NEWS

A children’s museum centre opened earlier in the day in Sviyazhsk with the participation of Tatarstan State Counsellor and Revival Foundation board of trustees chairman Mintimer Shaimiev.

“A unique children’s museum and, most importantly, a theme one. It fits in very well with the island of Sviyazhsk, and Alexander Pushkin’s and poet Kayum Nasyri’s works for children,” Mintimer Shaimiev assessed the centre after a tour.

The state counsellor went on to note the offered amusements had been much liked by children. “The display is arranged well. Children had to be looked for, as they all scattered around the building,” he described the children’s enthusiasm.

The facility is designed for tourists travelling with pre-school and elementary-school aged children. For the sightseeing time, parents can leave their children in the care of a teacher.

The centre is a place for children’s cultural and artistic development. Owing to specialised installations, an interactive game area and museum’s teaching plans, the centre allows its young visitors to learn the local cultural intangible asset, Russian and Tatar fairy tales. 

At 11 am on 15 August, Manege exhibition hall launches a new wool painting master class called Fluffy Watercolours, the hall’s press centre has said.

Without brushes, colours and water, visitors will be able to create warm, soft and cozy pictures by putting layers of coloured sheep wool.

Over the course of the work one gets the sensation one sees a real watercolour painted by a talented artist, while subjects may vary from landscapes to cartoon characters to flowers, animals and others. The class is an excellent opportunity to for self-expression and relieving the everyday stress, museum’s staff are convinced. 

Kazan will, for the first time, host the Paris Seasons short-length film festival. The shows will take place within a large tour of Russia. The festival will begin on 6 August at the Mir cinema, the Tatarkino’s press service has said.

The Paris Seasons’s programme includes 25 pictures in four categories.

Interestingly, the festival unites film directors of various nationalities and their works revolving around one subject, Paris.

“The films dwell on the life of Paris in all its social strata. The audience will see Paris as it is today, discovering their own life’s similarity with the life of Parisians, their ambitions, dreams and the small joys of every day,” festival’s director general Marianna Lansakya shared.

The programme in Kazan will be in the original language with Russian subtitles. Each festival day will present one category of films. The schedule is available at the cinema’s website. The cost of ticket is 200 roubles.

 As compared with the first half of 2014, tourist traffic to the ancient city of Bolgar had grown by 51 percent, Tatarstan State Committee for Tourism chief Sergei Ivanov said at a press conference at Tatar-inform earlier in the day.

According to the committee, 154 thousand people have visited the reserve museum in the first six months of 2015.

This year, an influx of tourists is expected owing to the holding of the 16th world aquatics championship. Daily, several buses carrying athletes and foreign delegations travel to the ancient capital of Volga Bulgaria. The bus and river passenger service is regular.

A high-speed craft travels daily between Kazan and Bolgar, performing three trips a day Friday to Sunday.

Many come on their personal transport, including from neighbouring regions.

The tourist traffic has somewhat increased owing to the aquatics championship in Kazan.

Sergei Ivanov went on to say on 14-16 August the Bolgar reserve museum would host one of Russia’s largest historical reconstruction festivals, The Great Bolgar. It would have a positive influence on tourist traffic as well, he suggested. 

 The nation-wide Spas Fair that kicked off on 1 July ended on Sunday.

According to preliminary reports, this year’s event set another attendance record. Last year, some 140,000 people visited the celebration at the Shishkin ponds, while the number of visitors this year has been several thousand more, organisers say.

The number of craftsmen participating in the fair exceeded last year’s result as well, with 1,300 masters from 170 Russian cities and other countries arriving for the fair.

Attendees at the official closing ceremony were Tatarstan Deputy Industry and Trade Minister, Deputy Economy Minister Natalia Tarkaeva, Tatarstan State Committee for Tourism Deputy Chief Liana Saetova, and others.

The fair’s best craftsmen were awarded. The list of nominations included For Maintaining National Music Instrument Traditions, For Maintaining National Embroidery Traditions, For Contribution to Folk Arts and Crafts, and others. 

Welcome to Kazan is a daily cultural programme which is going to greet all the visitors at the FINA Water World Park right from its opening minutes.

At 12:30, Planet Fitness, one of major Kazan 2015 partners, is going to encourage the public to join them for some group workouts and workshops in several popular types of fitness activities. 

From 14:00 till 17:00 the Park’s attendees will be entertained by MCs who have already prepared an engaging interactive programme.  At 17:00, Tatarstan and Russia’s best music, dance and singing groups will start entertaining visitors on the main stage. At 19:00, the live coverage of the Championships Opening Ceremony will be streamed in the Park.  Visitors will be able to watch it on the media façade of the Kazan Arena Stadium.

The display booth of the 2019 Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk is going to be set up on the premises of the FINA Water World Park. The organisers will offer all visitors to participate in air hockey competition, table curling and biathlon. Every day two medal events will be contested in each sport. The OC’s representatives will also speak about the host city’s preparation for the 2019 Winter Universiade.

Russian, Tatar, Mari and Chuvash cuisines will be presented in the FINA Water World Park. Catering services will also be organised. The Park’s visitors will also be able to buy the official Kazan 2015 merchandise.

On July 25, an opening ceremony of the Dive Safely project pavilion will be held in the Park. Visitors will be able to get full information and handout materials promoting healthier lifestyles, to undergo an HIV rapid test anonymously and free of charge, to take part in workshops and to meet with world-class athletes and show business stars.

The FINA Water World Park is located close to the Kazan Arena Stadium and occupies a total area of over 5,000 sq. m. The Championships organisers ensure free admission for all visitors whether they plan to visit competitions or not. Admission to the Park is available through security stations from Chistopolskaya Street and Prospekt Yamasheva Street. The Park will be open daily from 12:00 till 22:00 up to August 16. 

Press Office of Organising Committee for 16th FINA World Championships

From 1 to 6 of August, Kazan will host the first fair of monastery and farms, Honey Spas, organizers of the event reports.

Honey from temple and monastery apiary will be brought from Lipetsk, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Altai and from neighboring countries. Also, beekeepers of Ural, Tatarstan, Volgograd will present a variety of natural honey and other bee products.

A variety of fees and herbs will be brought from Krasnodar region. Collegiate soap factory of Kostroma region will bring indigenous products: soaps, creams, ointments. Unrefined edible oils will be brought to fair from Velikiy Novgorod.

Also, pottery from Smolensk and crafts exhibition of wooden art from Kazan craftsmen will be presented at the fair. In front of Sport Palace, a carved wooden town will be erected this days, where a gazebo, mill, decorative flower and garden furniture will be placed. Performances of choral folk groups and children's dance schools are expected.

The fair will be supported by Tatarstan archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.