Surrounded by a ring of white-stone walls with gate and round towers, the Kazan Kremlin occupies a huge area at the confluence of the rivers of Volga and Kazanka. It is a spiritual and historical center of Kazan. Construction of the stone Kremlin began in the XVI century after the conquest of the city by Ivan the Terrible. The construction of this architectural ensemble was performed by outstanding Pskov architects. At that time many Muslim shrines were replaced here by Orthodox churches.
In the 90s of the XX century they started reviving the image of the Kremlin according to historical patterns. And those who come to Kazan see an unusual combination of buildings of different styles and destinations in one territory. Near the Savior-Transfiguration Church the watchtower of Seyembike stands, and the governor’s palace with the residence of the president of Tatarstan stands near the Kul Sharif Мosque. However, the most ancient of the surviving architectural monuments here is the Annunciation Cathedral of the XVI century in the Pskov style. Almost all Russian emperors used to visit this temple, and Pushkin, Radishchev, Chaliapin and Rachmaninoff came here in different years.