For more than a hundred years, the Cadet School of the Kazan Kremlin was where the future military professionals were trained. Now it is home to Hazine Museum Complex, a unique exhibition, which acquaints its visitors with samples of the world's art, culture and history.
In the 1840s, based on the project of architect Pyatnitsky, a military cantonist school for Jewish child recruits aged 12-18 was built in the Kazan Kremlin. This school supplied the army with educated non-commissioned officers, shoemakers and tailors. It had been operating until 1861, and in 1866, it was transformed into the Cadet School (School of the Military Department).
The complex comprises interconnected buildings and structures. It included a three-storey building of the school, barracks building, stables and a military parade ground. The three entrances are decorated with hinged metal pediments with elements of unique wrought work with floral motifs. This forging art skill had been lost forever.
The building was declared historical monument in 1964, when it served as barracks for soldiers of the Kazan military garrison. Prior to the 1000th anniversary of Kazan, the reconstruction of the complex was initiated, and now the former school is home to the Hazine Museum Complex (translated from the Tatar language, it means “treasure chest”), which opened its doors in August 2005.
The budget for reconstruction was more than fifteen million dollars, half of which was spent on the creation of the Kazan Hermitage Center - the first representative affiliation of the State Hermitage Museum in Russia.
Hazine is also home to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, the National Gallery of Art that exhibits the works by world-renowned artist Nicolai Feshin, and the Museum of Natural History of Tatarstan.
The Kazan Hermitage showcases truly unique and diverse exhibitions. For example, here you can see the works of the French Impressionists and Matisse, Renoir, Gauguin, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec, which are part of the State Hermitage fund and are not exhibited in St. Petersburg.
Or the exhibition from the London Victoria and Albert Museum featuring the works of participants of Jameel Prize contest dedicated to interpretations of Islamic art and crafts. Thanks to the efforts of the museum staff, visiting the Kazan Hermitage has become a new tradition among the residents of the city.