View source for Kazan

{{short description|Capital of Tatarstan, Russia}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox Russian inhabited locality
| en_name=Kazan
| ru_name=Казань
| loc_name1=Казан
| loc_lang1=Tatar
| image_skyline  = {{multiple image
|perrow = 1/2/2/1
|border = infobox
|total_width = 250
|image1 = Дворец земледельцев2.jpg
|caption1 = [[:ru:Дворец земледельцев|Agricultural Palace]] and [[:ru:Дворцовая площадь (Казань)|Palace Square]]
|image2 = Kazan Kremlin. Spasskaya Tower P8111872 2200.jpg
|caption2 = [[:ru:Спасская башня (Казанский кремль)|Spasskaya Tower]]
|image3 = Kazan Kremlin. Qolşärif Mosque P8111875 2200.jpg
|caption3 = [[Kul Sharif Mosque]]
|image4 = Kazan Kremlin P8111944 2200.jpg
|caption4 = [[Söyembikä Tower]]
|image5 = Ансамбль церкви Богоявления.jpg
|caption5 = [[Epiphany Cathedral (Kazan, Russia)|Epiphany Cathedral]] and [[Bauman Street, Kazan|Bauman Street]]
|image6 = К Кремлю со стороны вокзала.jpg
|caption6 = Panoramic view of the [[Kazan Kremlin]]
}}
| pushpin_map        = Russia Tatarstan#European Russia#Russia#Europe
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Tatarstan##Location in European Russia##Location in Russia##Location in Europe
| pushpin_relief = 1
| coordinates ={{coord|55|47|47|N|49|06|32|E|display=inline,title}}
| image_flag =Flag of Kazan.svg
| image_coa =Coat of Arms of Kazan (Tatarstan).svg
| holiday = 30 August
| holiday_ref = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Republic of Tatarstan |url=http://kgmu.kcn.ru/english/about_kazan.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208013913/http://kgmu.kcn.ru/english/about_kazan.html |archive-date=8 December 2009}}</ref>
<!-- administrative status -->
| federal_subject = [[Tatarstan]]
| federal_subject_ref = <ref name="Ref1500" />
| adm_inhabloc_jur = [[City of federal subject significance|City of republic significance]] of Kazan
| adm_inhabloc_jur_ref = <ref name="Ref1500"/>
|capital_of = [[Republic of Tatarstan]]
|capital_of_ref =<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the Republic of Tatarstan |url=http://tatarstan.ru/eng/about/welcome.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916225234/http://tatarstan.ru/eng/about/welcome.htm |archive-date=16 September 2017 |access-date=8 May 2018 |website=tatarstan.ru}}</ref>
|adm_ctr_of1 = city of republic significance of Kazan
|adm_ctr_of1_ref=<ref name="Ref1500" />
|inhabloc_cat=City
|inhabloc_cat_ref=<ref name="Ref1500" />
|inhabloc_type=City of republic significance
|inhabloc_type_ref=<ref name="Ref1500" />
<!-- municipal status -->
|urban_okrug_jur=Kazan Urban Okrug
|urban_okrug_jur_ref=<ref name="Ref894"/>
|mun_admctr_of1=Kazan Urban Okrug
|mun_admctr_of1_ref=<ref name="Ref894" />
|leader_title=[[List of Kazan mayors|Mayor]]
|leader_title_ref=<ref name="Mayor">{{Cite web|url=http://www.metshin.ru/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903062131/http://www.metshin.ru/|url-status=dead|title=Official website of the Mayor of Kazan|archivedate=3 September 2011}}</ref>
|leader_name=[[Ilsur Metshin]]
|leader_name_ref=<ref name="Mayor" />
|representative_body={{ill|Kazan City Duma|lt=City Duma|tt|Казан шәһәр Думасы|ru|Казанская городская дума}}
|representative_body_ref=<ref name="RepBody">Official website of Kazan. [http://www.kzn.ru/gorduma Kazan City Duma] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304073318/http://kzn.ru/gorduma |date=4 March 2012 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
<!-- statistics -->
|area_km2=425.3
|area_km2_ref=<ref name="GKS">площадь собственно города, [http://www.gks.ru/dbscripts/munst/munst92/DBInet.cgi Федеральная служба государственной статистики] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115054002/http://www.gks.ru/dbscripts/munst/munst92/DBInet.cgi |date=15 November 2013 }}</ref>
|pop_2010census=1143535
|pop_2010census_rank=8th
|pop_2010census_ref=<ref name="2010Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2010Census}}</ref>
<!-- unused, see talk page
|pop_latest=1257391
|pop_latest_date=2020
|pop_latest_ref={{fact|date=January 2022}} 
-->
|established_date={{Start date and age|1005}}
|established_date_ref=<ref name="Foundation" />
|abolished_date_ref=<!-- misc -->
|postal_codes=420xxx
|postal_codes_ref=<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kazan Russia – a thousand-year Russian city travel guide |url=http://aboutkazan.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20070828022156/http://aboutkazan.com/ |archive-date=28 August 2007 |access-date=8 May 2018 |website=aboutkazan.com}}</ref>
|dialing_codes=843
|dialing_codes_ref=<ref>{{Cite web |title=Current Local Time in Kazan, Russia |url=http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=354 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209215458/http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=354 |archive-date=9 February 2014 |access-date=8 May 2018 |website=timeanddate.com}}</ref>
|website=http://www.kzn.ru/
}}

'''Kazan'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|z|æ|n|,_|-|ˈ|z|ɑː|n}} {{respell|kə|ZAN|,_|-|ZAHN}}; {{lang-rus|Казань|p=kɐˈzanʲ}}; {{langx|tt-Cyrl|Казан}}, <small>IPA</small>: [[Help:IPA/Tatar|[qɑzan]]]}} is the largest city and [[capital city|capital]] of [[Tatarstan]], Russia. The city lies at the [[confluence]] of the [[Volga]] and the [[Kazanka (river)|Kazanka]] rivers, covering an area of {{convert|425.3|km2|abbr=off}}, with a population of over 1.3 million residents,<ref>{{cite web|title=Оценка численности постоянного населения по субъектам Российской Федерации|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/tab-5_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|accessdate=1 September 2022}}</ref> and up to nearly 2 million residents in the greater [[Kazan metropolitan area|metropolitan area]]. Kazan is the [[List of cities and towns in Russia by population|fifth-largest city]] in Russia, being the [[Volga#Biggest cities on the shores of the Volga|most populous city]] on the Volga and within the [[Volga Federal District]].

Historically, Kazan was the capital of the [[Khanate of Kazan]], and was [[Siege of Kazan|conquered]] by [[Ivan the Terrible]] in the 16th century, at which point the city became a part of the [[Tsardom of Russia]]. The city was seized (and largely destroyed) during [[Pugachev's Rebellion]] (1773–1775), but was later rebuilt during the reign of [[Catherine the Great]]. In the following centuries, Kazan grew to become a major industrial, cultural and religious centre of Russia. In 1920, after the [[Russian SFSR]] became a part of the [[Soviet Union]], Kazan became the capital of the [[Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic]] (Tatar ASSR). Following the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Kazan remained the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Kazan is renowned for its vibrant mix of [[Tatar culture|Tatar]] and [[Russian culture|Russian]] cultures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yausheva |first=Anzhela |date=2017-11-23 |title=Kazan: A vibrant mix of Russian and Tatar cultures |url=http://www.prospektmag.com/2017/11/kazan-vibrant-mix-russian-tatar-cultures/ |access-date=2019-05-30 |website=Prospekt Magazine |language=en-US |archive-date=30 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530064448/http://www.prospektmag.com/2017/11/kazan-vibrant-mix-russian-tatar-cultures/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2023, 4 million tourists visited Kazan, and [[Kazan Kremlin]], a [[World Heritage Site]], recorded more than 4.5 million visits.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 February 2024 |title=2023 елда Казанга 4 миллионнан артык турист килгән |trans-title=In 2023, more than 4 million tourists came to Kazan |url=https://kzn.ru/meriya/press-tsentr/novosti/bolee-4-millionov-turistov-posetili-kazan-v-2023-godu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225180513/https://kzn.ru/meriya/press-tsentr/novosti/bolee-4-millionov-turistov-posetili-kazan-v-2023-godu/ |archive-date=25 February 2024 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=Kazan |language=tt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Davydova |first=Aleksandra |date=19 February 2024 |title=Казань в 2023 году посетили 4 млн туристов |trans-title=4 million tourists visited Kazan in 2023 |url=https://www.tatar-inform.ru/news/kazan-v-2023-godu-posetili-4-mln-turistov-5936329 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225174948/https://www.tatar-inform.ru/news/kazan-v-2023-godu-posetili-4-mln-turistov-5936329 |archive-date=25 February 2024 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=Tatar Inform |language=ru}}</ref> In April 2009, the [[Russian Patent Office]] granted Kazan the right to refer to itself as the "Third Capital of Russia".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-03 |title=Kazan officially becomes Russia's Third Capital |url=http://english.pravda.ru/history/03-04-2009/107354-kazan-0/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602114414/http://english.pravda.ru/history/03-04-2009/107354-kazan-0/ |archive-date=2 June 2013 |access-date=26 March 2013 |website=Pravda}}</ref> In 2009, Kazan was chosen as the "sports capital of Russia".<ref name="sportcap">{{Cite web|last=ВАНЯШИНА|first=Дарья|date=2009-12-14|title=Казань - спортивная столица России|url=https://www.kazan.kp.ru/online/news/587131/|access-date=2023-02-10|website=kazan.kp.ru|language=ru}}</ref> Kazan hosted the [[2013 Summer Universiade]], and was one of the host cities of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]. Kazan hosted the BRICS Games from 12 to 23 June 2024. Athletes competed in 27 sports.

