- The Museum of Gorky. The museum occupies a two-storied building of the late 19th century where the bakery was located. Maxim Gorky came to Kazan in 1884 to enter the Kazan University. After he failed at the exams, he worked as a porter in the port, then as a gardener and a janitor for a general’s wife, as an apprentice baker etc. Later on the writer often described this period of his life in the works.
- The Lenin house-museum. The museum is situated in the historical centre of the city. It is a typical wooden house of the second half of the 19th century, in which the Russian intelligentsia used to live. The family lived in this house for only 9 months, but that was the time when Lenin determined his future life and destiny.
- Svobody Square. This is the place where important municipal events, exhibitions, competitions are held. For many years citizens of the city admire the Victory Parade in Svobody Square.
- Kazan University, one of the oldest universities in Kazan. Our guide will tell you the history of the university you will find out about interesting facts from the life of famous people, who got their education here.
- Bauman Street, one of the oldest and the most beautiful pedestrian streets in the capital of Tatarstan, the so-called Kazan Arbat. Here you can admire Ioanno-Predtechensky Monastery (built in 1652), the National Bank of the Republic, the Bolshoi Drama Theater named after Kachalov, a monument to Shalyapin, a copy of the carriage of Catherine II, “Zero meridian of Kazan” memorial sign and a sculpture of the Kazan Cat.
- The Soviet lifestyle Museum. You see here not only the items of the expositions, but you also feel the spirit of that time, the atmosphere in which the whole country lived a few decades ago. The building itself used to be a communal flat. The museum gives you a chance to make a journey to the forgotten times of the USSR and to see how ordinary people lived at that time.
Communistic past of Kazan
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The city of Kazan gave the country a lot of prominent revolutionaries, proletarian poets and writers. In Soviet times Kazan guides proudly showed the tourists lecture rooms, where Lenin and his friends had an important meeting. After that meeting cocky Vladimir Ulyanov answered the police officer’s phrase: “What are you doing? Can’t you see the wall before you?” the following words: “The wall is rotten! Touch it and it will fall to pieces”. The statue of Vladimir Ulyanov is now seen near the walls of Kazan State University (in Soviet times the University was named after Lenin).
In Emperor times a lot of inspections arrived at the University to see the mood among students. All the inspectors concluded that it was necessary to close the place because young people disobeyed the laws of the Government and often spoke against the Emperor. At that time Leo Tolstoy and later Vladimir Ulyanov’s brother Dmitry studied here.
The central street of the city is named after another prominent revolutionary Nikolai Bauman. He was born in Kazan at the beginning of the 20th century. Bauman Street is not only the centre of the city, it is one of the oldest streets. In the times of the Kazan Khanate it had the name “Nogayskaya road”. This place used to be the main trading street of the city. The goods were delivered along the Bolaq River, on the banks of which a lot of piers, shopping malls and barns were situated. Here there were always many stores, rent houses, cafes, restaurants. Now in Bauman Street you can buy a lot of different Kazan souvenirs.
Other famous revolutionary Sergei Kirov was born in another place, but he studied in Kazan State University of Technology. Nowadays near the university building you can see his statue- in his left hand Kirov squeezes his cap, his right hand is raised for greeting.
Vladimir Lenin’s wife and prominent revolutionary Nadezhda Krupskaya visited Kazan several times and she liked the city very much. She contributed a lot to the history of the city when she didn’t let destroy Zinaida Ushkova’s big house and offered it as a building for the National Library of Tatar ASSR. One more revolutionary Vera Finger was born in the Tetyushsky district of Kazan and also lived in the city for a few years.
The historical centre of Kazan is situated in the Vakhitovsky district. This district was named after the tatar revolutionary, the leader of the Muslim Revolutionary Committee Mullanur Vakhitov. He was shot near the Kremlin walls by the White Army in 1918. Now on the hill in the city centre you can see a statue of Vakhitov.
The names of many genuine people are closely connected with Kazan: famous proletarian writer Maxim Gorky, soviet talented poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, author of the March of the Red Army and famous tatar musician Salih Saidashev, Hero of the Soviet Union Musa Dzhalil. Musa Dzhalil was captured by fascists, but his spirit was never broken.
During our excursion we will visit the places of strikes, meetings, secret gatherings and other places connected with soviet times. We will walk along the old part of the city and you will hear thrilling stories about the revolutionary and Soviet times of Kazan.
- Gabdullа Tuqay Square and the hill of the Tatar revolutionary Mullanur Vakhitov. Bauman Street and the National Bank
- Excursion to the Lenin House-Museum
- Kazan University, Skovorodka Café, monument to young Vladimir Ulyanov
- National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan and the stories about revolutionary Nadezhda Krupskaya
- Walking along Karl Marx Street and visiting monument to S. Kirov
- Excursion to the Literary Memorial Museum of Gorky
- The Soviet lifestyle Museum
- Walking along Bauman Street
- The Kazan Kremlin
- Visiting shops of the local producers
| Hotel | The cost |
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from 850 р. |
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from 1 200 р. |
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from 1 360 р. |
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from 1 400 р. |
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from 1 500 р. |
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from 2 100 р. |
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from 2 300 р. |
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from 3 700 р. |
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from 4 000 р. |
You will visit:
Included in the price:
- Bus rent for 4 hours
- Guide services within the excursion program
- Bus insurance
- Support
- For extra fee visiting the Lenin house-museum (150 rub./person.), or the Museum of Gorky (150 rub./person.), or the Soviet lifestyle Museum (250 rub./person.)
The cost of the tour
| The size of the group | Transport company | The transport of the customer |
| 40 people | 440 р. | 230 р. |
| 30 people | 530 р. | 260 р. |
| 18 people | 650 р. | 320 р. |
| 7 people | 1 400 р. | 560 р. |
| 3 people | 3 100 р. | 1 100 р. |
