I.Metshin: "Restoration of the historical center is our long-term goal"

(KZN.RU, February 11, by Irina Smirnova) Restoration of Kazan's historical center cannot be accomplished in a single year. This opinion was expressed by Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin at the conference "Public-private partnership as an effective instrument for preserving Russia's cultural heritage", which was held at Kazan City Hall.

There are over four thousand old buildings in the old part of Kazan. "This is the atmosphere of a 1,000- year-old city, which has a distinctive character and architecture that have evolved over the centuries of fusion of cultures and religions. Among them are 552 monuments including 119 objects of federal, 370 of republican and 63 of local significance," pointed out the mayor.

Active work on the revival of Kazan's historical center started two years ago. According to the mayor, the work began with the development of legal mechanisms. Thus, experts established protected zones in the Kazan Kremlin. Also, the city has decided to draft a new map of protected areas of Kazan.

The Kazan mayor stressed that the current revival of historical buildings is the beginning of a long and arduous work. "Restoration of the historical center is our long-term goal. We still have much to do. But we owe this to our great ancestors, and, most importantly, this is what we can and must leave to our children and grandchildren," concluded the mayor.