==Etymology==
An older mention of the name of Kazan is associated with a pot that was drowned in the river, as evidenced by the text:<blockquote>Kazan Tatars got their name from the main city of Kazan - and it is so called from the Tatar word Kazan, the cauldron, which was omitted by the servant of the founder of this city, Khan Altyn Bek, not on purpose, when he scooped water for his master to wash, in the river now called Kazanka. In other respects, according to their own legends, they were not of a special tribe, but descended from the fighters who remained here [in Kazan] on the settlement of different generations and from foreigners attracted to Kazan, but especially [[Nogais|Nogai Tatars]], who all through their union into a single society formed a special people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Миллер К.В. Описание всехъ в Российском государстве обитающихъ народовъ. Часть вторая, о народахъ татарского племени |url=https://www.studmed.ru/miller-k-v-opisanie-vseh-v-rossiyskom-gosudarstve-obitayuschih-narodov-chast-vtoraya-o-narodah-tatarskogo-plemeni_882d79ea405.html |access-date=2025-10-09 |website=www.studmed.ru}}</ref>

— ''Carl Wilhelm Müller''. "Description of all the peoples living in the Russian state,.." Part Two. About the peoples of the Tatar tribe. S-P, 1776, Translated from German.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Миллер К.В. Описание всехъ в Российском государстве обитающихъ народовъ. Часть вторая, о народахъ татарского племени |url=https://www.studmed.ru/miller-k-v-opisanie-vseh-v-rossiyskom-gosudarstve-obitayuschih-narodov-chast-vtoraya-o-narodah-tatarskogo-plemeni_882d79ea405.html |access-date=2025-10-09 |website=www.studmed.ru}}</ref>

— ''[[Johann Gottlieb Georgi]]''. Description of all the peoples living in the Russian state : their everyday rituals, customs, clothes, dwellings, exercises, amusements, faiths and other memorabilia. Part 2 : About the peoples of the Tatar tribe and other undecided origin of the Northern Siberian. - 1799.page 8 <ref>{{Cite web |last=ИнфоРост |first=Н. П. |title=ГПИБ {{!}} Ч. 2 : О народах татарского племени и других не решенного еще происхождения Северных Сибирских. - 1799. |url=http://elib.shpl.ru/ru/nodes/14951-ch-2-o-narodah-tatarskogo-plemeni-i-drugih-ne-reshennogo-esche-proishozhdeniya-severnyh-sibirskih-1799#mode/inspect/page/18/zoom/4 |access-date=2025-10-09 |website=elib.shpl.ru}}</ref></blockquote>The earliest chronicle mention of the first [[İske Qazan|(old) Kazan]] is contained in the Rogozhsky Chronicle under 1391 in the description of the campaign of the ushkuiniks who plundered and burned Žuketau and Kazan. It stood empty for 40 years. New Kazan was founded at its mouth on the Hill. This message is repeated in the Simeon Chronicle and the Moscow Code of 1479. New Kazan (modern) was founded in 1438 as the capital of the [[Khanate of Kazan|Kazan Khanate]] by [[Ulugh Muhammad|Ulu-Mukhamed]]. Sources say that Kazan was founded by [[Perekop]] refugees (Tatars) from [[Crimea]] ([[Taurida]])<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.prlib.ru/en/item/1090759 |title=Travel to Muscovy Baron Augustine Mayerberg, a member of the Court Council and Horace Wilhelm Kalvucci, a chevalier and member of the Government Council of Lower Austria, the ambassadors of the August Roman emperor Leopold to the tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mihai |language=en}}</ref><blockquote>Translate: The Kazan, former Tatar, Kingdom received its name from its capital city, and it from the name of the [[Kazanka (river)|river Kazanka]] (Kasanska), flowing around it with its winding bed. Kazan was built by [[Perekop]] refugees from [[Taurida]], during the reign of [[Vasily II of Moscow|Vasily II Vasilyevich]] in [[Muscovy (Grand Duchy)|Muscovy]]. [[Vasili III of Russia|Vasily III Ivanovich]] forced it (Kazan) to take [[Tsar|Tsars]] for itself, from it (the [[Kasimov Tatars]]). And then, when it (Kazan) began to rebel, he squeezed it with threats of a dangerous war, but did not subdue it. But in 7061 (from the Creation of the World), or in [[1552]] (from the Nativity of Christ), his son, [[Ivan the Terrible|Ivan IV the Terrible]], took Kazan, after a six-month siege, along with it and [[Cheremis]] (Ceremissis), forced them to submit to the rule of Moscow. However, as a reward for the insult, he subjugated to it (Kazan) and to himself the neighboring [[Chuvashia|Chuvash Bulgaria]] ([[Volga Bulgaria|Bulgariam]]), which he could not stand for its frequent rebellions, so that this country, not accustomed to obedience, would learn to bear foreign rule ([[colonization]]), and he decorated Kazan by establishing in it the [[Metropolitanate]] and the seat of the Chief Metropolitan. — Journey to Muscovy of Baron ''Augustin Meyerberg'' and ''Horace Wilhelm Calvucci'', ambassadors of the August Roman Emperor Leopold to the Tsar and Grand Duke [[Alexis of Russia|Alexei Mikhailovich]] in 1661, described by Baron Mayerberg himself.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.prlib.ru/en/item/1090759 |title=Travel to Muscovy Baron Augustine Mayerberg, a member of the Court Council and Horace Wilhelm Kalvucci, a chevalier and member of the Government Council of Lower Austria, the ambassadors of the August Roman emperor Leopold to the tsar and Grand Duke Alexei Mihai |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>

==History==
{{For timeline}}
{{Main|History of Kazan}}

===Middle Ages===
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2020}}
[[File:Casan Tartarorum by Olearius (1883634).jpg|thumb|A view of Kazan by [[Adam Olearius]], 1656]]
[[File:Вид Казани в 1767 году.jpg|thumb|A view of the city c. 1767]]
According to the official version adopted today, the city was founded more than 1,000 years ago. The estimated date of the urban settlement on the site of Kazan is 1004–1005 AD. The reason for this dating was found during excavations in the Kazan Kremlin – a Czech coin, dated by the Board of [[Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia|St. Wenceslaus]] (presumably, coinage 929–930 years) and the earliest Czech coin, the remains of masonry and wooden city fence, handicrafts and utensils (Hungarian type lining, women's beads, etc.), as well as other artifacts with less obvious dating. According to official statements, experts from 20 cities of Russia and 22 countries of the world were involved in the study of findings related to the age of Kazan.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ярмила Хаскова |year=1999 |script-title=ru:Древнечешская монета из Казани |url=http://www.archive.gov.tatarstan.ru/magazine/go/anonymous/main/?path=mg:/numbers/1999_1_2/03/03_2/ |url-status=dead |language=ru |edition=Гасырлар авазы / Эхо веков |issue=1/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310151443/http://www.archive.gov.tatarstan.ru/magazine/go/anonymous/main/?path=mg%3A%2Fnumbers%2F1999_1_2%2F03%2F03_2%2F |archive-date=10 March 2016 |access-date=14 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:Кто сказал, что Казани – 1000 лет? Аргументы и факты о возрасте города |url=http://www.1000kzn.ru/article/ru/99/69/ |access-date=18 November 2017 |publisher=1000kzn.ru |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Турышева |first=Элина |title=Казани 1020 лет: как ученые и математики узнали возраст города |url=https://inkazan.ru/news/2025-08-28/kazani-1020-let-kak-uchenye-i-matematiki-uznali-vozrast-goroda-5464403 |work=Inkazan.ru |date=28 August 2025 |access-date=2025-11-23}}</ref>

Kazan was a border post between [[Volga Bulgaria]] and two [[Finno-Ugric peoples]]—the [[Mari people|Mari]] and [[Udmurt people|Udmurt]]. Another question is where the citadel was built originally. Archaeological explorations have produced evidence of urban settlement in three parts of the modern city: in the [[Kazan Kremlin|Kremlin]]; in Bişbalta at the site of the modern Zilantaw monastery; and near the [[Kaban Lakes|Kaban lake]]. The oldest of these seems to be the Kremlin.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

In 1438, the Bulgar fortress Kazan (ISKE-Kazan) was captured by the ousted Golden Horde Khan [[Ulugh Muhammad]], who killed the local Prince Swan and moved the fortress to a modern place (according to Russian Chronicles). The city became the capital of the [[Khanate of Kazan]]. The city Bazaar, Taş Ayaq (stone foot) has become the most important shopping center in the region, especially for furniture. Handicraft production also flourished, as the city gained a reputation for its leather and gold products, as well as the wealth of its palaces and mosques. 
Kazan had trade relations with Moscow, Crimea, Turkey, and other regions.<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Unknown |first= |title=Kazan’s foundation and early Khanate history |date=2008 |access-date=2025-11-23 |publisher=Durham University |url=https://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7202/1/7202_4384.PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kazan Kremlin – UNESCO |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/980 |access-date=2025-11-23 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref>

===Russian Tsardom period===
[[File:Вид на кафедральный собор. Казань.1894.jpg|thumb|Annunciation Cathedral of Kazan Kremlin, 1561–1562]]

As a result of the [[siege of Kazan]] in 1552, [[Tsardom of Russia|Tsar]] [[Ivan the Terrible]] conquered the city.<ref name="translate.google.ru">{{Cite web |last=ХУДЯКОВ |script-title=ru:Очерки по истории КАЗАНСКОГО ХАНСТВА |url=http://tatarica.narod.ru/cult/library/book/kazanhanligi/chapter4.htm |language=ru}}<br />Google translation: {{Cite web |last=M.G. Khudyakov |title=Essays on the history of KAZAN HOSPITAL |url=https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ru&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftatarica.narod.ru%2Fcult%2Flibrary%2Fbook%2Fkazanhanligi%2Fchapter4.htm}}</ref> During the subsequent governorship of [[Alexander Gorbaty-Shuysky]], most of the Kazan's Tatar residents were forcibly Christianized or deported,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eu7WDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT64 |title=Volga Tatars: A Profile in National Resilience |date=2017 |publisher=Hoover Press |isbn=978-0817983932}}</ref> and [[mosque]]s and palaces were ruined.<ref name="translate.google.ru" /> The surviving Tatar population was moved to a place {{convert|50|km|sp=us}} away from the city and this place was forcibly settled by Russian farmers and soldiers. [[serving Tatars|Tatars in the Russian service]] were settled in the Tatar Bistäse settlement near the city's wall. Later Tatar merchants and handicraft masters also settled there. During this period, Kazan was largely destroyed as a result of several great fires. After one of them in 1579, the icon ''[[Our Lady of Kazan]]'' was discovered in the city.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

In the early 17th century, at the beginning of the [[Time of Troubles]] in Russia, the Tsardom of Kazan declared independence under the leadership of voyvoda Nikanor Shulgin with the help of the Russian population, but this independence was suppressed by [[Kuzma Minin]] in 1612.{{citation needed|date=July 2011}}

===Russian Empire period===
[[File:Kazanmap19century.jpg|thumb|Kazan city map from the 19th century, Russian edition]]
In 1708, the Tsardom of Kazan was abolished, and Kazan became the seat of [[Kazan Governorate]]. After [[Peter the Great]]'s visit, the city became a center of shipbuilding for the [[Caspian fleet]]. The major Russian poet [[Gavrila Derzhavin]] was born in Kazan in 1743, the son of a poor country squire of Tatar ancestry though himself having a thoroughly Russian identity.

Before the building of modern dams, low-lying areas were regularly flooded in April and May. Kazan suffered major fires in 1595, 1672, 1694, 1742, 1749, 1757, 1774, 1815, and 1842.

