The foundation of Kazan occurred more than 1000 years ago. Today this city is one of the richest in terms of richness in historical events.
Kazan is the capital of Tatarstan
The most visited place for tourists is the Kazan Kremlin, in the building of which there is an architectural and historical museum of the city.
Another popular attraction is the temple of all religions. Its name indicates that different religions and religions are united by the purity of thoughts and the kindness of thoughts.
In the stunning city there are a large number of interesting places and monuments that can be seen somewhere in the shadow of a park or on a narrow street. Energy and his piety are felt in every lane, on every square, at each monument.
The city has its own cat Kazan. Kazan greatly honors these animals, and an unusual monument has become a kind of personification of respect and honor. These cute pussies are a symbol of the city. It is believed that Kazan cats attract wealth and good fortune in everything. Therefore, souvenirs with this baleen animal are sold at every step.
But the cat has become a symbol of the city for a reason. There are several versions of the legend that sheds light on the cause of the inhabitants' love for these animals.
Monument to the Kazan cat: description
In the place where Musa Jalil street intersects with Bauman street, there is a remarkable monument to the cat. It is a metal sculptural and architectural composition depicting a well-fed mousetrap lounging in a royal pose on a carved couch. At its foot there is a rug where you can see an old popular popular joke about a cat: “Kazan cat, Astrakhan mind, Siberian mind. He lived well, ate sweetly, and sweetly dreamed. ” The sculptor decided to soften the impression of this harsh expression and replaced the last indecent word with a picture of a pot. And the meaning is not lost, and everything is censored. On the roof is a small figure of a mouse.
Kazan cat is a work of metal artist Igor Bashmakov. The monument was erected in 2009. The ebb of the sculpture was made at the Zhukovsky Art Casting Plant. All the masterpieces of the author are endowed with meaning and convey to people a piece of history. For example, its fountain with frogs, recreated in the same Kazan, is very famous.
The height of the sculpture of the cat is 3 meters and the width is 2.8 meters.
Kazan cat: the story of a legend. Medieval lubok
There are many stories related to the cat in Kazan. And they all have their roots in centuries gone by. The best-known versions of how Kazan cats gained respect and love are known to every resident of the city, young and old. We will talk about them in more detail.
The first legend is based on the contents of the famous luboks of medieval Russia, in particular, “How the cat's mice were buried” and “Kazan Cat”. The latter is a picture that depicts an animal with very staring eyes, and even not too decent inscription. Most historians believe that this lubok is a kind of parody of the extraordinary appearance of Tsar Peter I. Indeed, if you analyze the details, you can see that the king really had a characteristic mustache, as well as slightly bulging eyes.
“How the cat’s mice were buried” are funny pictures, each of which tells in a comic form about the mice participating in the funeral. However, the humor consisted in the fact that the cat was actually alive and took turns eating mice that arranged a funeral procession for him. Such pictures are among the exhibits of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Khan's favorite
The second tradition is based on the Mari narratives about how the cat saved the khan and his family. In those difficult times for the Khanate, an attack was expected by the troops of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Mari kings Akpars and Yylanda conceived a mean trick. They wanted to make a dig under the khan’s chambers, capture it with his family, and subsequently give it to Ivan the Terrible. Late at night, the cat began to make disturbing sounds, trying in every possible way to leave the luxurious chambers. Khan, accustomed to trusting his pet, realized that the animal warns of danger. Then he decided, using a secret passage, to leave the city. Having reached the Volga, the khan and his family went to the shores of Persia. So, thanks to the instinct of the cat, they were able to avoid a bitter fate.
Feline guard
The third legend about how Kazan cats became famous seems to be the most reliable. Moreover, the events that are described in it are documented.
In the XVIII century, the expression "Kazan cat" was often used. Kazan was almost the only city where there were no mice. The cats living there had a reputation for being good mousetraps. Their abilities very interested Empress Elizabeth. She, having been in the city in 1745, issued a decree according to which it was necessary to find the best cats and send them to the capital. Under penalty of fear, even pets that liked the guards were taken from their owners and transported to St. Petersburg. So it was collected more than 30 animals. They replenished Elizabeth's shaggy life-guard. In total, 300 cats consisted of it, according to the number of guards who assisted the empress in taking the throne. Once in the imperial chambers, the animals began to live a luxurious life. Their food was beef, partridge and black grouse.
According to another version, the governor of the
Kazan Khanate told the Empress about the agility of Kazan cats
. He found out that rodents invaded the imperial apartments of the Winter Palace, and he himself offered to help the cats, who were descendants of Alabrys, who became famous as a sophisticated rat hunter.
Cats in the Hermitage
Kazan cats, which are descendants of those that saved the palace from mice, still live in the premises of the Hermitage, guarding them from mice. From year to year on April 1, museum workers arrange a grand feast for their wards, dedicated to the March Cat Day. Delicacies and treats for every taste, toys in the form of mice, obligatory stroking of fluffy buns ... In a word, a real holiday for mustachioe-striped.
About other cats
The monument "Kazan Cat", the history of which began with the merits of mouse-hunters in the XVIII century, is not only in this city. The sculpture of Alabrys made of light sandstone (as the locals call it) is located on the territory of the monastery in Raif. Also, similar monuments are in St. Petersburg and Kiev.
Many tourists call the monument to the Kazan cat the main attraction of the city. Kazan, of course, is a place where visiting interesting places is not limited only to this sculpture. However, this particular monument is of great interest to lovers of legends and parables.