Daria Sannikova: “The potential of the Old Tatar settlement is not used at full capacity”

The territory of the historical center from Tazi Gizzat Street to Vakhitovskaya Square will be landscaped in Kazan under the national project

In Kazan, under the national project “Tourism and the Hospitality Industry”, the Old Tatar settlement will be improved. In 2023, the capital of the republic of Tatarstan received a grant for the Tourist code of the city center, taking the first place among all municipalities of the country. The main goal of the project will be to increase the duration of visits to the historical center of Kazan.

Now tourists spend about 20-30 minutes in the Old Tatar Settlement, while sightseeing takes about an hour and a half in the Kazan Kremlin, Director of the Committee for Tourism Development Daria Sannikova said at a briefing at the Tatarstan Cabinet of Ministers.

“Today, the potential of the territory is not being used at full capacity. It is not considered as a single public space with its bright colors and events, because the main points of attraction are next to each other,”- the speaker explained.

The situation can be changed with the help of new tourist routes and various events, artistic design. The area of the projected territory of the Old Tatar settlement was about 100 hectares. The space is divided into three parts with its own design: industrial, cultural and business zones and the territory of Zabulachye.

Work on the creation of a tourist code for the historical center of Kazan began in 2023. Today, architectural lighting has been installed at eleven sites in the Old Tatar settlement, small architectural forms and lighting supports have been replaced. A stage has been erected in Zaini Sultan Square for concerts and other events.

Together with the Institute of Urban Development, the way finding elements have been updated in the Old Tatar settlement. Among them: tactile maps and layouts that can be used by people with disabilities, stands with information about the history of the place. The total number of way finding elements has increased from 34 to 46.

“The concept of the project was based on the style of the hasite women's breast jewelry. The logo displays places and personalities in place of precious jewelry that have made a contribution to the social, economic and cultural development of the territory of the Old Tatar settlement and Zabulachye,”- said Daria Sannikova. The logo comprises the Al-Marjani Mosque, the hay market, as well as the Petzold building.

A prominent place in the Old Tatar settlement is now occupied by the Shatlyk monument designed by Ilnur Siraziev. It depicts a man and a woman in national dresses, the sun, the moon and hasite. The art object is equipped with architectural lighting.

Daria Sannikova also spoke about the Tatar Culinary House, previously located on Baumana Street. A new entertainment center has recently opened at this location. The Committee for Tourism Development appealed to the management of the institution with a proposal to preserve part of the place associated with the creator of the library of unique recipes of the national Tatar cuisine Yunus Akhmetzyanov.

“On the one hand, it's great that we open new entertainment centers and facilities. On the other hand, it is necessary to preserve history,”- Daria Sannikova noted.