Kazan was [[Battle of Kazan (1774)|largely destroyed]] in 1774 as a result of [[Pugachev's Rebellion|Pugachev's rebellion]], an uprising by border troops and peasants led by the [[Don Cossacks|Don Cossack]] [[ataman]] (Captain) [[Yemelyan Pugachev]], but the city, formerly largely of timber construction, was soon afterwards rebuilt, using stone and according to a grid pattern plan, during the reign of [[Catherine the Great]]. Catherine also decreed that mosques could again be built in Kazan, the first being [[Marjani Mosque]].
[[File:Kazan University, 1832.jpg|thumb|[[Kazan State University]], 1832]]
At the beginning of the 19th century [[Kazan State University]] and printing press were founded by [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]]. It became an important center for [[Oriental Studies]] in Russia. The [[Qur'an]] was first printed in Kazan in 1801. Kazan became an industrial center and peasants migrated there to join its industrial workforce. In 1875, a [[horse tramway]] appeared; 1899 saw the installation of a [[tram]]way. After the [[Russian Revolution of 1905]], Tatars were allowed to revive Kazan as a Tatar cultural center. The first Tatar theater and the first Tatar newspaper appeared.

===Soviet period===
In 1917, Kazan became one of the [[October Revolution|revolution]] centers. In 1918, Kazan was the capital of the [[Idel-Ural State]], which was suppressed by the [[Bolsheviks|Bolshevik]] government. In the [[Kazan Operation]] of August 1918, it was briefly occupied by [[Czechoslovak Legions]]. In 1920, Kazan became the center of the [[Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic]]. After the [[Treaty of Rapallo (1922)]] until 1933, the German and the Russian army together operated the [[Kama tank school]] in Kazan.

Those who died in prison or were executed were buried in the Arkhangelskoe cemetery. In 1998 an elaborate memorial complex was created in their memory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.mapofmemory.org/16-01|title=KAZAN cemetery [C] Executed & prison dead|date=20 August 2014|website=Russia's Necropolis of Terror and the Gulag}}</ref>

During [[World War II]], many industrial plants and factories to the west were relocated in Kazan, making the city a center of the [[military industry]], producing [[tank]]s and [[airplane|planes]]. After the war Kazan consolidated as an industrial and scientific center. In 1979, the city's population reached one million.

===Modern period===
[[File:RIAN archive 172139 Dmitry Medvedev visits Kazan.jpg|thumb|[[Dmitry Medvedev]] visits Kazan, November 2007.]]
[[File:Kazan, Baumana street - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Bauman Street, Kazan|Bauman Street]]]]
In the late 1980s and in the 1990s, after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], Kazan again became the center of [[Tatars|Tatar]] culture and identity, and separatist tendencies intensified. With the return of capitalism, Kazan became one of the most important centers of the Russian Federation.{{citation needed|date=December 2024}} The city went from 10th to 8th position in population ranking of Russian cities. In the early 2000s, the city earned the right to host both the [[2013 Summer Universiade]] and [[2018 FIFA World Cup]].

'''Millennium of Kazan'''

[[File:Millennium Bridge Kazan.jpg|thumb|Millennium Bridge]]
Since 2000, the city has been undergoing a total renovation. The historical center including the Kremlin was rebuilt, however a large number of the city's historical districts were completely demolished in the renovation. Kazan celebrated its millennium in 2005, after a city-organized historical commission settled on 1005 as the official year of the city's founding.<ref name="Foundation">{{Cite journal |last1= Шаймиев |first1=Минтимер Шарипович |last2=Исхаков |first2=Камиль |last3= Хәсәнов |first3=Мансур Х |date=10 September 1999 |script-title= ru:Выступления Президента РТ М. Шаймиева, мэра г.Казани К.Исхакова и президента АН РТ, академика М.Хасанова на торжественном собрании по случаю установления даты основания г.Казани |url= http://www.archive.gov.tatarstan.ru/magazine/go/anonymous/main/?path=mg:/numbers/1999_3_4/01/01_2/ |url-status=dead |journal=Гасырлар авазы/Эхо веков |language=ru |issue=3/4 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111002083224/http://www.archive.gov.tatarstan.ru/magazine/go/anonymous/main/?path=mg%3A%2Fnumbers%2F1999_3_4%2F01%2F01_2%2F |archive-date=2 October 2011 |access-date=17 July 2011}}</ref> During the millennium celebrations, one of the largest mosque in Russia, [[Qolsharif mosque|Qolsharif]], was dedicated in the Kazan Kremlin, the holiest copy of [[Our Lady of Kazan]] was returned to the city, the [[Millennium Bridge (Kazan)|Millennium Bridge]] was inaugurated that year,<ref>{{Cite news|date=2005-08-26| work = BBC | first= Steven| last= Eke |title=Putin joins Tatarstan festivities|language=en-GB|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4186204.stm|access-date=2023-02-10}}</ref> and the [[Kazan Metro]] began operation. The government of the Russian Federation released the [[Medal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan"]].

In 2010, for the preparations to the 2013 Universiade, Kazan began even more renovation by modernizing its airport, fixing the streets, enhancing public transport, and adopting Russian, English, and Tatar languages in all transportation, large stores, and shopping centers.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

In 2021, a teenager killed nine people in a school [[Kazan school shooting|mass shooting and bombing]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-05-11 |title=Nine Killed In Tatarstan School Shooting; Putin Calls For Weapons Clampdown |language=en |work= rferl.org| publisher= [[Radio Free Europe]]/[[Radio Liberty]] |url= https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-tatarstan-kazan-school-shooting/31249036.html |access-date=2023-08-06}}</ref>

In December 2024, Russian leader [[Vladimir Putin]] threatened to bring more "destruction" to [[Ukraine]] in retaliation for a [[Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine|Ukrainian drone attack]] on Kazan during the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Putin Vows 'Destruction' on Ukraine After Kazan Drone Attack |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/12/22/putin-vows-destruction-on-ukraine-after-kazan-drone-attack-a87423 |work=The Moscow Times |date=22 December 2024}}</ref>

==Heraldry==
The historical symbol of Kazan is the mythical dragon-like creature [[Zilant]], often mentioned in legends. For example, when numerous snakes and reptiles severely hampered the development of the city, the hunters went in search of the King of snakes and defeated him, according to another version, the residents of the city bought off the giant snake with gold, after which all the snakes left the city. Another legend says that the giant dragon-like serpent always guarded the Khan's treasures, and that it still protects the hidden wealth before the capture of the city in the secret caves. Historically, it is true that snakes were once numerous in the Kazan region, but then their number has decreased dramatically. The first official coat of arms of Kazan was approved on 18 October 1781 and was described as "black snake under the crown of gold, Kazan, red wings, white field". In 1926, the country introduced a ban on such heraldry. In the 1980s, the coat of arms of Kazan began to reappear, and in the 1990s Kazan Zilant in various styles began to appear in print media. Modern graphics of the emblem and flag appeared in 2005—in a silver field on the green earth a black dragon with red wings and tongue, with gold paws, claws and eyes, topped with a gold crown. The shield is crowned with a Kazan cap. According to the traditions of heraldry, the dragon symbolizes power, wisdom and invincibility, the earth—life and wealth, the crown-development, and the cap above the shield-the capital of the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kazadmin.narod.ru/gerbs/gerbs.html|title=Гербы Казаи и городов Казанской губерни|website=kazadmin.narod.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:Герб города Казань |url=http://geraldika.ru/symbols/376 |access-date=18 November 2017 |website=Геральдика.ру |publisher=geraldika.ru |language=ru}}</ref>

==Administrative and municipal status==
Kazan is the [[capital city|capital]] of [[Tatarstan]]. Within the [[Political divisions of Russia#Administrative divisions|framework of administrative divisions]], it is incorporated as the '''[[city of federal subject significance|city of republic significance]] of Kazan'''—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the [[administrative divisions of the Republic of Tatarstan|districts]].<ref name="Ref1500">Order #01-02/9</ref> As a [[Political divisions of Russia#Municipal divisions|municipal division]], the city of republic significance of Kazan is incorporated as '''Kazan Urban Okrug'''.<ref name="Ref894">Law #46-ZRT</ref>

===City divisions===
[[File:Схема районов Казани.jpg|thumb|{{ill|Districts of Kazan|ru|Административное деление Казани}}]]

Kazan is divided into seven districts:
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="width:50%;"
|-
!No.
!District
!Population<ref name="2010Census" />
!Area (km<sup>2</sup>){{citation needed|date=September 2011}}
|-
|1
| {{ill|Aviastroitelny District, Kazan|lt=Aviastroitelny|ru|Авиастроительный район (Казань)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 111,405
| style="text-align:right;"| 38.91
|-
|2
| {{ill|Vakhitovsky District, Kazan|lt=Vakhitovsky|ru|Вахитовский район}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 86,202
| style="text-align:right;"| 25.82
|-
|3
| [[Kirovsky City District, Kazan|Kirovsky]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 109,125
| style="text-align:right;"| 108.79
|-
|4
| {{ill|Moskovsky District, Kazan|lt=Moskovsky|ru|Московский район (Казань)}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 130,537
| style="text-align:right;"| 38.81
|-
|5
| {{ill|Novo-Savinovsky District|lt=Novo-Savinovsky|ru|Ново-Савиновский район}}
| style="text-align:right;"| 202,997
| style="text-align:right;"| 20.66
|-
|6
| [[Privolzhsky City District|Privolzhsky]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 227,755
| style="text-align:right;"| 115.77
|-
|7
| [[Sovetsky City District, Kazan|Sovetsky]]
| style="text-align:right;"| 275,514
| style="text-align:right;"| 167.00
|}

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Kazan}}
[[File:Kazan IT-Park in 2015.jpg|right|thumb|Kazan IT-Park]]
[[File:Korston Hotel&Mall Kazan 3.jpg|left|thumb|Korston-Kazan with local World Trade Center]]
{{multiple image
| background color  = 
| image1            = Tupolev Tu-160 RF-94109.jpg
| width1            = 141
| alt1              = [[Tupolev Tu-160]] strategic bomber
| image2            = Russian Air Force Tu-214ON RA-64519 UUBW 2011-8-12.png
| width2            = 141
| alt2              = [[Tupolev Tu-204]] airliner
| footer_background = 
| footer_align      = center
| footer            = Airplanes built by [[Kazan Aircraft Production Association]]
}}

