The hospitable capital of Tatarstan is a meeting place and a dialogue between Western and Eastern cultures. The city is home to a large number of museums, galleries and historic monuments. The editorial team of the "Let's Go to the Museum" website has compiled an unconventional top 5 list of Kazan museums that visitors to the city should visit.
City Panorama Museum
Photo: kazan-panorama.ru
The City Panorama Museum occupies four floors and tells the history of Kazan from its origins to the present day. Realistic models of the city occupy 300 m² of the exhibition and are large-scale and unique exhibits of the city panorama. Thanks to multimedia exhibits, visitors can learn about a retrospective of important historical events and large-scale battles, and stroll through the streets of the 19th-century Old Tatar Quarter. Part of the exhibition is presented through documentary films and photographs.
Museum of Natural History of Tatarstan
Photo: lions-guides.ru
The Museum of Natural History is located on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin, in the building of the former 19th-century Junker School. The exhibition is dedicated to the geological and biological development of the planet before the appearance of the human race. It acquaints visitors with various hypotheses about the origin of life on the planet, the process of evolution from the earliest organisms and dinosaurs to Homo sapiens, and with the floral and mineral diversity of the Earth and space. Part of the exhibition is available in an interactive format: visitors can watch documentary films and interact with installations, so the museum will be equally interesting to adults and children.
Konstantin Vasilyev Museum
K.A. Vasilyev. "At a Stranger's Window" (1973).
The paintings of Kazan artist Konstantin Vasilyev have been familiar to many since childhood. His art was extraordinarily popular in the Soviet era and remains relevant to this day. The themes of his paintings are filled with mysticism and symbolism. Mighty bogatyrs, beautiful Slavic maidens, snowy Russian winters and dense forests are Vasilyev's favorite images to which he constantly returned in his work. The artist's life was tragically cut short at 34, and fame came to him posthumously, when his paintings began to be reproduced. In 2013 a two-story museum opened on Bauman Street, housing the most complete collection of Vasilyev's fairy-tale works.
Museum of Socialist Everyday Life
Photo: trip-for-the-soul.ru
The Museum of Socialist Everyday Life is a true time machine that allows you to feel the spirit of the Soviet era and soak up its touching and naive atmosphere. The idea for the project belongs to entrepreneur Rustem Valiahmetov. The museum's vintage interior immerses visitors in an atmosphere of nostalgia for the past era. The compact space is used to the fullest: it is filled with display racks, showcases and various exhibits. The museum also has Soviet artifacts—toy cars, pins, posters—which can be purchased. All exhibits can be touched and photographed.
Chak-Chak Museum
Photo: wanderlush.ru
The Chak-Chak Museum was opened in 2014 in the house of merchant Vafa Bigaev. The house's authentic 19th-century interior has been restored, and guides welcome guests in national costumes. The tour program is divided into seasons and relates to the occupations of the Tatars in different times of the year in the 19th century. In autumn the tours are dedicated to the trading relations of the Tatars and the formation of the urban environment. In winter—Tatar pagan mythology that was widespread before the adoption of Islam. In spring the tours focus on national costumes, and in summer—wedding traditions: who kidnapped whom, how much it cost to organize a wedding, and how many guests were typically invited.
