If all the fuss over St. Petersburg celebrating its 300th anniversary is getting on your nerves, why not consider instead a trip to Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, which is celebrating its 1,000th anniversary this year? Kazan and its Tatar khans terrorized the Russian principalities, built up a strong fortified city, fought wars and were defeated by the forces of Ivan the Terrible while St. Petersburg was still just a big swamp with a few Finns wandering around.

Kazan is only an overnight train journey from Moscow and is certainly worth a weekend away. It’s a good place to be reminded that Russia is a country of many peoples and religions. As the train approaches Kazan, look out for the weird building that mixes the styles of a mosque, an Orthodox church, a synagogue and goodness knows what else all in one. The building was erected by some local who felt like making a multiethnic statement in more than just words.

The Tatars have always made a great deal of effort to hold onto their language and cultural identity and, before the Chechens even had secession into their heads, Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiyev was already busy declaring independence from Moscow. Unlike in Chechnya, however, the Kremlin managed to reach a compromise with oil-rich Tatarstan that gave the republic considerable autonomy within Russia.

For a concentrated view of Russia’s turbulent mix of cultures and history, take a look at the Kazan Kremlin, with its onion domes, towers topped with communist stars and array of minarets. The huge mosque rising up on the hill is a recent addition, built by Turks on oil money.

The central part of Kazan is easy to get around by foot. Kazan’s answer to Moscow’s Arbat, Baumana Ul., is a recently done-up pedestrian street lined with shops, cafes, cinemas and restaurants. This is where people come to see and be seen, where youths loiter in the evenings and where you’ll find everything from McDonald’s to places offering Tatar national cuisine.

If you generally enjoy just wandering about and peering at all sorts of odd buildings, courtyards and so on, central Kazan makes a pleasant place to meander. You’ll come across everything from ornate Russian-style architecture to Soviet blocks and 18th-century mosques. Away from the chic display windows of Baumana Ul., take a look in some of the less-glamorous windows, and you might find books in Arabic, copies of the Koran and manuals on how to be a good Muslim.

For all the oil money floating around, much of Kazan is in an unfortunately run-down state. Away from the showcase section of town, it looks shabbier than, say, Nizhny Novgorod up the Volga. Don’t let that put you off, however, because it hides all sorts of interesting places and deserves some time. Take a stroll along the embankments of the Volga, which is wide and calm here.

The Tatar language is alive and well. Street signs are in Russian and Tatar, and you’re quite likely to hear the latter, a Turkic language, spoken here and there. Should you suddenly want to learn it, the various bookshops stock books to help you, but Russian will get you by just fine.

You won’t have any problem finding food in Kazan. There are plenty of cafes to choose from, or you can buy a plate of plov sold in the street and wash it down with some of the local Krasny Vostok (Red East) beer. The establishments on Baumana Ul. range from cheap and hearty self-service to more up-market, so if one doesn’t appeal to you, just wander a bit further.

Most accommodation options in Kazan are in the same area. Hotel Kazan used to be a cheap place full of faded grandeur, but it has now been caught up in the Baumana Ul. renovation process. Hotel Tatarstan is a Soviet-era block at one end of Baumana Ul. that has reasonable doubles for around 500 rubles. There are other options, too, closer to the railway station. •TWIf all the fuss over St. Petersburg celebrating its 300th anniversary is getting on your nerves, why not consider instead a trip to Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, which is celebrating its 1,000th anniversary this year? Kazan and its Tatar khans terrorized the Russian principalities, built up a strong fortified city, fought wars and were defeated by the forces of Ivan the Terrible while St. Petersburg was still just a big swamp with a few Finns wandering around.

Kazan is only an overnight train journey from Moscow and is certainly worth a weekend away. It’s a good place to be reminded that Russia is a country of many peoples and religions. As the train approaches Kazan, look out for the weird building that mixes the styles of a mosque, an Orthodox church, a synagogue and goodness knows what else all in one. The building was erected by some local who felt like making a multiethnic statement in more than just words.

The Tatars have always made a great deal of effort to hold onto their language and cultural identity and, before the Chechens even had secession into their heads, Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiyev was already busy declaring independence from Moscow. Unlike in Chechnya, however, the Kremlin managed to reach a compromise with oil-rich Tatarstan that gave the republic considerable autonomy within Russia.

For a concentrated view of Russia’s turbulent mix of cultures and history, take a look at the Kazan Kremlin, with its onion domes, towers topped with communist stars and array of minarets. The huge mosque rising up on the hill is a recent addition, built by Turks on oil money.

The central part of Kazan is easy to get around by foot. Kazan’s answer to Moscow’s Arbat, Baumana Ul., is a recently done-up pedestrian street lined with shops, cafes, cinemas and restaurants. This is where people come to see and be seen, where youths loiter in the evenings and where you’ll find everything from McDonald’s to places offering Tatar national cuisine.

If you generally enjoy just wandering about and peering at all sorts of odd buildings, courtyards and so on, central Kazan makes a pleasant place to meander. You’ll come across everything from ornate Russian-style architecture to Soviet blocks and 18th-century mosques. Away from the chic display windows of Baumana Ul., take a look in some of the less-glamorous windows, and you might find books in Arabic, copies of the Koran and manuals on how to be a good Muslim.

For all the oil money floating around, much of Kazan is in an unfortunately run-down state. Away from the showcase section of town, it looks shabbier than, say, Nizhny Novgorod up the Volga. Don’t let that put you off, however, because it hides all sorts of interesting places and deserves some time. Take a stroll along the embankments of the Volga, which is wide and calm here.

The Tatar language is alive and well. Street signs are in Russian and Tatar, and you’re quite likely to hear the latter, a Turkic language, spoken here and there. Should you suddenly want to learn it, the various bookshops stock books to help you, but Russian will get you by just fine.

You won’t have any problem finding food in Kazan. There are plenty of cafes to choose from, or you can buy a plate of plov sold in the street and wash it down with some of the local Krasny Vostok (Red East) beer. The establishments on Baumana Ul. range from cheap and hearty self-service to more up-market, so if one doesn’t appeal to you, just wander a bit further.

Most accommodation options in Kazan are in the same area. Hotel Kazan used to be a cheap place full of faded grandeur, but it has now been caught up in the Baumana Ul. renovation process. Hotel Tatarstan is a Soviet-era block at one end of Baumana Ul. that has reasonable doubles for around 500 rubles. There are other options, too, closer to the railway station.