{{multiple image 
 | background color  =
 | image1            = Mil Mi-14 of Polish Navy (reg. 1011), static display, Radom AirShow 2005, Poland.jpg
 | width1            = 158
 | alt1              = [[Mil Mi-14]]/[[Mil Mi-17]] amphibious/middle helicopter 
 | image2            = Kazan_Ansat_-_100th_anniversary_of_Russian_Air_Force_-02.jpg
 | width2            = 140
 | alt2              = [[Kazan Ansat]] light helicopter 
 | footer_background = 
 | footer_align      = centre
 | footer            = Helicopter built by [[Kazan Helicopters]] 
}}
Kazan is one of the largest industrial and financial centers of Russia, and a leading city of the [[Volga economic region]] in construction and accumulated investment.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:БГД |url=http://www.gks.ru/bgd/regl/b08_14t/Main.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119115657/http://gks.ru/bgd/regl/b08_14t/Main.htm |archive-date=19 January 2012 |access-date=8 May 2018 |website=gks.ru |language=ru}}</ref> The city's [[Gross Regional Product|gross regional product]] was 380 billion rubles in 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Катаргин |first=Дмитрий |script-title=ru:Казань побила рекорд по инвестициям |language=ru |work=БИЗНЕС Online |date=26 December 2011 |url=https://www.business-gazeta.ru/article/51799 |access-date=7 June 2018}}</ref>

Total banking capital of Kazan banks is third in Russia.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} The main industries of the city are: mechanical engineering, chemical, petrochemical, light and food industries. An innovative economy is represented by the largest IT-park in Russia which is one of the largest of its kind among Eastern European [[science park]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=В строительство IT-парка вложили 3 миллиарда |url=http://www.arendator.ru/articles/1/art/34172/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826235129/http://www.arendator.ru/articles/1/art/34172 |archive-date=26 August 2013 |access-date=8 May 2018 |website=arendator.ru |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tpidea.ru/index.php?nodeid=33|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202073236/http://www.tpidea.ru/index.php?nodeid=33|url-status=dead|title=Инновационный технопарк Идея|archivedate=2 February 2011}}</ref> Kazan ranked 186th in [[Mercer (consulting firm)|Mercer]]'s 1999 Worldwide Quality of Living Survey.<ref>{{Cite web|title= Worldwide Quality of Living Survey | date= 1999
|url=http://across.co.nz/qualityofliving.htm}}{{update inline|date=June 2023|reason= the previous information here was sourced to an unarchived dead link; Mercer have since changed their methodology to a "cost of living" survey, and their old data are not available on their website}}
</ref>

===Investments===
In 2011, city organisations and businesses attracted more than 87 billion rubles for economy and social sphere development. This was 44% more than in 2010. In 2014, businesses attracted 86 billion rubles. Most of them have been implemented in the real economy sector.

Because of the unstable economic situation within the country, there was a decrease of investment rates in 2015 and—according to the statistics of the first part of the year—it composed 51684.2 million rubles.

There are head offices of six companies that are in the top 500 in terms of revenues in Russia. The total area of city business centres is 330 thousand square metres.

Innovative economy in Kazan is represented by the biggest IT-park in Russia and also the biggest technical park in Europe. The only online platform for governmental trade except the Moscow one is operated in Kazan. During the post-Soviet period Kazan was the leader in terms of house construction in the Volga region, and now it holds the position and implements the Republican program of liquidation of dilapidated housing which was unique for Russia.

According to ''Forbes'', Kazan was ranked 15th among the "Best cities for business in Russia" of 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |title=30 лучших городов для бизнеса—2010 |url=http://www.forbes.ru/rating/30-luchshih-gorodov-dlya-biznesa/2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810162947/http://www.forbes.ru/rating/30-luchshih-gorodov-dlya-biznesa/2010 |archive-date=10 August 2011 |access-date=9 February 2016 |website=Forbes |date=27 May 2010 |language=ru}}</ref> In 2012, Kazan ranked 6th in the quality of city environment rating, which was made by the Russian Federation Ministry of Regional Development, Russian Alliance of Engineers, Federal Construction Agency, Federal Service of Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare and Moscow Federal University.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Сергей Афанасьев |author2=Влас Мысько |script-title=ru:Казань оценили на "6 с плюсом" |url=http://www.business-gazeta.ru/article/80587/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810190508/http://www.business-gazeta.ru/article/80587/ |archive-date=10 August 2016 |access-date=9 February 2016 |website=БИЗНЕС Online |date=22 May 2013 |language=ru}}</ref>

==Transportation==
=== Bus ===
[[File:Нефаз2850.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Neftekamsk Automotive Plant|NefAZ]] bus on Tukay Square]]
The first bus routes in Kazan came to use in 1925.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Генриха Клепацкого |title=Казань: первые автобусы и такси |url=http://kazantransport.by.ru/ek-bus1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041224211727/http://kazantransport.by.ru/ek-bus1.htm |archive-date=24 December 2004 |access-date=7 October 2020 |website=e-Kazan.ru}}</ref> The bus is the most popular type of public transport in Kazan: in 2016, it carried about 74% of passengers. As of 2017, there are about 62 bus routes in the city,<ref>{{Cite web |title=В Казани изменяется схема движения |url=http://kazantransport.ru/shema_dvijeniya_marshrutov/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419133646/http://kazantransport.ru/shema_dvijeniya_marshrutov/ |archive-date=19 April 2015 |access-date=7 October 2020}}</ref> with a total length of more than 1.2 thousand km. The total number of buses operating on city routes is 840. The movement of all buses is monitored using an automated control system based on satellite navigation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Александр Гавриленко |date=1 March 2012 |title=Казанские автобусы ездят на "космическом поводке" |url=https://www.e-vid.ru/index-m-192-p-63-article-27993.htm |access-date=7 October 2020}}</ref> Any Internet user can track the movement of buses.

Kazan's bus system was totally renovated in 2007. 62 routes have an aggregate length of 1,981&nbsp;km (1,231&nbsp;mi). All 1,444 buses are colored red. Half of the buses are imported, produced by [[Golden Dragon (company)|Golden Dragon]], [[Higer Bus|Higer]], [[Minsk Automobile Plant|MAZ]], [[Yutong]], and [[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]]. Other buses are mostly Russian made [[Neftekamsk Automotive Plant|NefAZ]].

The fare is 42 rubles in cash, 38 rubles by credit card and by a special transport card (as of Jan 2024). On the routes, conductors are involved and, in addition to paying for cash (with a higher fare), there are general civil (with different tariff plans for replenishment, including time passes and an "electronic wallet"), as well as preferential electronic transport cards.

=== Tram ===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2021}}
[[File:Kazan tram on Kirovskaya Dike 08-2016 img1.jpg|thumb|An AKSM-843 tram passing by the Kirovskaya Dike]]
Kazan's tram system is one of the oldest tram systems in Russia, opened on 20 November 1899.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UrbanRail.Net > Europe > Russia > Kazan Tram |url=https://www.urbanrail.net/eu/ru/kaz/kazan-tram.htm |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=www.urbanrail.net}}</ref> The tram system in Kazan consists of eight operating routes, one of which is a historical excursion route between the railway station and river port. The daily output is 87 trams. Most of the tram lines are laid along the axis of the main streets, most of them on a dedicated track, fenced with side stones. The tram in the city center was largely removed in the 2000s due to the fight against traffic jams on narrow streets; some routes turned out to be unprofitable after the optimization of the transport scheme in 2006–2007.

In 2009–2020, the reconstruction of tram tracks on the main highways was carried out, as well as the construction of four new tram lines, which made it possible to launch circular tram routes No. 5/5a with an accelerated mode of movement in 2012-2020 along the sections of the Big Kazan Ring.

All trams are equipped with autoinformators. Announcements are broadcast in three languages (Russian, Tatar, English); for this reason, announcements are played for a very long time (up to one and a half minutes). The fare is 42 rubles in cash, 38 rubles for an electronic card (2024). On the routes, conductors are involved and, in addition to paying for cash (with a higher fare), there are general civil (with different tariff plans for replenishment, including time passes and an "electronic wallet"), as well as preferential electronic transport cards.

=== Trolleybus ===
[[File:411=2019.08.25=Троллейбус=5-й маршрут(Казань)=DSC 0277.JPG|thumb|[[Trolleybus]] passing by the overpass on Richard Sorge Street]]
Kazan's trolleybus system is one of the oldest in Russia. Operation opened on 27 November 1948. In recent years, it continues to develop: new lines were launched, built and planned, while some new trolleybus lines replaced the removed tram lines. Two trolleybus depots operate a fleet of over 200 trolleybuses, all of which are green,<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 February 2009 |title=В 2008 году в Казани всеми видами городского транспорта перевезено 319,9 млн. пассажиров Подробнее |url=http://www.tatar-inform.ru/news/2009/02/09/153298/ |access-date=7 October 2020 |website=Tatar-inform |language=ru}}</ref> and serve 10 routes with a total length of {{convert|359.9|km|2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 March 2011 |title=Отчеты о деятельности Мэра Казани и Исполкома Казани за 2010 год |url=http://www.kzn.ru/news/show/22305 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318094905/http://www.kzn.ru/news/show/22305 |archive-date=18 March 2011 |access-date=7 October 2020 |website=kzn.ru}}</ref> A major overhaul (CWR) of old trolleybuses was carried out at the Kazan aircraft plant KAPO for the city at the beginning of the 21st century.

As of June 2024, the fare is 42 rubles in cash or 38 rubles by electronic transportation card or debit card.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Тарифы |trans-title=Rates |url=https://kazantransport.ru/fare/rates/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617181951/https://kazantransport.ru/fare/rates/ |archive-date=17 June 2024 |access-date=17 June 2024 |website=Kazan Transport Committee |language=ru}}</ref> On the routes, conductors are involved and, in addition to paying for cash (with a higher fare), there are general civil (with different tariff plans for replenishment, including time passes and an "electronic wallet"), as well as preferential electronic transport cards.

All trolleybuses are monitored by an automated control system based on satellite navigation. Any Internet user can track the movement of trolleybuses.

=== Metro ===
A single-line [[Kazan Metro]] (running north to south-east) opened on 27 August 2005. As of 2024, the Kazan Metro had eleven stations and crossed the [[Kazanka River]]. A second metro line is being built (Feb 2024).

===Railways===
[[File:Kazan Railway station 08-2016 img1.jpg|thumb|[[Kazan railway station|Kazan–Passazhirskaya]], opened in 1894]]
Kazan is connected with [[Moscow]], [[Ulyanovsk]], [[Yoshkar-Ola]] and [[Yekaterinburg]] by train.

