Ushkova House

Since 1919, the National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan is located in the former private residence of the Ushkovs. The magnificent external decor and the original interior layout of the house have remained practically unchanged to this day. In the past, the ground floor contained shopping halls and ballrooms on the second floor. The building is richly decorated with stucco molding. The main staircase also attracts a lot of attention, as if leading one to the eastern palace: gilded dragons on the walls, doors, ceiling and handrails, everywhere you look, there are bronze ornaments, paintings on the walls, and panels. The highlight of the mansion is the grotto, where greenery and vines break through the crevices of the deliberately uneven stones. Stalactites are reflected in a huge aquarium with shells, stones and a fountain in the form of a fairy tale fish. Through the huge windows, the grotto looks like a window into a fairy tale in the middle of the bustling central city street just outside.