Sightseeing

Musa Dzhalil Monument

The recognizable symbol of Kazan stands next to the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower and the National Museum of Tatarstan. The massive figure of the great Tatar poet depicts his unwillingness to give into the restraints of the barbed wire, his head proudly raised.

Historical reference

The monument was erected in 1966 in memory of Musa Dzhalil - a Hero of the Soviet Union and one of the most prominent Tatar poets. He fought against fascism in the underground, until 1943 when he was seized by the Gestapo. In Nazi prison, he wrote poems on small scraps of paper, and, anticipating an imminent death, handed them over to cellmates which were later published as the "Moabit Notebook" collection. He was executed by guillotine in 1944. The "Moabit Notebook" which is a collection of over 125 poems was translated into 60 languages. The original is kept in the National Museum of Tatarstan.