The main railway station [[Kazan railway station|Kazan–Passazhirskaya]] is located in the city centre and includes a main building (built in 1896), a commuter trains terminal, a ticket office building and some other technical buildings. The station serves 36 intercity trains,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Александр Гавриленко |date=24 February 2008 |title=В Казань придут летние поезда |url=https://e-vid.ru/index-m-192-p-63-article-18351.htm |access-date=7 October 2020 |website=e-vid.ru| publisher= | language= ru| trans-title= }}</ref> and more than eight million passengers per annum. A second terminus, Kazan-2, is situated in the northern part of the city. Kazan also has 19 platforms for commuter trains. Within the city are 24 railway stations and stopping platforms.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Public transit===
Payment is received in cash, by dedicated travel cards and by banking cards. One ride fee is 36 rubles in cash or by banking card and 35 rubles by travel card.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.business-gazeta.ru/news/407819|title=Госкомитет РТ по тарифам одобрил повышение стоимости проезда в Казани до 27 рублей|website=БИЗНЕС Online|date=26 December 2018 }}</ref> There are various plans for different types of travel which reduce single ride fees. There are no zoning tariffs within the city.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

=== Cycling ===
On 1 July 2013, the Veli'k bicycle sharing system was launched in Kazan. In total, the system includes seven self-service bicycle docking stations, and a total fleet of 100 bikes. The service is open to anyone from 16 years of age. There are three types of subscription – monthly, weekly and daily. During the season from late spring to mid-autumn, residents and guests of Kazan typically use the service more than 15,000 times. In 2015, the first cycle routes on separate bike lanes were opened in the city centre; further expansion is planned throughout the city.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Waterways===
[[File:Rachport.jpg|thumb|Kazanskiy Rechnoy Port]]
[[File:Kazan Bulak near Kremlin 08-2016.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Bolaq|Bolaq Canal]]]]
Kazan's river port is one of the largest on the [[Volga River]], thanks to the system of canals from which Kazan is sometimes called the "port of five seas". The main building of the river station was built together with the new river port by the early 1960s and renovated in 2005. The station serves both passengers of intercity cruise ships and commuter boats (including high-speed fleet) – to the Kamsky Ustye, Tetyush, Bolgar, Pechishch, Sviyazhsk and Sadovaya. The daily passenger traffic in the summer period is up to 6,000 people per day. In winter, [[Hovercraft|pneumocushion boats]] are used, it goes from Kazan to Verkhny Uslon.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 February 2009 |title=По Казанке "марсоход" промчался |url=https://www.kazan.kp.ru/daily/24248.5/447214/ |access-date=7 October 2020 |website=[[Komsomolskaya Pravda]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Валентина Пахомова. |date=28 December 2007 |title=Навигацию на Волге открыла амфибия |url=http://www.evening-kazan.ru/article.asp?from=search&id=27698 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100302083822/http://www.evening-kazan.ru/article.asp?from=search&id=27698 |archive-date=2 March 2010 |access-date= 7 October 2020 |publisher=Вечерняя Казань}}</ref>

===Highways===
There are federal highway connections to [[Moscow]] and [[Ufa]] ([[European route E22|E-22]]), [[Orenburg]] (R-239), [[Ulyanovsk]] (R-241) and Igra (R-242). There are also the R-175 federal highway and "Northern Europe – Western China" (in construction) route near the city.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

There are five bridges across the Kazanka (Qazansu) river in the city, and one bridge connecting Kazan with the opposite bank of the Volga.

===Intercity buses===
There are two bus stations in Kazan—Central and Southern. Bus routes connect Kazan with all districts of Tatarstan, [[Samara, Russia|Samara]], [[Ufa]], [[Tolyatti]], [[Orenburg]], [[Ulyanovsk]], [[Cheboksary]], [[Sterlitamak]], [[Buzuluk, Orenburg Oblast|Buzuluk]], and [[Aktobe]].{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

===Kazan International Airport===
[[File:Привокзальная площадь аэропорта Казань.JPG|thumb|Kazan International Airport]]
[[Kazan International Airport]] is located {{convert|26|km|sp=us}} from the city center. It is a hub for [[UVT Aero]] and [[Kazan Air Enterprise]] and hosts eleven air companies. The airport is connected with the city by bus route #97 and by a suburban train line. There is also the [[Kazan Borisoglebskoye]] airfield, home to [[Kazan Aircraft Production Association]], a major aircraft factory, famous in the past as "Aircraft Plant 22" ("22nd Zavod").{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

Adjacent to it lies a huge aircraft engines plant ("16th Zavod"). It produces versions of [[Tupolev Tu-204|Tupolev 204]] and 214 aircraft. In the past an Ilyushin-62, four-engine Russian mainliner, [[Tupolev Tu-160|Tupolev-160 "Black Jack"]] supersonic strategic bomber and [[Tupolev Tu-22M|Tu-22M tactical bomber]] were also produced here. Both these plants and adjacent workers' housing make a whole city district known as "Aviastroitelny" ("Aircraft Builders").{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

{{Anchor|Barabız|Barabus}}
=== Barabız (historic) ===

[[Image:Barabus Kazan.jpg|thumb|Barabuses in Kazan]]
A ''barabus'' (rendering of [[Tatar language|Tatar]] {{lang|tt|barabız}} "we are going"  + [[English language|English]] ''bus'') was a winter public transport in the 19th to early 20th centuries, probably the first public transport in Kazan after cabs. They were operated by private carriers who were poor Tatar commoners from surrounding villages. A typical barabus was a [[sledge]] sheeted with [[Burlap|sacking]]. Barabus was a transport of paupers competing with cabs, [[Horsecar|horse railways]] and later tramways. Until the 1930s, when [[tram]]s were installed in the suburbs and any private enterprise was prohibited, barabuses were the only transport to connect quarters of poor mill-hands with other parts of the city.<ref>{{TES|Barabız/Барабыз}}</ref>

==Demographics==
===Population===
{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote = Source: Census data
|1897 | 130000
|1926 | 175597
|1939 | 398014
|1959 | 646806
|1970 | 868537
|1979 | 992675
|1989 | 1094378
|2002 | 1105289
|2010 | 1143535
|2021 | 1308660
}}
[[File:Kazan population.gif|thumb|Population of Kazan since 1800]]
[[File:EBRD forum in Kazan 2007 09.jpg|thumb|[[Volga Tatars|Tatar]] women in Kazan, 2007]]
Population: {{ru-census|p2021=1,308,660|p2010=1,143,535|p2002=1,105,289|p1989=1,094,378}}
[[Kazan metropolitan area]]'s population is 1.8 million.

===Ethnicity===
{{Main|Kazan ethnic communities}}As of 2021, the ethnic composition of Kazan was:<ref name="ВПН-2020">{{cite web |title=Национальный состав населения |url=https://16.rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/%D0%A2%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0%203.%20%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9%20%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B2%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F%20%D0%BF%D0%BE%20%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BC%20%D0%BE%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BC%20%D0%B8%20%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BC.xlsx |access-date=3 July 2023 |publisher=Территориальный орган Федеральной службы государственной статистики по Республике Татарстан}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ethnicity 
!Population !! Percentage
|-
| [[Tatars]]
|608,519|| 48.8%
|-
| [[Russians]]
|584,232|| 	46.9%
|-
| [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]]
|9,470|| 0.8%
|-
| [[Uzbeks]]
|6,473|| 0.5%
|-
| Others 
| 37,285|| 3.0%
|}

The city's population consists mostly of ethnic [[Volga Tatars|Tatars]] (48.8%) and ethnic [[Russians]] (46.9%). Other ethnicities include [[Chuvash people|Chuvash]], [[Uzbeks]], [[Tajiks]], [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijanis]] and [[Mari people|Mari]].

===Religion===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Kazan (2024)
|value1 = 52.5
|color1 = lightgreen
|label1 = Islam
|value2 = 43
|color2 = Red
|label2 = Orthodox
|value3 = 2
|color3 = Crimson
|label3 = Other Christian
|value4 = 1
|color4 = blue
|label4 = Judaism
|value5 = 1.5
|color5 = White
|label5 = Other religions and non-religious individuals
}}
{{See also|Interfaith relations in Kazan, Russia}}
Predominant faiths of Kazan city are [[Islam]] and Eastern [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Graney |first=Kate |date=2007 |title=Making Russia Multicultural Kazan at Its Millennium and Beyond |journal=Problems of Post-Communism |volume=54 |issue=6 |pages=17–27 |doi=10.2753/ppc1075-8216540602 |s2cid=153485503}}</ref> with minority representation of [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]], [[Protestantism]], [[Judaism]], and the [[Baháʼí Faith]].

===Languages===
The most spoken language in Kazan is Russian, and the [[Tatar language]] is the second most spoken.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

== Geography ==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Kazan NASA.PNG|Satellite view
File:Night aerial view of Kazan, Russia (2007).jpg|Night aerial view of radial Kazan
</gallery>

=== Climate ===
{{climate chart
| Kazan
| −12.8 | −7.1 | 46
| −12.7 | −6.3 | 37
|  −6.5 |  0.3 | 38
|   1.9 | 10.5 | 34
|   9.0 | 19.7 | 38
|  13.5 | 23.6 | 57
|  15.8 | 25.8 | 62
|  13.9 | 23.5 | 55
|   8.7 | 16.8 | 50
|   2.7 |  8.5 | 54
|  −4.5 | −0.3 | 45
| −10.5 | −5.4 | 50
|float=right
|clear=right
|source= http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/27595.htm
}}

Kazan has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dfb'') with long, cold winters (colder than [[Moscow]]), and warm, sunny summers. As a result of its far inland position, summers are extremely warm for its latitude and winters are quite cold compared to areas further west in [[Europe]].{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

The warmest month is July with daily mean temperature near {{convert|20.2|C}}, and the coldest month is January, with a daily mean of {{convert|-10.4|C}}.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

The city set its two hottest days on record during the [[2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat waves]]. Temperatures reached {{convert|+39|C}} in the hottest days during that time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldweatheronline.com/kazan-weather-history/tatarstan/ru.aspx|title = Kazan Historical Weather}}</ref>

