The amazing island is located not far from the place where the Sviyaga River flows into the Volga. During the time of Ivan the Terrible, there was a fortress here, and today there is a museum-reserve. The wonderful city with old temples and museums is popular with both adults and children. Most tourists come to Sviyazhsk in summer, but it is interesting to visit the island in winter as well.
Settlement history
In May 1551, the troops of the Kasimov khan Shah-Ali landed near the mouth of the Sviyaga. They sailed here on ships to build a military fortress at the behest of the Russian Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. Russia several times tried to take Kazan, but was defeated. Then the tsar decided to build fortifications near the city and support the Russian army.
Bird's-eye view of Sviyazhsk
It was only a day's journey from the mouth of the Sviyaga to the capital of the Kazan Khanate. So that the enemies did not notice the military preparations, materials for future buildings were cut down in Uglich, and then floated down the Volga.
In four weeks, soldiers cut down the entire forest on the hill and, under the leadership of the Russian architect Ivan Vyrodkov, erected wooden fortress walls. The settlement was named "Novograd Sviyazhsky". It had 18 artillery towers, residential buildings and an Orthodox church.
View of the Sviyazhsk monasteries
A year later, when Russian troops took Kazan, the fortress on Sviyaga lost its military significance. Gradually it turned into a quiet monastic settlement and county center. Old wooden buildings were dilapidated, and instead of them new stone houses and temples appeared in the town.
In 1918, in Sviyazhsk, on the orders of Trotsky, the Red Army soldiers were shot, who could not drive the troops of the White Czechs out of Kazan. During the years of the persecution of the Soviet regime, the churches of Sviyazhsk were plundered against the church, and a large monastery library was destroyed. The remaining buildings were converted into warehouses and a prison for the NKVD.
View of Sviyazhsk
In 1928, a children's labor commune was opened in the former monastery buildings, which later received the status of a corrective labor colony. During the Great Patriotic War, German prisoners of war were kept here.
In 1957, after the construction of the dam of the Volga hydroelectric power station, the huge Kuibyshev reservoir was formed. The river water flooded the streets of the town, and the elevated part turned into an island. By the beginning of the 21st century, less than 300 people lived in Sviyazhsk.
In 2007, a dam was built to the island for vehicles. Then the old churches and buildings were restored, and Sviyazhsk received the status of a museum-reserve. In 2017, the unusual architectural complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Monasteries and temples
The heart of the island is rightfully considered Sviyazhsky Mother of God-Assumption Monastery... The Orthodox monastery was founded in the middle of the 16th century. Today it is one of the main spiritual and educational centers of the Middle Volga region. On the territory of the monastery, you can see the old Assumption Cathedral, where wall paintings from the times of Ivan the Terrible have been preserved. The colorful murals cover an area of over 1000 sq. m.
Sviyazhsky Mother of God-Assumption Monastery
Believers and tourists come to look at one of the pearls of the architectural ensemble of Sviyazhsk - the snow-white Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, founded together with a wooden fortress in the middle of the 16th century. The slender bell tower of this temple is the tallest building on the island.
Another notable monastery church - the Church of Herman of Kazan and Mitrofan of Voronezh, appeared in Sviyazhsk at the end of the 18th century. Lovers of Russian architecture are very fond of the graceful baroque platbands of the old church.
John the Baptist Monastery
At the end of the 16th century, female John the Baptist monastery... Over time, he occupied the temples of the already abolished Trinity-Sergius monastery. From the earliest buildings of Sviyazhsk, there remained the wooden Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh and Church of Constantine and Helena.
The ensemble of the St. John the Baptist Monastery includes the chapel of Nicholas and Alexandra, the Zemsky hospital complex, residential and utility buildings. Tourists are attracted by the large cathedral in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow", erected at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The multi-domed red-brick church in the Russian-Byzantine style stands out from other churches in Sviyazhsk.
Church of Constantine and Helena
Many religious buildings of Sviyazhsk were destroyed in the first half of the last century. The places where the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sophia Church and other temples used to stand, are marked with commemorative plaques.
Museums
There are several interesting museums on the island. Four stone mansions of the first half of the 19th century are occupied by the large Museum of the History of Sviyazhsk. The exhibits collected in it are dedicated to the history of the county town and arts and crafts. At the entrance to the museum there is a cannon "Devkina's head" - a symbol of the ancient fortress of Sviyazhsk.
Archaeological tree museum
The Museum of the Archaeological Tree looks very unusual, where artifacts found during archaeological excavations are kept. The building has an area of 2500 sq. m and looks like a green hill. The central part is occupied by an archaeological site. Tourists can see fragments of wooden buildings, houses, fences, pavements and floorings of the 16th-17th centuries that were discovered in Sviyazhsk.
The showcases display Bulgarian coins, earthenware, bast shoes, knives, bows and gingerbread molds. Particularly valuable exhibits are 16th century bast and ski fishing nets.
River station Sviyazhsk
The Civil War Museum opened on the island recently - in 2016. It is housed in a beautiful building of the 19th century with columns - the house of the bourgeois Medvedev. The halls of the museum tell about the history of the White Guard and the origin of the Red Army units. A separate exhibition is dedicated to Leon Trotsky.
Useful information for tourists
Sviyazhsk museums work seven days a week from 9:00 to 18:00, and on Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 to 19:00. Tickets for adults cost from 100 to 350 rubles, for schoolchildren, students and pensioners - from 50 to 300 rubles. In order not to overpay, we advise you to buy a single ticket to the museum-reserve. It will cost 750 rubles for adults and 530 rubles for schoolchildren, students and pensioners.
Civil War Museum
The expositions can be viewed independently or with a guide. A walking tour of the island city for 1.5 hours costs from 150 to 180 rubles per person, and for 2 hours - from 200 to 230 rubles. The staff of the Museum-Reserve offers interesting thematic excursions with a visit to one of the museums and interactive programs for children.
Tourists like master classes for 200 rubles, where they introduce them to the basics of blacksmithing, pottery, basket weaving, printed fabrics and weaving. Gun lovers enjoy training in the medieval shooting range. Throwing spears, axes, archery and crossbow shooting cost 100 rubles. Everyone is invited to try on military armor and make memorable photos for 50 rubles.
Fire Tower
An interactive program with tea drinking for 140 rubles is very popular. Guests are served aromatic herbal tea from a samovar and treated to pancakes with jam. It is convenient to have a bite and lunch in the monastery refectory, restaurant "Traktir", cafe "Sviyaga", "Lazy Torzhok", "Fisherman's Compound" and "Buyan". A set lunch costs from 220 to 350 rubles.
If you want to stay on the island overnight, rent a room at the Sviyaga Hotel, at the Merchant Kamenev House Hotel or at the Pilgrim's House at the monastery.
Museum of the History of Sviyazhsk
How to get there
One of the main attractions of Tatarstan is located in the Zelenodolsk region of the republic, 29 km south-west of Kazan.
By bus. On Saturdays and Sundays, the bus from Kazan to Sviyazhsk leaves at 8:40. The ticket costs 150 rubles one way.
Monument to the Victims of Political Repression
By rail. There are 10 electric trains a day from the Kazan-Passenger railway station to the Sviyazhsk railway station. The journey takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. The island is easily accessible from the train station by buses and taxis.
By water transport. In summer, motor ships run daily from the River Port of Kazan to Sviyazhsk. The journey by water lasts 2 hours.
Children's center "Fairy Tale"
By car. The distance from Kazan to the city-island by road is 58 km. Tourists leave the city along the M7 highway towards Moscow, and after Isakovo turn right towards Sviyazhsk.
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