Clarifying the registry, saving Chistopol, restoring landing stages

Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects voiced problems and tasks

A significant part of the objects of archaeological and cultural heritage are not registered in the Unified State Register of Real Estate, which means they are not protected by law. As the chairman of the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Objects, Ivan Gushchin, told at a joint board meeting with the Tatarstan Committee on Tourism, within the framework of the federal project “Complete and Accurate Register”, information about the border of territories of 1,015 objects was entered into the EGRN (Unified State Register of Taxpayers), which is 62% of the total volume. This year, the boundaries of 177 objects of archaeological and 259 cultural heritage will be determined. Read the details in the material of Realnoe Vremya.

Not registered — not protected

As Gushchin pointed out, cadastral registration has not been established for 180 objects of the republic. This is the area of responsibility of local self-government bodies, Gushchin pointed out: there is no number — the monument cannot be identified, which means that its preservation must be documented. He turned to Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov for support.

The head of the committee also said that work is continuing on adding the Engelhardt Observatory to the UNESCO World Heritage List, thanking Leonid Kondrashev, President of ICOMOS Russia, for support. The observatory's security zone has been approved. This year, the same work will take place in Yelabuga and Zelenodolsk district, including Raifa, they will also determine the territory protected by law.

The centre of Chistopol — for a ruble

Gushchin dedicated a separate point of his speech to Chistopol, which Minnikhanov visited in November 2022. Here, in particular, standard architectural solutions for construction in the security zone have been developed and approved, there are six types in total. That is, it will be possible to build only such buildings in the centre of Chistopol.

As for the old objects, the restoration programme in the city includes 16 objects, including 11 with full restoration and 5 with regeneration (this is the repair of the facade, roof, windows, foundations). This project is being implemented with the BRICS New Development Bank, 14 facilities have been developed with the sale at a discounted price of 1 ruble.

Continuing the topic of restoration, Gushchin assured that this year the restoration of the St. Michael the Archangel Church will be completed, the work will continue on the Factory Mosque in Kazan, Dautov's house in the Atninsky district, accident-prevention work has been carried out in the mosque of the village of Aybash in the Vysokogorsky district. The plans are to develop the project for the restoration of the Kazan—Bogoroditskaya Church in the village of Bolshoe Frolovo in the Buinsky district and the Trinity Church in Yelabuga, which, according to Gushchin, residents of three Kryashen villages are asking for its revival.

Cadres and souls

Tatarstan State Councilor Mintimer Shaimiev, whose humour Leonid Kondrashov also proposed to include in the list of intangible heritage, was, on the contrary, serious:

“What we are becoming! Educated people! Truly, if our country had not been educated, we could not have been reborn so quickly. We are reborn ourselves! This is good, this is an inheritance for many years," the first president of the republic summed up, “this is education for the younger generation, this is what is for the soul. I usually like to say that this is a work from the heart — for the soul.”

Tatarstan President Rustam joined the requests of both committees in his final speech, indicating that problematic issues should be resolved within three months. In particular, he pointed out that, taking into account the lack of room stock, sites for the construction of hotels in Kazan, Bulgars and Chistopol should be developed — with engineering infrastructure, preferences and, possibly, capital grants.

He also seriously took care of the state of river transport and landing stages:

“We are going by river and see how miserable they are!”

“The most important problem is personnel," summed up Minnikhanov. “If we do not adjust the personnel system, this task will not be solved. We can attract them from the outside, but we should have our own educational and resource centres at the core.”

Radif Kashapov
Tatarstan