{{Weather box|location = Kazan (1991–2020, extremes 1812–present)
| collapsed    = 
| metric first = y
| single line  = y
| width = auto
| Jan record high C = 4.5
| Feb record high C = 5.6
| Mar record high C = 15.8
| Apr record high C = 29.5
| May record high C = 33.5
| Jun record high C = 37.5
| Jul record high C = 38.9
| Aug record high C = 39.0
| Sep record high C = 32.3
| Oct record high C = 23.4
| Nov record high C = 15.0
| Dec record high C = 6.1
| year record high C = 39.0
| Jan high C = -7.1
| Feb high C = -6.3
| Mar high C = 0.3
| Apr high C = 10.5
| May high C = 19.7
| Jun high C = 23.6
| Jul high C = 25.8
| Aug high C = 23.5
| Sep high C = 16.8
| Oct high C = 8.5
| Nov high C = -0.3
| Dec high C = -5.4
| year high C = 9.1
| Jan mean C = -10.0
| Feb mean C = -9.7
| Mar mean C = -3.3
| Apr mean C = 5.8
| May mean C = 14.0
| Jun mean C = 18.3
| Jul mean C = 20.5
| Aug mean C = 18.3
| Sep mean C = 12.3
| Oct mean C = 5.3
| Nov mean C = -2.5
| Dec mean C = -8.0
| year mean C = 5.1
| Jan low C = -12.8
| Feb low C = -12.7
| Mar low C = -6.5
| Apr low C = 1.9
| May low C = 9.0
| Jun low C = 13.5
| Jul low C = 15.8
| Aug low C = 13.9
| Sep low C = 8.7
| Oct low C = 2.7
| Nov low C = -4.5
| Dec low C = -10.5
| year low C = 1.5
| Jan record low C = -46.8
| Feb record low C = -39.9
| Mar record low C = -31.7
| Apr record low C = -27.2
| May record low C = -6.5
| Jun record low C = -1.4
| Jul record low C = 2.6
| Aug record low C = 1.0
| Sep record low C = -5.4
| Oct record low C = -23.4
| Nov record low C = -36.6
| Dec record low C = -43.9
| year record low C = -46.8
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 46
| Feb precipitation mm = 37
| Mar precipitation mm = 38
| Apr precipitation mm = 34
| May precipitation mm = 38
| Jun precipitation mm = 57
| Jul precipitation mm = 62
| Aug precipitation mm = 55
| Sep precipitation mm = 50
| Oct precipitation mm = 54
| Nov precipitation mm = 45
| Dec precipitation mm = 50
| year precipitation mm = 566
| Jan snow depth cm = 30
| Feb snow depth cm = 42
| Mar snow depth cm = 44
| Apr snow depth cm = 9
| May snow depth cm = 0
| Jun snow depth cm = 0
| Jul snow depth cm = 0
| Aug snow depth cm = 0
| Sep snow depth cm = 0
| Oct snow depth cm = 0
| Nov snow depth cm = 5
| Dec snow depth cm = 16
| year snow depth cm = 44
| Jan rain days = 3
| Feb rain days = 2
| Mar rain days = 4
| Apr rain days = 11
| May rain days = 15
| Jun rain days = 18
| Jul rain days = 16
| Aug rain days = 16
| Sep rain days = 18
| Oct rain days = 17
| Nov rain days = 10
| Dec rain days = 5
| year rain days = 135
| Jan snow days = 26
| Feb snow days = 22
| Mar snow days = 16
| Apr snow days = 6
| May snow days = 1
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 1
| Oct snow days = 7
| Nov snow days = 20
| Dec snow days = 24
| year snow days = 123
| Jan humidity = 84
| Feb humidity = 80
| Mar humidity = 76
| Apr humidity = 67
| May humidity = 58
| Jun humidity = 65
| Jul humidity = 68
| Aug humidity = 70
| Sep humidity = 75
| Oct humidity = 80
| Nov humidity = 85
| Dec humidity = 84
| year humidity = 74
| Jan sun = 35.6
| Feb sun = 71.9
| Mar sun = 144.4
| Apr sun = 213.0
| May sun = 290.1
| Jun sun = 308.6
| Jul sun = 316.1
| Aug sun = 253.0
| Sep sun = 156.3
| Oct sun = 78.0
| Nov sun = 32.9
| Dec sun = 21.4
| year sun = 
| source 1 = Погода и Климат<ref name="Pogoda i Klimat">{{cite web |url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/27595.htm|title= Climate Kazan'|access-date=8 November 2021|publisher=Pogoda.ru.net}}</ref> 
|source 2 = [[NOAA]]<ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/RussianFederation/CSV/Kazan_27595.csv|title= KAZAN' 1991–2020|access-date=16 May 2019|publisher=NOAA}}</ref>

}}

==Central Kazan==
[[File:Kazan Kremlin Qolsharif Mosque 08-2016 img2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Qolşärif Mosque]] grand mosque]]
[[File:Татарстан. Казань. Колокольня Богоявленской церкви, постройка ХIХ в.,.jpg|thumb|upright|Belltower of Epiphany Church]]

===Kremlin===
{{Main|Kazan Kremlin}}
{{unreferenced|date=July 2018|section}}

The city has a citadel (Russian: кремль, tr. kreml', or sometimes Tatar: ''kirman''), which was declared a [[World Heritage Site]] in 2000. Major monuments in the Kremlin are the five-domed, six-columned Annunciation Cathedral (1561–62) and the mysterious, formerly leaning [[Söyembikä Tower]], named after the last queen of Kazan and regarded{{by whom|date=December 2024}} as the city's most conspicuous landmark.

Also of interest are the towers and walls, erected in the 16th and 17th centuries but later reconstructed; the [[Qolsharif mosque|Qol-Şarif Mosque]], which has been rebuilt inside the citadel; remains of the Saviour Monastery (a 16th-century cathedral demolished by the Bolsheviks) with the Spasskaya Tower; and the Governor's House (1843–53), designed by [[Konstantin Thon]], now the Palace of the [[President (government title)|President]] of [[Tatarstan]].

Next door, the ornate baroque Sts-Peter-and-Paul's Cathedral on Qawi Nacmi Street and Marcani Mosque on Qayum Nasiri Street date back to the 18th century.

====Towers====
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2021}}
The Spasskaya Tower was built in two floors by 16th century Pskov architects Ivan Shiryai and Postnik Yakovlev. From the inside, the northern side of the fortress to the Spasskaya Tower adjoined the gate to Spasskaya Church, which has now merged with the tower. The typical Pskovian architectural elements of the facade face the main street of the Kremlin. At the end of the 17th century, instead of three tiers, the tower was built with two brick eight-sided tiers with a brick roof, getting its present, familiar appearance. Until 1917, the tower was crowned with the double-headed coat of arms of the Russian state. In the 18th century, a ringing clock was installed in the upper tier, and even earlier a large bell was moved from a small belfry (now lost, located on the castle wall on the left side of the tower). Until the middle of the 19th century, there was a moat with a stone bridge in front of the tower.

The South-Western Tower was built simultaneously with the Spasskaya tower by Pskov masters and is a classic example of the Pskov style of defensive structures.

The name of the Transfiguration Tower comes from the Transfiguration Monastery of the Savior, which was fenced from the north-west. The tower was also built by Pskov architects Postnik and Barma, but it was significantly rebuilt later, as it has strong traces of the architectural influence of the Moscow defensive architecture. The territory from the Transfiguration Tower to the Spasskaya pass was added to the old Khan's fortress by Pskov masters.

There are unnamed round brick towers, presumably built by Moscow architects in the 17th century.

The Tainitskaya Tower was built in its present form in the 1550s by Postnik Yakovlev. It was named after a secret source from which it was possible to take water during a siege. The entrance to the tower is in the form of a "knee", which increased the defense of the Kremlin. It replaced a tower from the time of the khanate, Nur Ali (in Russian transcription Muraleeva). The 22-year-old Tsar Ivan the Terrible entered the conquered city through the Nur Ali tower.

The North-Eastern Round Tower was demolished after the Pugachev's assault.

The Consistor Tower was built in brick by Moscow architects in the 17th century, its name was given in the 18th century from the Spiritual Consistory located near the tower in the Kremlin. Near the tower, archaeological excavations revealed the so-called Tezitsky (Arabic for "merchant") Moat, which went from the Consistor Tower to the Transfiguration. Archaeologist N. Kalinin and a number of scientists believed that the moat was the southern border of the Khan's fortress.

The Southeast Round Tower is an example of Pskov architecture of the 16th century.

===Bistä, or Posad===
Central Kazan is divided into two districts by the [[Bolaq]] canal and Lake [[Qaban lakes|Qaban]]. The first district (Qazan Bistäse or Kazanskiy Posad), historically Russian, is situated on the hill, the second (İske Tatar Bistäse or Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda), historically Tatar, is situated between the Bolaq and the Volga. Mosques, such as ''[[Nurullah Mosque|Nurullah]]'', ''[[Soltan]]'', ''[[Bornay Mosque|Bornay]]'', ''[[Äcem]]'', ''[[Marcani Mosque|Märcani]]'', ''[[İske Taş]]'', ''Zäñgär'' are in the Tatar district.

Churches, such as ''Blagoveschenskaya'', ''Varvarinskaya'', ''Nikol'skaya'', ''Tikhvinskaya'', are mostly in the Russian part of the city.

The main city-centre streets are ''[[Baumana Street, Kazan|Bauman]]'', ''[[Kremlyovskaya Street|Kremlyovskaya]]'', ''Dzerzhinsky'', ''Tuqay'', ''[[Pushkin Street, Kazan|Puşkin]]'', ''Butlerov'', ''Gorkiy'', ''Karl Marx'' and ''Märcani''.

===Wooden Kazan===
In the beginning of the 1900s most of Central Kazan was covered by wooden buildings, usually consisting of two floors. There was a historical environment of Kazan citizens, but not the best place to live in. During the Republican program "The liquidation of ramshackle apartments" most of them (unlike other Russian cities), especially in Central Kazan, where the land is not cheap, were destroyed and their population was moved to new areas at the suburb of the city (Azino, Azino-2, Quartal 39). Nearly 100,000 citizens resettled by this programme.

===Other major buildings===
Another significant building in central Kazan is the former "Smolentzev and Shmelev" tea house and hotel, now the Shalyapin Palace Hotel. It is located at 7/80 Universitetskaya Street, at the corner of Universitetskaya and Bauman. A major landmark of late-19th and early-20th century commercial architecture, it consists of two portions. The original portion, built for a merchant named Usmanov in the 1860s, was bought by the inter-related families of Efim Smolentzev and Pavel and Nikolai Shmelev in 1899.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:ИЗДАНИЯ ЦБС "Прогулки по городу" |url=http://www.cbs-kazan.ru/izdania-progulki-baumana3.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511090146/http://www.cbs-kazan.ru/izdania-progulki-baumana3.htm |archive-date=11 May 2010 |access-date=20 February 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> They operated a store selling, among other things, tea. In 1910, the Smolentevs and Shmelevs constructed another portion, designed by architect Vasili Trifonov, and operated a hotel there.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:До тысячелетия Казани осталось 36 дней. Гостиница "Совет" |url=http://info.tatcenter.ru/photo/29350.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130417224555/http://info.tatcenter.ru/photo/29350.htm |archive-date=2013-04-17 |access-date=20 February 2008 |language=ru}}</ref> After the Russian Revolution, the building became the Hotel Soviet. Following extensive renovations in the early 2000s, it reopened as the Shalyapin Palace Hotel.
<gallery widths="200" heights="150">
File:Национальный музей Республики Татарстан.JPG|The National Museum of Tatarstan
File:Minselhoz.jpg|[[Agricultural Palace|Palace of agriculture]]
File:Architektura kazan.JPG|Pyramid concert hall
File:Kazan Circus 08-2016.jpg|Kazan circus
File:Театр Кукол (Puppet Theatre) - panoramio (2).jpg|Children's palace
File:Kazan church.jpg|[[Temple of All Religions]]
</gallery>

==Cityscape==
{{wide image|Kazan cityscape.jpg|882px|align-cap=center|A panoramic view of Kazan Kremlin, Vernicle temple and Kazanka river left bank|100%}}
{{wide image|Kazan skyline.jpg|1572px|align-cap=center|Kazanka right bank|100%}}
{{wide image|Kazan skyline full.jpg|1352px|align-cap=center|Both banks of Kazanka|100%}}

