The origin of the name

The literal translation of Tatar qazan is a boiler or cauldron. Alternately, it may have been derived from qazgan, Tatar for dug [ditch].

"Qazan" is originally a name for a special cooking pan, a variant of a wok, but more solid and heavier. It was believed that the city of Kazan is named after this object because of its geographical similarity with a "qazan"-pan; namely the city is situated in a U - shape lowland.

Another, a more romantic legend tells a story of a Tatar princess Soyembika, who dropped a golden dish (golden qazan) in to the river on which the city is located while washing it.

Nevertheless, Chuvash legends refer to Bulgarian prince Khusan (Chuvash rendering of Muslim name Hassan) and Chuvashes call this city Õóñàí after the name of this prince.

THE GARDEN WITH GHOSTS

In the centre of Kazan there is a sadly famous place. Like in far-away England, where castles with ghosts are said to be met, in Kazan as well a mysterious grove-garden is situated.

In the first quarter of the XIX century a mining engineer and gentleman by birth Nikolai Vorozhtzov purchased an estate with a grove on the right-hand side of Starogorshechnaya street (the corner of Shehapov and Mayakovsky streets). He had installed two or three modest sculptures imitating ancient ones and called it a garden. Then he brought his wife and children to the estate and at first sight led a normal life of a town resident. And though his life was rather unsociable, and he was not at all fond of balls, didn't endure visitors, the rumours crept that the engineer Vorozhtzov was doing various impious things and that he had malicious and even fierce character. He beat his house-serfs mercilessly experiencing a kind of morbid delight. He could even whi p them to death for the slightest fault. Vorozhtzov personally buried those who died in the garden without any burial service. He was said to have killed thus several dozen serfs, and his garden turned into a real cemetery, though without crosses and tombstones.

Vorozhtzov whipped to death and also buried in the garden his own son, who tried to inform on him to the authorities. His daughter left home. And his wife after the death of her spouse-murderer in 1857 left for Sviyazhsky convent to atone for her husband's sins by prayer.

Since then the garden has stood neglected and gloomy. The town authorities tried more than once to bring it into a proper state and to arrange here one more recreation zone for Kazan inhabitants. In 1906-1907 there was opened a cafe-chantant, and the «dirty» place itself got the name «Hermitage». In the 50's of the XX century an open-air cinema and children's play-ground were arranged there, but they also didn't «settle down». Nowadays the garden, just as a hundred years ago, stands overgrown and gloomy, inspiring depression in passers-by.

Antinuclear society of Tataria (ACT) is a voluntary organisation was arised on the basis initiative group, which orinnated during the company against the construction of biochemical foctyry in 1987.

Antinuclear society of Tatarstan was created helpigin manufacture new, energecal policy, which would be basis on the saving energy, on the renew ecologicaly semre , nuclear alternative, energetic spring, in counteractrein nuclear power station construction and like organisation for general ecological prondeng in Nature protection.

Society took part in many conferenses, actions for Nature protection on the Volgs region and on the Ural. Many articles were published in different papers and magazines. There were many spee hes on the Region and All-Union radio channels. First protest marches againnst the nuclear power stations construction were corred aut (the twodays and one four days on the territory of Tatarstan and Bashkiria). There were the first (in 1990) and the secand (in1996) All-Union antinuclear converense for antinuclear moving and nuclear energy problems.

Antinuclear society of Tatarstan was in the number of organizators of international louvent for European nuclear safety, which tolk part in Moscow in 1991. Then it took part on international conferense "Stop Timelin" (Chech Republik, 1993, 1997, and Orhus -Denmark - 1998). In the august 1999 ACT leadet the etno-ecological expedition "Creation Euro Asian network antinuclear green movement".Collections of the articles, bulletins "Magdi (Green of Tataria)" on Russian and Tatar and one special number were published. In the 1995 (september) and on the 1996 the first and the second electron bulletins were published.

Highly skilled experts on geology, energetics, ecology and etc. were engaged for raluating the nuclear station proects, energetic programmes and etc. With the help of ACT constructions of Tatar and Bashkir nuclear stations were stoped.

Adress: 420034 Kazan, p/h 90, Russia, Tatarstan

phone: (8432) 44-77-57

E-mail: reno@reno.kcn.ru, root@tiyrt.kcn.ru, hadi@open.kcn.ru

Web-page: http://www.mi.ru/~ant, http://ant86.narod.ru

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