Kazan Kremlin
Tatarstan is the most northern frontier between Muslim and Orthodox Christian worlds, a secular
republic with stability based on a high percentage of mixed marriages, official support for two languages
and cultural tolerance.
Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, is a city of over one million people and the largest port on Volga river, referred to as "the port of five seas". About the size of Ireland or Portugal, Tatarstan has four million inhabitants. As a transportation hub, Kazan serves a region encompassing over 80 million people.
Tatarstan has gained international recognition for its tough-minded negotiations with Moscow to achieve regional economic autonomy while maintaining political stability. It was in Kazan that Boris Yeltsin made his oft-quoted statement to the regions of Russia: "Take as much sovereignty as you can swallow". Tatarstan took its at his words.
Mintimer Shaimiev was elected the first President of Republic of Tatarstan in June 1991, the same day that Boris Yeltsin was elected the first President of Russian Federation. For negotiating the path-breaking agreement with Moscow and maintaining political stability Shaimiev enjoys overwhelming popularity in Tatarstan and as widely expected was reelected for a second five-year term in June 1996.
Other regions in Russia are following the path of Tatarstan and signing treaties with Moscow, a complex process to build a more healthy and decentralized Russian Federation. Outside observers have also proposed the "Tatarstan model" to resolve regional issues in federal states beyond Russia.
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Tatarstan chose its own path to economic reform, avoiding some of the shocks and mistakes of the first years of Russia's market transition. After signing the path-breaking Treaty with Moscow in February 1994, the leadership of Tatarstan has taken bold steps to hasten its transition to a market economy. On the basis of political stability achieved from 1991-1994, the government is now taking strong actions: the most progressive law on private ownership of land in Russia, its own privatization program, attractive foreign investment code, development of small and medium business and restructuring of agriculture and industry. |
The State Bank of Tatarstan
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Tatarstan rejected political extremism and adopted internationally accepted norms to ensure the rights of all citizens - whether ethnic Tatar (48% of total population) or Russian (43% of total population) or any one of the 77 ethnic groups represented in the Republic. Tatarstan has received international praise for taking an exemplary stand on inter-ethnic relations, guaranteeing Russian and Tatar as the two state languages. At major public events both a Muslim Mufti and a Russian Orthodox Priest are present. There will be no clash between Russians and Tatars in Tatarstan.
Tatarstan is one of the former Soviet Union's major cultural and educational centers. Famous sons include the mathematician Lobachevsky, the writer Lev Tolstoy, the politician Lenin, opera star Shaliapin and ballet dancer Nuriev.
Nikolai
Lobachevsky |
Lev
Tolstoy |
Vladimir
Ulianov (Lenin) |
Fedor
Shaliapin |
Rudolf
Nuriev |
Lobachevsky, founder of non-Euclidean geometry, was Rector of
Kazan University for twelve years (1827-1846). In addition to Lobachevsky, the "Copernicus of geometry", University boasts many other world-renowned scientists, among them the chemist Butlerov who made a major contribution to the theory of chemical structure of organic substances.
Students sometime joke, that "to become famous, you must be expelled from Kazan State University" - because that was the fate of such notables as Lev Tolstoy and Lenin. Lev Tolstoy spend almost six years of his youth in Kazan, residing in various houses that now carry memorial plaques. Echoes of his life in Kazan found in his stories "After the Ball", "Morning of a Landowner" and in the novel "Childhood, Boyhood, Youth".
Vladimir Ulianov (Lenin) was expelled in 1887 for participating in a student gathering.
In Kazan today a great deal of attention is given to the revival of research in the humanities, much of which was forgotten during Soviet period. Kazan State University was previously the only higher educational establishment in Russia where Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Chinese and Sanskrit were taught at a high level, diplomats were trained and large-scale research was undertaken.
There is an unprecedented revival of interest to the history of Tatarstan. A comprehensive study of the heritage of the Tatar language, ethnogeny, culture and traditions is a special mission of Tatar Academy of Sciences.
With a population of 1.2 million, Kazan has a total of 15 higher educational institutions with 125 000 students. Kazan's Tupolev Technical University (formerly the Kazan Aviation Institute) and Kirov Technical University (formerly the Kazan Chemical-Technological Institute) trains thousands of students for industry.
The basic areas of fundamental and applied research in Tatarstan are physics and theory of magnetic effects, medicine and medical equipment, opto- and micro-electronics, theory of oil extraction, organic and physical chemistry, composite materials technologies and others. These subjects are closely linked with the industrial profile of our Republic.
| International Shaliapin Opera Festival is held in Kazan Opera and Ballet Theatre annually, bringing together performers from all over the world in memory of the great bass who born and spent his youth in Kazan.
Rudolf Nuriev, the world-renowned ballet dancer of Tatar descent, conducted the opera orchestra in Kazan. International Nuriev Ballet Festival in now held each year in his memory.
The mansions of Kazan Upper Town were once inhabited by city's nobility. The gates and railings around the residences reveal fine wrought-iron work; architecture reflects Kazan's past as a prosperous trading center. |
The State Museum of Tatarstan |
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Oil and Petro-Chemical Industry: Economic Catalyst
Tatarstan has proven oil reserves of 25 million tons/year for 30 years, with the former Soviet Union's largest estimated reserves of bituminous or heavy oil. The largest petro-chemical plant in Europe is located here. In 1994 Tatarstan received the biggest credit - $270 million - from the Export-Import Bank guarantee program for Russia's energy sector to modernize its oil industry.
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Automotive Industry: Joint-Ventures Lead the Way
Tatarstan is the home of KamAZ, the giant complex (100 sq. km) which produced most of the heavy trucks for former Soviet Union and for export. Today the plant is undergoing restructuring and modernization with involvement of Cummins Engine Company and financial partner Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. The latest development: a path-breaking joint venture is anticipated in late 1995 between YelAZ auto factory and General Motors, which plans to assemble the Chevrolet Blazer in Tatarstan.
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Transportation: Largest Port on Volga
Kazan - capital of Tatarstan - the largest port on Volga river. For centuries, Tatarstan has been a trade and transport center between Middle East and European Russia and Scandinavia. Now the European Union TACIS program is supporting a major infrastructure project to modernize the historic port on Volga, a transportation hub encompassing a market of 80 million people.
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Defense Conversion: High-Tech and Highly-Trained Personnel
During World War II, major defense factories were moved from Moscow 600 miles east to Tatarstan to avoid the German assault. Today Kazan the home of many high technology defense plants including Kazan Helicopter Factory producing the multi-purpose Mi-8, Mi-8MTV, Mi-9, Mi-17 and planned Mi-38, and aviation centers which produce the most advanced high-technology aircraft, including the Tu-160 ("Blackjack") and Tu-22M3 ("Backfire") bombers. A high concentration of research and design bureaus make Tatarstan a center for highly trained personnel.
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Agriculture: "State-of-the-Art" Technology Transfer
Tatarstan is a "ray of light" in Russian agriculture, taking advantage of French, Dutch, Israeli, Hungarian and American technologies to modernize agriculture and produce record harvests.
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Telecom: "The World's Most Advanced Digital Fixed Wireless"
Recognizing that modern telecommunications is critical to business, the Tatarstan leadership, with participation of Hughes Network Systems and Alcatel-SEL, and ATT, is putting in place a telecom system second-to-none.
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On this Web-page we have used some materials from the magazine
"The Republic of Tatarstan", published by the Tatarstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 1996.
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