Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky visits Chistopol

On June 13, Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and Tatarstan Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov looked around cultural and historic objects in Chistopol.

The city tour began with Nickolsky Cathedral. Then, accompanied by Head of Chistopol region Ildus Akhmetzyanov the guests visited the Museum of the City History, teacher training college, where the Leonov-Selvinsky Memorial Museum will be created, the Literary Memorial Museum - The Teacher’s House. Besides, they visited the revolution fighters’ alley, the memorial "Eternal Flame", the Melnikov House, walked along the Skaryatinsky garden. The tour ended in the Boris Pasternak memorial museum.

Head of the museum Lubov Demchenko said that the museum was opened in 1990, on the day of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the writer. Being evacuated, Boris Pasternak spent almost two years in Chistopol together with other Soviet writers. It is worth noting that in the room, where Pasternak lived, all the furniture as well as some his personal belongings remained the same.

According to Vladimir Medinsky, Chistopol is a unique town. "The best Soviet writers lived and worked here during the Great Patriotic War. Here they wrote their works that became the classics of our literature. The world culture does not know such concentration of literary geniuses per a hectare. Probably, this can be compared with the writers’ village of Peredelkino in Moscow and writers’ house in Lavrushinsky Lane. This is a distinctive feature of Chistopol, " Vladimir Medinsky noted.

According to the Minister, it is necessary to make this center known in Russia and all over the world in the future. Vladimir Medinsky drew attention to the fact that Chistopol can perform an educational function. Such tourist route will allow the guests not only to look around different objects, but to recall the history.

He noted that the regional leadership has a plan to revive Chistopol. "We think that the cooperation with the Ministry of Culture could be of help," the Minister said.

Ildar Khalikov is sure that Chistopol has everything to become a tourist center. "The tourist infrastructure is still poorly developed, but tourists and people, who are fond of Soviet literature, has showed great interest in Chistopol for the last two years,” Tatarstan Prime Minister said.