==Education and science==

===Primary and secondary education===
Primary and secondary education system of Kazan includes{{when|date=August 2023}}:
* 282 nurseries, most of which are municipal
* 178 schools, 2 of which are private
* 28 vocational technical schools
* 15 colleges
* 10 special colleges

There are also 49 music schools, 43 sports school, and 10 fine-arts schools, including the [[Kazan Art School]] founded in 1895.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

===Higher education===
{{See also|List of Kazan Universities}}
[[File:Kazan state university.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Kazan (Volga region) Federal University|Kazan Federal University]]]]
There are 44 institutes of higher education in Kazan, including 19 branches of universities from other cities. More than 140,000 students are educated in the city.
[[Kazan Federal University]] (founded in 1804) is third oldest university in [[Russian Federation|Russia]] after [[Saint Petersburg State University]] (1724) and [[Lomonosov Moscow State University|Moscow State University]] (1755). In 2009 KFU got Federal status as main university of [[Volga Federal District|Volga Region]].
Some other prominent universities are:
* [[Kazan State Technical University]] – founded in 1932. In 2009 it got status of National university
* [[Kazan State Medical University]] – founded in 1814 as a department within [[Kazan State University]]
* [[Kazan State Technological University]] – founded in 1919 on the base of pre-existing vocational school
* [[Kazan Conservatory|Kazan State Conservatory]] – founded in 1945
* [[Kazan State Agricultural University]] – founded in 1922
* Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism<ref>{{Cite web|title=Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism -- Главная|url=https://www.sportacadem.ru/en/|access-date=2023-02-10|website=www.sportacadem.ru}}</ref> founded in July 2010 in the framework of the XXVII World Summer Universiade Legacy. The branch, located in Naberezhnye Chelny, will proceed functioning.

===Science===
[[File:Tatarstan Acad Sci.jpg|thumb|220px|Main building of Tatarstan Academy of Sciences]]
Kazan is a major scientific centre in Russia. Kazan formed a big number of scientific areas and schools (mathematical, chemical, medical, linguistic, geological, geobotanical, etc.). Scientific discoveries are a subject of special pride, including: the creation of non-Euclidean geometry ([[Nikolai Lobachevsky]]), the discovery of the chemical element [[ruthenium]] ([[Karl Ernst Claus]]), the theory about the structure of organic compounds ([[Aleksandr Butlerov]]), the discovery of the electron paramagnetic resonance ([[Yevgeny Zavoisky]]) and acoustic paramagnetic resonance (Altshuler) and many others. The city hosts:
* [[Kazan Science Centre]] of [[Russian Academy of Sciences]], since 1945. It includes 5 academic institutions.
* [[Tatarstan Academy of Sciences]], since 1991. It includes 7 local departments with 13 academic institutions (also, 21 organisations are under the guidance of TAS) and one branch in Ulyanovsk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.antat.ru/index.shtml?=151|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721054424/http://www.antat.ru/index.shtml?=151|url-status=dead|title=Структура АНРТ|archivedate=21 July 2011}}</ref>

==Government and administration==
[[File:Kazan town hall.jpg|thumb|220px|Kazan town hall (before 1917 – the Hall of Nobility)]]
[[File:Tatarstan Cabinet of Ministers.jpg|thumb|220px|Cabinet of Ministers]]
[[File:Kazan Kremlin Presidential Palace 08-2016.jpg|thumb|220px|Presidential Palace]]

{{Main|List of Kazan mayors}}
[[Kazan City Duma]] is a representative body of the city, elected every four years and holds its sessions in Kazan City Hall. The executive committee is a municipal body of the executive organs.{{clarify|date=August 2013}} The committee's head is Denis Kalinkin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ORIGINAL COPY |url=http://old.kzn.ru/page21569.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304130958/http://old.kzn.ru/page21569.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref>

==Communication==
Agency works 84 post offices belonging to the branch of "Russian Post", UFPS "Tatarstan pochtasy". The official opening of the Kazan city telephone network took place on 27 (15) November 1888. At the moment{{when|date=July 2025}}, there are four operators of wired telephone in Kazan. The total capacity of the telephone network in Kazan is about 456,000 numbers. Services of IP-telephony operators in addition to the basic wired connection is also supported by the five companies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IP телефония (VoIP) (Казань) |url=http://prov.nag.ru/prov/root/region69/settlement75/services/service5/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090127014041/http://prov.nag.ru/prov/root/region69/settlement75/services/service5/ |archive-date=27 January 2009 |access-date=23 September 2018 |language=ru}}</ref> The city has six mobile operators ([[Beeline (brand)|Beeline]], [[MegaFon]], [[MTS (network provider)|MTS]], [[Tele2 Russia]], [[Letai]], [[Yota]], and also operates virtual mobile operator "Mobile public communication"). By the number of Internet users—428 thousand people—Kazan takes the 4th place in Russia. According to the General Director of [[Google|Google Russia]] Vladimir Dolgov, Kazan is the largest center of information technology development, the level of Internet penetration is 75%, which is a record figure for Russia. Access to the World Wide Web in Kazan is provided by 15 operators.<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:Провайдеры – Подключить интернет вы можете, оставив заявку одному из провайдеров своего города в нашем каталоге |url=http://prov.nag.ru/prov/root/region69/settlement75/providers/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001055111/http://prov.nag.ru/prov/root/region69/settlement75/providers/ |archive-date=1 October 2009 |access-date=18 November 2017 |publisher=prov.nag.ru |language=ru}}</ref> The most popular forms of Internet access are cable networks and ADSL. Previously popular Dial-up has almost lost its position, at the same time actively developing wireless technology Wi-Fi and Wi-Max. Scartel launched the first [[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]] network in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-08-30 |script-title=ru:Самый быстрый мобильный Интернет в мире запущен в Казани |url=http://www.tatar-inform.ru/news/2010/08/30/234368/ |access-date=18 November 2017 |publisher=tatar-inform.ru |language=ru}}</ref>

==Sports==
[[File:Казань арена.jpg|thumb|right|220px|The [[Kazan Arena]] hosted the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] games.]]
[[File:Baskethall Kazan.jpg|thumb|right|220px|"Basket-hall"]]
[[File:Центр гребных видов спорта.jpg|thumb|220px|Kazan rowing center]]

Kazan has hosted two [[Bandy World Championships]], in 2005 and 2011, the World Summer Universiade 2013, the World Championship in fencing in 2014, the Aquatics Championship FINA 2015, 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup and other international competitions of various levels.

Men's teams:
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Club !! Sport !! Founded !! Current league !! League<br>rank !! Stadium
|-
|[[FC Rubin Kazan|Rubin Kazan]]
|[[Association football|Football]]
|1958
|[[Russian Premier League]]
|1st
|[[Kazan Arena]]
|-
|[[Ak Bars Kazan]]
|[[Ice Hockey]]
|1956
|[[Kontinental Hockey League]]
|1st
|[[Tatneft Arena]]
|-
|Bars Kazan
|[[Ice Hockey]]
|2009
|[[Minor Hockey League]]
|Jr. 1st
|[[Tatneft Arena]]
|-
|Irbis Kazan
|[[Ice Hockey]]
|2011
|[[Minor Hockey League Division B]]
|Jr. 2nd
|[[Tatneft Arena]]
|-
|[[Dynamo Kazan Bandy Club|Dynamo-Kazan]]
|[[Bandy]]
|1958
|[[Russian Bandy Super League|Bandy Super League]]
|1st
|[[Raketa Stadium]]
|-
|[[BC UNICS|UNICS Kazan]]
|[[Basketball]]
|1991
|[[Russian Professional Basketball League|Professional Basketball League]]
|1st
|[[Basket-Hall Arena]]
|-
|[[VC Zenit-Kazan|Zenit Kazan]]
|[[Volleyball]]
|2000
|[[Russian Volleyball Super League|Volleyball Super League]]
|1st
|[[Kazan Volleyball Centre]]
|-
|[[Sintez Kazan]]
|[[Water Polo]]
|1974
|Water Polo Championship
|1st
|Orgsintez
|}

===Notable athletes===
* [[Aliya Mustafina]], artistic gymnastics
* [[Alexander Burmistrov]], hockey player
* [[Viktor Kolotov]], association football player
* [[Ruslan Nigmatullin]], association football player
* [[Denis Arkhipov]], hockey player
* [[Svetlana Demina]], sport shooter
* [[Marat Safin]], tennis player
* [[Dinara Safina]], tennis player
* [[Alexandre Fadeev|Alexander Fadeev]], figure skater
* [[Evgenia Tarasova]], figure skater
* [[Kamila Valieva]], figure skater
* [[Vasily Mosin]], sport shooter

===Infrastructure===
* [[Kazan Arena]] – stadium with capacity 45,000, home ground for [[FC Rubin Kazan|FC Rubin]]
* [[Central Stadium (Kazan)|Central stadium]] – Olympic stadium, capacity 30,133. Ex-home ground for FC Rubin.
* [[TatNeft Arena]] – indoor sporting arena, capacity 10,000. Home to [[Aq Bars Kazan|HSC Aq Bars]]
* [[Basket-Hall Arena|Basket-Hall]] – indoor sporting arena, capacity 7,000 (large hall) and 1,500 (small hall). Home to [[UNICS Kazan|BC UNICS]].
* [[Kazan Volleyball Centre]], capacity 4,600. Home to [[VC Zenit-Kazan|VC Zenit]] and WVC Dynamo-Kazan.
* [[Raketa Stadium|Raketa]] and [[Trudovye Rezervy Stadium (Kazan)|Trudovye Rezervy]] ice stadiums

===Important events===
[[File:Poland_v._Columbia_(42095441565).jpg|thumb|[[Poland at the FIFA World Cup|Poland]] vs [[Colombia at the FIFA World Cup|Colombia]] match at [[Ak Bars Arena]] in Kazan during the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]]]
[[File:16th BRICS Summit family photograph (2024).jpg|thumb|[[BRICS]] representatives at the [[16th BRICS summit]] in Kazan, 23 October 2024]]
* [[2005 Bandy World Championship]]
* 2010 [[finswimming]] European championship
* [[2011 European Weightlifting Championships]]
* [[2011 Bandy World Championship]]
* [[2013 Summer Universiade]]
* [[2014 European Badminton Championships]]
* [[2015 World Aquatics Championships]]
* 2016 – 28th International Olympiad in Informatics
* [[2016 European Judo Championships]]
* [[2017 Red Bull Air Race World Championship]]
* [[2017 FIFA Confederations Cup]]
* [[2018 Red Bull Air Race World Championship]]
* [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]
* 2019 Candidates Tournament for the [[Women's World Chess Championship 2020]]
* 2019 [[WorldSkills]] Championship
* [[2019 BWF World Junior Championships]]
* [[2022 Special Olympics World Winter Games]]
* [[16th BRICS summit|2024 BRICS summit]]

==International relations==
Kazan is actively engaged in international activities. The city has foreign diplomatic, trade and cultural representations, the Kazan Kremlin and the Institute of culture of peace are under the auspices of [[UNESCO]], the city participates in partner movements, is a member of the world organizations of cities. The summit of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]] heads, the Summit of the world security services and other important forums, conferences and events of the world level were held in Kazan. The head of [[China]], the [[US Secretary of State]], about three dozen presidents and Prime Ministers of foreign States paid visits to the capital of the Republic, as to few other cities of the country. Renovated in 2005, the international airport provides flights to dozens of cities in different countries, including the largest airliners (class [[Boeing 747]]), and is gradually being rebuilt into a potential hub for the Universiade 2013 and the World Cup 2018; international rail links from the city.

