I. Metshin: “Preservation of cultural heritage is the responsibility both for the city and republican structures and owners”

(KZN.RU, August 6, Ksenia Shvetsova). Today at the Business Monday, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, have instructed officials of district administrations and profile departments to introduce a mandatory discussion of the reconstruction of each cultural heritage site with new owners, and regularly conduct walking tours around the territories.

For today, 68 objects are in the register of objects of a cultural heritage of municipal, said Tatiana Prokofieva, the chief architect of the city. At the same time, the Department for the Protection of Monuments of the Department of Architecture and Urban Development continues to identify new objects of cultural heritage and send information about it to the Ministry of Culture of the RT for consideration.

Last year, the number of local cultural heritage sites was supplemented by three more objects: the “Kaushchi” Karimov’s House, built at the end of the XIX century, located at Karim Street, №7; profit house Terpigorevs on Ulyanov-Lenin Street, №65/1; the house of merchant N. Veniaminov on Yapeev Street, №17. Today, 85 more cultural heritage objects identified in Kazan are under consideration in the Ministry of Culture.

There are entire unique complexes that have survived to the present day unchanged along with single buildings. One of the examples is the settlement named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze, a residential quarter of the Soviet period. There is a green zone with a park and a public garden. Such town-planning monuments receive the status of a landmark place.

“New construction is allowed in the territory of a landmark site, but with certain restrictions. There is established a number of zones with their own requirements and modes of their maintenance. They allow to preserve not only the architectural and planning structure of the complex, but also the architect's initial intention to organize a comfortable living environment for local residents”, said T. Prokofieva.

The key event in the preservation of the architectural heritage was the creation of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects receiving a number of powers from the Ministry of Culture of the RT. Also, there was the concept of the development of the historic center of Kazan. For today, the composition of the working group has been approved, the final version of the terms of reference and the project estimate is being prepared. Before the end of this work, a moratorium has been imposed on the construction of part of the land plots within the boundaries of the historic settlement. Preliminarily eight major zones with a special architecture and decorative decoration of buildings have been allocated, for which it is planned to develop a catalog of standard solutions.

Before the completion of this concept, the President of the RT imposed a moratorium on new construction in the historic center of Kazan.

“Regarding the moratorium, I want to mark once again that this is a hard-won decision. I sincerely thank Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, who took this decision, allocated the necessary funds, and created a working commission”, said I. Metshin. “The document is serious, and we need a systemic solution to this issue. This is necessary for investors who clearly knew the rules, including architectural ones. Before acquiring objects, they will have more information about the architecture, requirements. We need clearly defined rules”.

T. Prokofieva noted that it is necessary to inform the World Heritage Committee should about intentions to carry out large-scale restoration works on the territory of the World Heritage Site or its buffer zone after agreeing on it with the Russian Ministry of Culture.

“We appreciate such a scrupulous approach. But, unfortunately, today there is a problem of determining the boundaries of the buffer zone of the Kazan Kremlin”, said the speaker. “This circumstance influences the objectivity of the decisions made”. She noted that changes will be introduced in the 73-FZ, regulating the protection of cultural heritage sites, to bring the concept of the buffer zone of UNESCO facilities in line with international legal acts, after which the situation will become clear.

The Mayor urged not to wait for changes and start solving the issues today. “I ask you not to wait for changes in the law. Let's take part in these changes ourselves”.

The work on the revival of historic buildings in Kazan continues, in particular - on the territory of Staro-Tatarskaya Sloboda. For example, there is a reconstruction of the House of Bikmukhametov built in 1883. The object will become a landmark for the street Sh. Mardzhani and the embankment of the Kaban Lake. The houses №12, 14/1 and 14/2 on Mardzhani Street are to be restored. The works on the restoration of the Cathedral of the Our Lady of Kazan continues.

The management staff also conduct quarterly monitoring to identify various violations. As the speaker noted, various violations were detected in 68 monuments. Most often, new owners are building new objects on the territory of the monument, which is prohibited by law. Thus, the yard territory in the estate on Mardzhani Street, №16, is built up, the owner has been fined several times.

A similar situation occurred with the construction of the yard territory of a local monument on Bauman Street, №68. This is the House of V. Karetnikov, built in the first half of the XIX century. Relevant materials on it are also sent to the MC of the RT and the city Prosecutor's Office.

Ilsur Metshin drew attention to the paradox of this particular situation. As a result of the work carried out by the owner of the work, Karetnikov's House became one of the most visited places. “I do not support the fact that the works are carried out without permission, but it has already decorated the Bauman Street. The truth is somewhere in the middle here”.

The head of the city urged to establish closer work with the owners of cultural heritage sites and to hold regular meetings and discussions with entrepreneurs. “Where is the head of the district, where are our deputies responsible for this direction? That is why I say that it is necessary to decide such things in dialogue. Everything should be in accordance with the law, but you need maximum assistance. Provide it! Today, you help one, tomorrow others will know about it and come to consult before taking any steps. I ask you to make this norm regular in your working schedule”, concluded the Mayor.

A rich historical heritage is not only beauty, but also a great responsibility in the management of the territory. It is the need to take into account a lot of regulatory documents, the interaction of various structures, such as federal, republican, law enforcement agencies, and constantly improving and changing legislation, said the head of the city. “Preservation of cultural heritage is not only the responsibility of city and republic structures, but also of property owners and our colleagues. This work needs to be introduced in a dialogue. We are grateful to investors, owners. They invest not only money, but their souls and hearts in each object, and make it special. This creates an unforgettable image of Kazan. Our guests note that and then share their impressions”, said the Mayor.