Society and Culture: The Assumption Cathedral in Sviyazhsk is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List

The Assumption Cathedral, located in the ancient city of Sviyazhsk, was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This decision was taken at the next session of the World Heritage Committee, which operates in Polish Krakow.

Sviyazhsk is located not far from the capital of Tatarstan, on an island in the mouth of the Sviyaga River. It stands on top of a high hill and occupies more than sixty acres. It was founded by Tsar Ivan the Terrible in the middle of the sixteenth century as an outpost of Russian troops for the capture of Kazan. At present, it is one of the most famous tourist sites of Tatarstan

Sviyazhsk is the first Orthodox city in the Middle Volga region. The Assumption Cathedral is built of stone and is considered a masterpiece of Russian architecture. On the territory of the cathedral there is the only surviving fresco of St. Christopher in the world, where it is depicted with a horse's head.

Earlier, the ecological project of Russia and Mongolia "Landscapes of Dauria" was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.