Sviyazhsk (russian: Свия́жск; tt-Cyrl, Зөя, ''Zöya'') is a

rural locality In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

(a '' selo'') in the

Republic of Tatarstan The Republic of Tatarstan (russian: Республика Татарстан, Respublika Tatarstan, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə tətɐrˈstan; tt-Cyrl, Татарстан Республикасы), or simply Tatarstan (russian: Татарстан, tt ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, located at the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catch ...

and Sviyaga Rivers. It is often referred to as an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...

since the 1955 construction of the

Kuybyshev Reservoir Kuybyshev Reservoir or Kuybyshevskoye Reservoir (russian: Ку́йбышевское водохрани́лище, Kuybyshevskoye Vodokhranilishche), sometimes called Samara Reservoir and informally called Kuybyshev Sea, is a reservoir of ...

downstream at

Tolyatti Tolyatti ( rus, Толья́тти, p=tɐlʲˈjætʲ(ː)ɪ), also known as Togliatti, formerly known as Stavropol (1737–1964), is a city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which does not serve as the administrative center ...

, but it is in fact connected to the mainland by a causeway. In 2017 the Assumption Cathedral and Monastery were added to the list of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s.Assumption Cathedral and Monastery of the town-island of Sviyazhsk
/ref> Sviyazhsk was founded in 1551 as a

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, which was built within four weeks from parts made in

Uglich Uglich ( rus, У́глич, p=ˈuɡlʲɪtɕ) is a historic town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located on the Volga River. Population: History The city was first documented in 1148 as ''Ugliche Pole'' (''Corner Field''). The town's name is though ...

and transported down the Volga. It became a

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

of the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

during the

siege of Kazan The siege of Kazan in 1552 was the final battle of the Russo-Kazan Wars and led to the fall of the Khanate of Kazan. Conflict continued after the fall of Kazan, however, as rebel governments formed in Çalım and Mişätamaq, and a new kha ...

(1552). Since the 18th century, Sviyazhsk served as a center of an

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd; rus, уе́зд, p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context ( uk, повіт), or Kreis in Baltic-German context, was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Russian Empire, and the ea ...

. In 1920–1927, it was a center of Sviyazhsky Kanton; in 1927–1931—the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of Sviyazhsky District. In 1932, it was demoted to rural status. There is a school and a club in Sviyazhsk, as well as a monastery associated with the name of

Macarius of Unzha Macarius is a Latinized form of the old Greek given name Makários (Μακάριος), meaning "happy, fortunate, blessed"; confer the Latin '' beatus'' and ''felix''. Ancient Greeks applied the epithet ''Makarios'' to the gods. In other langua ...

Sviyazhsk railway station Station Sviyazhsk - Gorky Railway Station in Sviyazhsk. Enters into the Department of Railway Stations, a subsidiary of Joint Stock Company "Russian Railways". The station is located on the Moscow - Kazan - Yekaterinburg at a distance of 752 km f ...

is located west of the island and is linked with Sviyazhsk proper by a highway running along a causeway. Another way to get there is by a boat from the port of Kazan. In summer every day at 08:30 a fast boat departs at pier 8, and at 09:00 a slow boat. Tickets can be bought on the spot near the kassa. Sviyazhsk Ioanno-Predtechensky Convent 08-2016 img4.jpg, Trinity Church Sviyazhsk Rozhdestvenskaya Street and pier 08-2016 img1.jpg, View towards the pier Sviyazhsk Horseyard 08-2016 img1.jpg, Horseyard of Uspensky Monastery Sviyazhsk Uspensky Monastery 08-2016 img5.jpg, View of Uspensky Monastery

Historical population

*1989: 747 (Russians - 66%, Tatars - 27%) *2000: 258

References

{{Authority control Rural localities in Tatarstan Sviyazhsky Uyezd Defunct towns in Russia Populated places established in 1551 World Heritage Tentative List 1551 establishments in Russia Islands of the Volga River