===Branch offices of embassies===
* {{flagicon|BLR}} Branch Office of the Embassy of [[Belarus]]<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:Посольство Беларуси в России – Отделения |url=http://www.embassybel.ru/departments/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002162158/http://www.embassybel.ru/departments/ |archive-date=2 October 2017 |access-date=8 May 2018 |website=embassybel.ru |language=ru}}</ref>

===Consulates===
Kazan is home to six consulates general.<ref>[http://www.tatar.ru/?DNSID=9d0d8baff3b2c7435a6c5a1324cb77dd&node_id=1261 Offices in Kazan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924214549/http://www.tatar.ru/?DNSID=96525b60e5d8ed29efcd257b3cb3195e&node_id=1261 |date=24 September 2006 }}</ref>
{{div col |colwidth=27em}}
* {{flagicon|IRN}} Consulate-General of [[Iran]]
* {{flagicon|TUR}} Consulate-General of [[Turkey]]
* {{flagicon|HUN}} Consulate-General of [[Hungary]]
* {{flagicon|CHN}} Consulate-General of [[The People's Republic of China]]<ref name=prczn>{{cite web|url=https://kazan.china-consulate.gov.cn/|title=Chinese Consulate General in Kazan|accessdate=16 July 2023|archive-date=16 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716015644/http://kazan.china-consulate.gov.cn/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|KAZ}} Consulate-General of [[Kazakhstan]]
* {{flagicon|TKM}} Consulate-General of [[Turkmenistan]]<ref name=tkmmfa>{{cite web|url=https://www.mfa.gov.tm/en/articles/63|title=DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND CONSULAR OFFICES OF TURKMENISTAN ABROAD|accessdate=1 April 2021}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Visa centers===
* {{flagicon|ITA}} Italian Visa Center in Kazan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://italyvms.com/filiali/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805063913/http://www.italyvms.ru/it/content/117.htm|url-status=dead|title=Filiali &#124; Visa management service|archivedate=5 August 2010|website=italyvms.com}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|European Union}} Joint Visa Application Center of [[European Union]] for:
** {{Flag|Bulgaria}}
** {{Flag|Czech Republic}}
** {{Flag|Denmark}}
** {{Flag|Finland}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finlandabroad.fi/web/rus/glavnaya|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004123837/http://www.finland.org.ru/public/default.aspx?contentid=222961&nodeid=36881&contentlan=15&culture=ru-RU|url-status=dead|title=Главная|archivedate=4 October 2011|website=Finland abroad: Россия}}</ref>
** {{Flag|Greece}}
** {{Flag|Iceland}}
** {{Flag|Malta}}
** {{Flag|Netherlands}}
** {{Flag|Spain}}

===Twin towns and sister cities===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia}}
Kazan is [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ru:Официальный портал Казани |url=http://www.kzn.ru/page12827.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416154119/http://www.kzn.ru/page12827.htm |archive-date=16 April 2012 |access-date=8 May 2018 |website=kzn.ru |language=ru}}</ref>
{{div col |colwidth=27em}}
* {{flagicon|EGY}} [[Al Minufiyah]], Egypt, since 1997
* {{flagicon|EGY}} [[Al Qalyubiyah]] (Egypt), since 2001
* {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Ankara]] (Turkey), since 2013
* {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Antalya]] (Turkey), since 2003
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Braunschweig]] (Germany), since 1988<ref name="Braunschweig twinnings">{{Cite web |title=Braunschweigs Partner und Freundschaftsstädte |trans-title=Braunschweig – Partner and Friendship Cities |url=http://www.braunschweig.de/kultur_tourismus/stadtportraet/partnerstaedte/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201122754/http://www.braunschweig.de/kultur_tourismus/stadtportraet/partnerstaedte/partner_freundschaftsstaedte.html |archive-date=1 December 2012 |access-date=7 August 2013 |website=Stadt Braunschweig [City of Braunschweig] |language=German}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[Texas]], United States, since 1990
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Donetsk]] (Ukraine), since 2002
* {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Eskişehir]] (Turkey), since 1997
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Guangzhou]] (China), since 2012
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Hangzhou]] (China), since 2002
* {{flagicon|ZIM}} [[Harare]] (Zimbabwe), since 2011
* {{flagicon|TUR}} [[Istanbul]] (Turkey), since 2002
* {{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Astana]] (Kazakhstan), since 2004
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shenzhen]] (China), since 2012
* {{flagicon|IRN}} [[Tabriz]] (Iran), since 2009
*{{flagicon|TKM}} [[Arkadag]], [[Turkmenistan]], since 2023

{{div col end}}

Kazan has also partner relations with the following cities and regions:
{{div col |colwidth=27em}}
* {{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Almaty]] (Kazakhstan), since 1996
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Arkhangelsk]] (Russia), since 1999
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Astrakhan]] (Russia), since 1997
* {{flagicon|AZE}} [[Baku]] (Azerbaijan), since 2003
* {{flagicon|Kyrgyzstan}} [[Bishkek]] (Kyrgyzstan), since 1998
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Chelyabinsk]] (Russia), since 2002
* {{flagicon|CHN}} [[Chengdu]] (China), since 2015
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Evpatoria]] (Ukraine), since 1998
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Grozny]] (Russia), since 2012
* {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Gwangju]] (Korea), since 2013
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Ivanovo]] (Russia), since 1997
* {{flagicon|LVA}} [[Jūrmala]] (Latvia), since 2002
* {{flagicon|AFG}} [[Kabul]] (Afghanistan), since 2005
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Krasnoyarsk]] (Russia), since 2001
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Nizhny Novgorod]] (Russia), since 1997
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Orenburg]] (Russia), since 2001
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Oryol]] (Russia), since 2010
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Samara, Russia|Samara]] (Russia), since 1998
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Saratov]] (Russia), since 1999
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Shumen Province]] (Bulgaria), since 2003
* {{flagicon|UZB}} [[Tashkent]] (Uzbekistan), since 1998
* {{flagicon|ALG}} [[Tlemcen]] (Algeria), since 2011
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Tyumen]] (Russia), since 2013
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Ufa]] (Russia), since 1999
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Ulan-Ude]] (Russia), since 2003
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Ulyanovsk]] (Russia), since 1998
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Urbino]] (Italy), since 2001
* {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Verona]] (Italy), since 2011
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Volgograd]] (Russia), since 2005
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Yaroslavl]] (Russia), since 2003
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Yoshkar-Ola]] (Russia), since 2002

{{div col end}}

===International organizations membership===
{{div col |colwidth=27em}}
* [[Organization of World Heritage Cities]]
* [[United Cities and Local Governments]]
* Twin Cities International Association
* Historic Cities International Association
* General Conference of Mayors for Peace
* Organisation of Islamic Capitals and Cities (observer)
* Metropolis
* International Assembly of capitals and large cities of CIS
{{div col end}}

===Other organizations===
{{div col |colwidth=27em}}
* [[Alliance Française]]
* [[American Corner]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=American Corners and Centers in Russia |url=http://amcorners.ru/ac104/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707112143/http://amcorners.ru/ac104/ |archive-date=7 July 2012 |access-date=26 March 2013 |publisher=Amcorners.ru}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Kazan}}
[[File:Aida Garifullina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony.jpg|thumb|[[Aida Garifullina]], lyric soprano of Volga Tatar descent]]
* [[Aida Garifullina]], lyric soprano, the I-st prize winner at the [[Operalia]] competition in 2013, many performances at [[Mariinsky Theatre]] and [[Vienna State Opera]], recording contract with [[Decca Records]]
* [[Venera Gimadieva]], operatic soprano who has performed leading roles in major European opera houses
* [[Sofya Gulyak]], pianist, only female winner of the [[Leeds International Piano Competition|Leeds Piano Competition]], in 2009
* [[Dayana Kirillova]], singer who represented [[Russia in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest|Russia at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest]] in [[Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013|2013]]
* [[Rashid Nezhmetdinov]], International Master and five-time winner of the [[Russian Chess Championship]]
* [[Kamila Valieva]], figure skater
* [[Veronika Kudermetova]], (born 24 April 1997), tennis player
* [[Valery Gerasimov]], [[Chief of the General Staff (Russia)|Chief of the General Staff]] of the [[Russian Armed Forces]].

==In popular culture==
The Russian television drama ''[[The Boy's Word: Blood on the Asphalt]]'' is set in 1980s Soviet Kazan.

==See also==
*[[Arskoe Cemetery]]
*[[Kizichesky Monastery]]
*[[Russian Islamic University]]
*[[Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral (Kazan)]]
*[[Aleksandr and Boris Arbuzov House-Museum]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{RussiaAdmMunRef|ta|adm|list}}
* {{RussiaAdmMunRef|ta|mun|list|kazan}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Álvarez Veinguer |first=Aurora |date=July 2007 |title=(Re)Presenting Identities: National Archipelagos in Kazan |journal=[[Nationalities Papers]] |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=457–476 |doi=10.1080/00905990701368704|s2cid=154024631 }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Kazañ (town) | volume= 15 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch |author1-link= Peter Kropotkin| last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas| page = 704 |short= 1}}
* {{Citation |last=Smith-Peter |first=Susan |title=Enlightenment from the East: Early Nineteenth Century Russian Views of the East from Kazan University |journal=Znanie. Ponimanie. Umenie |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=318–338 |year=2016 |doi=10.17805/zpu.2016.1.29 |doi-access=free}}.
*Edward Tracy Turnerelli, Kazan, the Ancient Capital of the Tartar Khans, 1854.

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=yes|d=yes}}
* [http://www.kzn.ru/ Official website of Kazan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225212121/http://www.kzn.ru/ |date=25 February 2011 }} {{in lang|ru}}

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[[Category:Kazan| ]]
[[Category:11th-century establishments in Russia]]
[[Category:11th-century establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Tatarstan]]
[[Category:Kazansky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 11th century]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Volga]]
[[Category:Populated places in the Golden Horde]]