South-West Tower of the Kazan Kremlin

The South-West Tower is a round corner tower of the Kazan Kremlin in the Vakhitovsky district of Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan. It stands at the south-western corner of the fortress, between the Spasskaya (Saviour) Tower, the main entrance to the Kremlin, and the Preobrazhenskaya (Transfiguration) Tower. The tower is part of the 16th-century white-stone ensemble built by masters from Pskov after the conquest of Kazan.

History

Kazan was taken by the army of Ivan the Terrible in 1552. The old khan's fortress was badly damaged in the assault, and a new white-stone kremlin was to be built in its place. On the tsar's orders, the Pskov masters Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Shiryai were sent to Kazan with their crew of about two hundred masons and stone-cutters. The new fortress received 13 towers linked by walls.

The South-West Tower was built in 1556–1562, at the same time as the Spasskaya Tower. Its corner position made it an important point of defence: from its loopholes the approaches to the fortress could be covered on two sides at once.

The only real siege of the white-stone kremlin took place in July 1774, when Yemelyan Pugachev's rebels reached Kazan. They took the town but failed to capture the kremlin in two days of fighting. Later, shortly before his execution, Pugachev himself was held in one of the fortress casemates.

Architecture

The tower is cylindrical, about 17 metres high including its roof and about 9 metres across. Inside there are two tiers, the walls are pierced with narrow loopholes, and the top is crowned by a wooden conical roof. Its appearance is typical of 16th-century Pskov fortress architecture: a massive round body, white facing and almost no decoration.

Restoration

Over the last two centuries the tower has been repaired many times: the foundations were strengthened, and the white-stone facing and loopholes were put in order. In 1977–1986 the wooden conical roof was completely rebuilt.

A new stage of work is under way now. The stretch of wall between the Spasskaya and South-West towers has been declared in a dangerous condition and included in the restoration programme for the Kazan Kremlin walls, together with the Söyembikä (Syuyumbike) Tower. The plans include strengthening the foundations and restoring the masonry, brick arches, fighting stoves and the historic roofing. Work on the walls is due to finish by August 2027, and more than 976 million roubles have been allocated to the two projects.

Getting there

The nearest metro station is Kremlyovskaya, a few minutes' walk from the Kremlin. By surface transport, the TsUM and Central Stadium stops are convenient. The main entrance to the Kremlin is through the Spasskaya Tower from 1 May Square. The South-West Tower stands nearby, to the left of the Spasskaya Tower as seen from the square, and is well visible from the streets at the foot of the Kremlin hill.

Good to know

The Kazan Kremlin is a museum reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the restoration, parts of the walls near the South-West Tower may be covered with scaffolding.