Syuyumbike tower in Kazan – history, photo, description, legend, map

The most romantic and unusual building of Tatarstan is located on the territory of the Kremlin. Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan is a place visited by every guest of the city. It is surrounded by legends, fanned by love for its history. At first, tourists from central Russia will not find anything unusual in the building: perhaps it is very reminiscent of the Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. And looking closely, you will feel the peculiar beauty of the structure. Heard legends, which Kazan is rich in, will complement the impressions received. Today the building is one of the symbols of Tatarstan. Tourists, inspired by mysteries and legends, buy souvenirs that depict the tower.

Construction history

The history of the tower's construction has more questions than answers. This is explained by the fact that archival documents were destroyed during the capture of Kazan. Later plans and drawings burned down during a fire, so it is impossible to accurately determine the time of construction of the attraction. You can operate on some data:

1. The 1717 plan reflects this structure. So the leaning tower was built earlier.
2. Adam Olearius visited Kazan in 1638. He studied the city in detail and drew up a plan: there is no tower on it. So it was built later.
3. However, studies conducted by archaeologists have shown that the building was erected in the period from 1645 to 1650.

And there is no data about who designed the structure, whether it was built by order of local governors or the king himself.

Architecture

This building is reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower in Paris: it is also the emblem of the capital, Kazan. At the same time, the building belongs to the type of leaning towers, like Pisa. And it is quite difficult to unambiguously define the architectural style: the traditions of Russian architecture are closely intertwined with Tatar motifs. The main design elements are described in detail by the researchers:

1. The builders used oak poles as a foundation. Over time, under the weight of the structure, they plunged 2 meters.
2. Cement was not known then: its role in bonding bricks was played by lime mortar.
3. The edges of the tiers are softened with red brick rollers. These structural elements prevent wind erosion.
4. The lower 3 tiers are cubic in shape. They have ambush with loopholes: this is a feature of Russian watchtowers. The next 4 in cross section have octagons. The last tier is the watchtower.
5. The design ends with a spire with a crescent, the emblem of Muslims. It is unlikely that he was at the time of construction.
6. The size of the structure is impressive: from ground level to the spire is 58 meters. For the estimated construction time, the height is significant.

Tatar elements can be traced in ornaments, lattice weaves, decorative inserts. They favorably dilute the strict Moscow style.

Name

It is impossible to say unequivocally why the structure was so named. But in order to get closer to the truth, it is enough to study the known facts. The fall of Kazan in 1552 and the death of the Khanate were followed by sad events:

But it is impossible to simply destroy the people's memory of historical events: the legend of the heroic defense of Kazan and its defenders was passed from mouth to mouth. Probably, in subsequent years, when the governor settled in the Kremlin with his subordinate troops and rebuilt the building, a fairy tale story was invented about the last queen Syuyumbika and the watchtower.

legends

The unusual building gave rise to many legends:

1. Ivan of Moscow decided to conquer Kazan, having only heard about the virtue and beauty of the regent Syuyumbike. But the proud widow refused the conqueror. As a result of a long siege, the city was captured. Syuyumbike had no choice: she agreed to become the wife of Ivan IV in order to stop the destruction of the khanate, but set a condition. The wedding gift should be a tower, a symbol of Ivan of Moscow's love. At her request, the Russian prince built a tower in 7 days. During the wedding feast, the young bride climbed to the last tier to look at her beloved Kazan for the last time. There she turned into a beautiful swan and flew away from the conqueror.
2. The virtuous Syuyumbike buried her husband, Safa Giray, and erected a mausoleum, that is, a tower, over his grave. The building survived the siege of Kazan, and was subsequently used as a watchtower.
3. The virtue of Soomyubike pleased her subjects. In gratitude, they built a watch tower at their own expense and presented it to the lady.
4. Romantic building grants wishes. True, you only need to ask for love. In order for the wish to come true, it is recommended to lean against the tower and think about the cherished.
5. After the capture of Kazan, the Russians slightly changed and completed the watch tower, which was located in the same place.
6. There is a ball on the spire. The Muslims of Tataria claimed that it was made of the purest gold. And most importantly: inside there are the most important documents for the inhabitants of the Volga region, which can “turn around” history.

Unfortunately, these are just beautiful legends. The widow Safa-Giray never met Ivan IV: some time before that, she was given as a wife to the Kasimov prince. There the former regent lived until her death: this fact is confirmed by cadastral books. The basis for the second tale was that a year before the last assault on Kazan, the ambassadors, the seid Kul-Sharif and the Tyumen prince Birbas, offered to transfer the regent and her young son as hostages. Diplomats believed that the royal captives should be the key to the peace of the Kazan Khanate and the Muscovite state. Ivan Vasilyevich refused.

The merits of the last queen of the Kazan Khanate are not in doubt. But there is no evidence that the tower was built during her reign. Tourists are invited to check for themselves how the tower fulfills what they wish. And the fact that the remains of the Kazan Khan are buried under the tower is refuted by the conducted archaeological research. It is impossible to prove or disprove the penultimate statement: no documents are available. In addition, it is rather strange that a separate building survived when everything inside the Kremlin was burned and destroyed.

And the last legend was debunked quite easily. In the 70s of the twentieth century, passions turned out to be so strong that the city authorities decided to open the mysterious ball. In the presence of Muslim elders, it was carefully removed and sawn up. Inside, it turned out to be empty, and the material from which the apple is made is brass. But then a new legend was born: the most important documents were stolen and hidden so that justice would never prevail. Well, the mysterious building continues to amaze!

Interesting Facts

There are a lot of unusual things around the most famous tower of Tatarstan:

1. The building has a strong slope to the east. This is the only leaning tower on the territory of not only Tatarstan, but also Russia.
2. Archaeologists claim that a watchtower was built on this site. It was used by the Tatars in the defense of the fortress.
3. A similar building can be found in the ensemble of the Kazansky railway station in Moscow: the architect Shchusev used some motifs.
4. For the first time the building is indicated on the architectural plan of 1717. Perhaps it was on earlier drawings that burned down during the fire.
5. An error during construction work caused the tower to tilt. But in 1930, a frame was brought under the first tier: this stopped the destructive process for a while, the tower stopped falling.
6. Today the slope is 198 cm. Repeated strengthening work was carried out in the 80s of the last century.
7. The 4 upper tiers have an octagonal section: in this way, the builders saved up to 20% of bricks, mortar and at the same time reduced the wind load on the building.
8. It is unlikely that the crescent that crowns the spire was in its place during the time of Ivan of Moscow: then all the symbols of Muslims were eradicated.
9. Currently, the pearl of Tatarstan is very popular: souvenirs, mugs with its image and a coloring book for children are sold.

Tourists love to walk around the mysterious tower. It is especially beautiful at night when it is illuminated by green lamps. It is at this time that the angle of inclination of the falling structure can be estimated.

Where is it located and how to get there

The tower is located on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin architectural reserve. His address is 420111, Kazan, the Kremlin. On your own, you can take the metro to the Kremlevskaya station, then take a walk to the entrance. If desired, it is easy to get there by land transport: buses 6, 15, 29, 35, 35a, 37, 47, 74, 74a, 75 will take the guest to the stops “TsUM”, “Central Stadium”, “Palace of Sports”.

Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan on the map