Sviyazhsk World Cultural Heritage Center Presented to the Public

Several key officials visited the event on February 7th.

The Center is situated in Sviyazhsk, a museum town near Kazan, in Krylosov's House. The house used to host the Sviyazhsk District Trade School in the 19th century. The building was renovated by the Revival Foundation and handed over to Kazan University. The Center has already started its everyday activities, including lab research and Kids' University classes.

Rector Ilshat Gafurov showed the premises to the guests. They were State Counsellor of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Revival Foundation Mintimer Shaimiev, Executive Director of the Revival Foundation Tatiana Larionova, Minister of Culture of Tatarstan Ayrat Sibagatullin, Head of the Zelenodolsk Municipal District Alexander Tygin, and others. The listed organizations and KFU were also signatories of a comprehensive cooperation agreement on tourism and science promotion at the Center.

The visitation started at a Kids' University classroom. The pupils were studying genealogy. They are now tasked with creating their own family trees which they will present during the spring break session. Director of the Kids' University Valery Letyaev confirmed that the Center will conduct classes with children from all over the Republic of Tatarstan.

Director of the KFU Museum Complex Svetlana Frolova talked about the history of the Krylosov's House. Merchant Vladimir Krylosov rented the building out to the trade school and then sold it to Kazan University during Nikolai Lobachevsky's tenure as rector. Incidentally, 2017 is the Lobachevsky Year at KFU.

The group then proceeded to the labs. One is engaged in archeological research that involves woodwork, leather, and steel found in Sviyazhsk. The island town will soon have its own Archeological Wood Museum. The restored objects may later on be added to museum collections both here and in Kazan.

The second lab specializes on mural restoration. All the newest methods, including radiocarbon analysis, tomography, and 3D modelling, are at work here. They have already caught the attention of colleagues in other Russian cities. Namely, the cooperation is underway to study the St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.

The UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Department of Kazan University has also created its branch here. Tatarstan aims to introduce more historical monuments to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The abovementioned cooperation agreement covers those plans as well. The World Cultural Heritage Center will serve as the base for all the work in that area.