Rustam Minnikhanov takes part in closing festival "Tom Sawyer Fest" in Kazan

The festival  has ended with a great holiday in the courtyard of the house 29 on the  Volkov street with tea and performance of Kazan musicians. Honorary guests of the holiday were the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov,  Aide to the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Oles Baltusov, the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin,  Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan Svetlana Persova,  Chief architect of Kazan Tatiana Prokofieva and others.

The Mayor of Kazan thanked  ideological inspirers of the festival and reminded that the preservation of the city center and its unique appearance began with walks through the historical center of Kazan by the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Olesya Baltusova, a fighter for preserving the historical and architectural heritage.

The President of Tatarstan, in turn, stressed that the renovated houses in the center of Kazan are attractive for tourists and give the city a special charm.

"Of course, we lost a lot of these houses. Very sorry. But in recent years, we are carefully monitoring  the appearance of the city. Both the city administration and the aide to the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Olesya Baltusova. If earlier Olesya was a person who criticized the authorities, now she is working  with the authorities to preserve all this wealth.  We have a common understanding of the situation. And the festival is a new form of cooperation, last year you repaired three houses, this year - four! Next year you need to repair 10 houses! Involve in this process the maximum number of people, volunteers, and we are ready to help. We must preserve the image of that old Kazan, the image that has developed historically, "stressed Rustam Minnikhanov.

We remind that  enthusiasts of the movement worked on restoring objects in  evenings, on weekdays, starting from June 17. For two months they  have  managed to repair the facades of four buildings in a historical center of Kazan - houses No. 29, 42-1 and 66 on Volkov Street and house No. 19 on Lesgaft Street. This year, 147 volunteers took part in the festival. Expert assistance was rendered by the Department of Restoration and Reconstruction of KSACU and the Union of Restorers of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Tatarstan Regional Branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments (TRO VOOPIiK) acted as coordinator.

In 2016, it was attended by 125 people who jointly repaired three wooden houses in the city center.

This year, the movement fell within the scope of UNESCO, which recognized the initiative as part of the report at the UN conference Habitat III.