Kazan Kremlin

The ensemble of the Cannon Yard consists of four buildings. One of the largest artillery yards in Russia for the manufacture and repair of artillery guns was located there. The Kazan Arsenal contributed to the victory of Russian weapons in the War of 1812. After the fire of 1815, artillery production declined, and in 1850 the Kazan Arsenal ceased to exist. In 1998, a foundry pit of the end of the XVII century was discovered in that place. In 2017 it was opened to visitors after restoration work. Now it is located on the territory of the Cannon Yard Museum.

The most conspicuous landmark of the Kazan Kremlin is the leaning Söyembikä Tower, which probably goes back to the reign of Peter the Great. A well-known legend connects the tower with the last queen of the Khanate of Kazan. The tower is in the list of forty falling towers of the world. Its deviation from the vertical is 2 meters. The deviation occurred due to the subsidence of the foundation in one part. Nowadays, the fall of the tower has been stopped. Another recognizable architectural feature is the Spasskaya Tower, which anchors the southern end of the Kremlin and serves as the main entrance to the Kremlin.