Artem Demidov, the chairman of the Central Council of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, and other representatives of the festival organizers.

The first point of the route was a one-story house on Tukay Street, №33. The facade of the building and carved elements were painted, and the fence was replaced by a wooden one. The house on Sadykova Street, №14, also got a renovated facade and gates. In addition, the wood has been impregnated with a special compound that will keep the exterior walls of the house in good condition for a long time. Among the other houses-participants of the festival this year, the building on Kalinin Street, №4 is particularly distinguished. “This is one of the three houses in Kazan that have preserved the historical original visors”, said Olesya Baltusova. There were two visors, but only one has reached this day. It was possible to fix it. A wooden visor was made for the second porch, and the whole house was painted. The house on Volkov Street, №14, was unique, too. Firstly, there are no historical buildings around it. But its owners managed to preserve the identity of their home and even original insurance plate, which they restored and hung right under the roof. In addition, the facade was painted, new wooden gates and a fence were installed. The last route point was the house on Dostoyevsky Street, №12. This is the largest house of all that was renovated this year.

The participants of the excursion did not visit the house of Berkutov in F. Karim Street №11. It is an object of cultural heritage and a participant of the festival not only this, but also next year. During the preparation, the volunteers found the original vase in the attic, and now the possibility of its restoration is being considered. “Projects have already been made, but we had to postpone the work for the next year”, explained Farida Zabirova, the deputy chairman of the Tatarstan regional branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments. “First of all, the difficulty is in the procedure itself. According to the regulations, it is necessary to make projects, undergo three examinations, and get permission. These steps extend to all monuments of cultural heritage, and we just did not meet the schedule of the festival”.

All the works were carried out in accordance with the recommendations of specialists, including from the Kazan State University Architectural and Engineering (KSUAE). This year more than 150 volunteers were involved in the work. The organizers note that for the first time not only students and public figures took part in the project, but older volunteers as well.

“For the third year, you are the main driver of the revival, you give these houses a new life. They are beautiful, they make the image of the old Kazan. This is our great heritage, we must cherish it, store and pass on to our children”, said Denis Kalinkin, opening the holiday in honor of the closure of the “Tom Sawyer Fest”. “Huge words of gratitude to the volunteers who performed this work daily, with love to our city. We will continue to support this project next year. We set ourselves tasks to make our city even more beautiful”. He presented the representatives of the media and commercial companies participating in the project with the honorary certificates of the Kazan Executive Committee.

In addition, during the ceremony, awards from the organizers of the “Tom Sawyer Fest” were presented to the most active volunteers of this year, partners, including representatives of the KSUAE, the Union of Blacksmiths of the RT, the Chak-Chak Museum, and other organizations. Residents of renovated houses received copies of historical insurance plates showing the addresses of the houses and the fact of participation in the festival. Artem Demidov suggested next year to attract volunteers from other regions and even countries, as there are those who want to join.

The organizers of the festival in Kazan are already making plans for the future. They receive a large number of applications from residents of historical houses. Applicants for participation in the project are selected in spring after a thorough survey. It is already known that some houses that are not included in the program this year will be transferred to the next year.

Marat Usmanov, the prefect of the “Stary Gorod”, Airat Akhmadullin, the first deputy head of the Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky districts’ administration, and others also attended the festive event.

Photo report

The "Tom Sawyer Fest-2018" ended in Kazan