Regions of Russia: Model of an old Russian fortress town of Sviyazhsk goes on show

An exposition of an old Russian town of 14th century - Sviyazhsk – kicked off on March 23 2012 at the State Historical, Architectural and Art Museum “Island Town of Sviyazhsk”. According to the museum’s Director Artyom Silkin, the centerpiece of the exhibition is a model of a fortress town, which was founded in 1552 by the armies of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in order to conquer Kazan. The author of a miniature, which is 225X130 cm in size – is a well-known architect in Tatarstan Sergei Sanachin.

To reconstruct the town – a unique example of old wooden architecture - Kazan architect relied on a Cadastre book. The book, which is found at the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts in Moscow, was written by clerks Nikita Borisov and Dmitry Kikin, who visited Sviyazhsk in 1565-1567 for the first time and presented a detailed description of the town and its neighboring district.

The model’s buildings are made following the examples of the wooden architecture of northern and Siberian towns. Another source which helped to complete the laborious task was the earliest plan of Sviyazhsk of 18th century, which shows the town’s streets.

Two years ago the Republic’s “Renaissance” Foundation initiated the complex reconstruction of the island-town which is still in progress.

Sviyazhsk and an ancient town of Bolgar which is being reconstructed on another bank of Volga River have been selected by the Government of Tatarstan for inclusion to UNESCO World Heritage List.