Sviyazhsk (; ) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in the

Republic of Tatarstan Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital city, capital and largest city i ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located at the

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

of the

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

and Sviyaga Rivers. It is often referred to as an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

since the 1955 construction of the Kuybyshev Reservoir downstream at Tolyatti, 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

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World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

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

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

, which was built within four weeks from parts made in Uglich 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 during the siege of Kazan (1552). Since the 18th century, Sviyazhsk served as a center of an uyezd. In 1920–1927, it was a center of Sviyazhsky Kanton; in 1927–1931—the

administrative center An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

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. Sviyazhsk railway station 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