Emergency measures and restoration await Syuyumbike Tower in Kazan Kremlin
“The Syuyumbike Tower is in satisfactory condition”
The Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites assured the citizens that there is no reason to worry about the state of the Syuyumbike Tower in the Kazan Kremlin. A video of falling out bricks where anybody can easily take the rest out has been spread on social media this week. The bricks are going to be replaced.
Vice head of Tatmedia Republican Agency for Press and Mass Communications Eduard Khayrullin paid attention to the fissures and “entire blocks of bricks falling out.” He urged the authorities to fence the territory from tourists who like to put coins between the bricks and to think about a restoration plan.
“The Syuyumbike Tower is in satisfactory condition, nothing is threatening it now,” Realnoe Vremya was told in the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites.
Despite the absence of threats, scheduled works on foundation reinforcement will anyway be done. Dedicated engineering exploration has already been done and a project for the first emergency measures has been prepared for this purpose.
“A contractor will soon start the works. Without doubt, the territory will be fenced for safety reasons,” said the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites.
Both exterior and interior restoration
The works on the Kazan leaning tower won’t end with the foundation reinforcement.
“Both exterior and interior restoration works of the historical tower will be done at the second stage. Lost or destroyed bricks are going to be replaced too,” claims the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites.
The Syuyumbike Tower might have a viewing platform in the future. Chairman of the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites Ivan Guschin talked about such plans at 100% Tatarstan forum.
“We also deal with the Syuyumbike Tower, which is our leaning tower brand. Today there have been set dedicated tasks to explore this area. And we are working to give tourists a chance to get in this tower, to the viewing tower with the possibility of seeing the area surrounding the Kremlin,” he said.
The plans for making the indoor areas of the historical site available for citizens and guests of Kazan have been confirmed. Nowadays the issue is being addressed.
“Today the Tatarstan Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites and restorers consider adapting the site for tourists to get inside the tower,” the committee said.
The tower’s leaning is almost two metres
The Syuyumbike Tower is a federal cultural heritage site and one of the main sightseeing points of the Tatarstan capital. Historians still argue on the date of construction, but scientists anyway consider it was erected in the 17th century.
By the early last century, it was detected for the first time the top of the Syuyumbike was almost two meters far from its axis. The latest data reads that the leaning is 1 metre 89 centimetres.
During the examination in the early 20th century, it was discovered the brickwork in the lower part of the tower started to fall down. Due to this, it was decided to collect money to repair the tower, and to save it the first storey was strengthened with a metal hoop. After that, the works on the reconstruction of the Syuyumbike Tower have been done repeatedly. In 1977 and 1985, bitumen was laid in the foundation under pressure, which helped to stop its leaning from the axis.
Ivan Guschin claimed in early 2021 that nothing threatened the Syuyumbike Tower. According to him, it isn’t falling though it is famous as leaning.
“The tower is renowned as leaning. It is famous around the world like the Pisa Tower. Nevertheless, there aren’t any facts talking about the leaning. Also, serious works on the foundation reinforcement were done in the 90s. If the foundation during the construction was just 1,5 metres, correct engineering works were carried out in the 90s drilling 20-metre piles. Therefore nothing threatens the Syuyumbike Tower. But since this is a world heritage site, it is very important for us to have the accurate picture of all events taking place on the territory of the Kremlin,” he said last January.
Last year, the authorities decided to do a special laser study of the Syuyumbike Tower. The scanning project cost less than a million rubles.