Boat trip to the Sviyazhsk island 3-4 hours (€ 35)
Sviyazhsk is an ancient fortress, built in 1551 by famous Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible for the siege of Kazan.
Building of Sviyazhsk is an outstanding event in the history of Russian town-planning. Cut in the forests of central Russia before one-thousands kms from this place, it was pulled down and delivered on rafts by Volga to the mouth of Sviyaga-river (25 kms far from Kazan) and assembled here in 4 weeks, only. Sviyazhsk-fortress became the first-class fortification construction of its time.
Beginning from the second half of the XVI century and till the end of the XVII century Sviyazhsk was the administrative, trade and Christian center of Russians to the East of the State.
The island is a remarkable collection of ancient rare monuments of architecture, a unique wooden Trinity Church, Konstantin and Elena Church.