Ilsur Metshin: ‘Our aspirations are determined by the thickness of the city’s wallet’

“Only around 15 such structures exist worldwide”

Over the past 20 years, the area of parks and public gardens in Kazan has increased fivefold, Mayor Ilsur Metshin reported during a Business Monday meeting. A total of 56 public spaces have been renovated, and “almost as many” have been newly built, he added.

One of the city’s most promising new attractions today is the park near the new Kamal Theatre building. It features a playground where all the play elements are themed around the fauna of Lake Nizhny Kaban. The area covers 4,200 square metres.

“The first figures to appear were of a local bird — the grey heron. These are not merely static structures, but unique pieces of play equipment for children. There are no identical birds anywhere else. Their wingspan reaches 6.5 metres. Overall, there are no more than 15 such dynamic structures in the world," said deputy head of the City Executive Committee Igor Kulyazhev.

The area includes eight themed zones for children and adults. Among the features is a 17-metre interactive table with a system of water channels. In the future, the site will also feature educational and musical trails, as well as a theatre stage. More than 2,000 shrubs have been planted on the grounds.

A fountain with a Zilant to appear in Mislavsky Square, new viewing platform planned at Bolshoye Chaikovoye Lake

The area of the square on Mislavsky Street, offering views of the Kharitonov Printing House and the National Museum, is set to become a green transit space in the centre of Kazan. Reconstruction plans include the renovation of the fountain, installation of additional lighting, and landscaping. As of today, demolition work in the square has been completed, monolithic concrete works are underway, and path surfaces are being prepared.

As Kulyazhev clarified, the fountain ensemble will feature a sculpture of Kazan’s symbol — the Zilant. It appears to refer to the sculptural composition mentioned by the Mayor of Kazan during a meeting with representatives of the Tatar intelligentsia. The project’s creative team includes artist Alfiz Sabirov, whose works are held in private collections in Paris, New York, London, Tokyo, and Riga.

At Maloye Chaikovoye Lake, benches and outdoor fitness equipment will be installed this year, while a new viewing platform will be constructed at Bolshoye Chaikovoye Lake.

“On the recommendation of ecologists, work is scheduled to begin in early July, after the end of the gulls' nesting season. The situation is being monitored by experts from the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan in cooperation with the Committee for External Improvement," emphasised the deputy head of the City Executive Committee.

Kazan to feature 20 floral installations

Floral decoration will be carried out in already established urban spaces. Flowerbeds will be planted along 59 streets, covering a total area of 6,000 square metres.

The city will be adorned with 20 plant species, including begonias, dahlias, tobacco plants, and salvias. Hanging baskets with 14,000 trailing petunias will be placed along 22 streets bordering major roads. Across various districts of the city, 20 large-scale arrangements made up of 63 floral sculptures will be installed.

City squares without flowers are like celebrations without music, said Ilsur Metshin, expressing his delight that such “music” is becoming more and more present in Kazan. The mayor called for planting as many perennial flowers as possible. “This is a very prudent and thrifty approach. I hope it becomes a trend in the city," he said.

“Naturally, we look to the best practices. Moscow is number one in this regard — the capital sets the trend. Our aspirations are determined by the thickness of the city’s wallet. Nonetheless, in terms of value for money, we can certainly compete for the championship," Metshin concluded.

They will spend 55 million rubles on decoration, Kulyazhev said. Last year, the amount was higher — the difference is approximately 29 million rubles. In 2023, 55 million rubles were allocated for the purchase and planting of flowers. With these seedlings, flowerbeds were created along the streets, and large-scale figures and flowerbeds were also renewed.

This year, the city has allocated 31 million rubles for the greening of Kazan. The work involves landscaping more than 80 streets.