Description of the attraction
The cannon yard is located in the northwestern part of the Kazan Kremlin. It is also called Arsenal or Artillery. The Cannon Dvor complex is adjacent to the western Kremlin fortress wall. Initially, the complex was built in the form of a U-shaped building, attached directly to the fortress wall. Now the complex consists of four independent buildings. Each of them has been restored, but at different times.
The Cannon Dvor complex appeared on the territory of the Kremlin at the end of the 17th century. It was built on the site of the Khan's guard. The fortress arsenal was also located here. One- and two-story buildings formed a courtyard called Liteiny. In the 17th and 18th centuries, heavy weapons were manufactured, stored and repaired at the Liteiny Dvor. The main building of the complex was built along the Kremlin's Bolshaya Street. The other two buildings were to the north of the main building and to the south. Together they formed a courtyard. In the center of the main building there was a passage to the courtyard through the passage tower. From this period the building of the South building remained. Inside it, you can see archaeological excavations of the remains of old industrial buildings.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Southern Building was rebuilt along with Bolshaya Street. Until now, the building has been preserved in its original form with a passage gate in the two-storey central part of the building. The symmetrical one-story wings and two-story towers at the corners of the building have also survived.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Cannon Factory located here was one of the best in Russia. Its reconstruction was carried out by the famous specialist engineer Betancourt (the author of the Moscow Manege project). In 1812, a new western building was built. A smithy was located in it. In 1815, a fire raged, which damaged many buildings in the Kremlin, including the Cannon Yard. The production of weapons was stopped. This period in the history of the Cannon Yard is represented by the Western Corps.
In 1825, the buildings were restored to open a military school. The restoration work was carried out by the architect Schmidt. The reconstruction was completed in 1837. In 1866, the school buildings were transferred to the Junker Infantry School, which was opening in Kazan.
In the 20th century, the Cannon Yard was no longer used for its intended purpose; a dining room for soldiers was organized in the main building.
