Russia

Today, I received this postcard from Russia...

of the city of Kazan.  Yes, it is a rather odd postcard...with the buildings pictured on the sides appearing quite distorted.  :P

I learned a number of things about Kazan.

• Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.
• It has a population of 1,143,535 and is the eighth most populous city in Russia.
• In 2009, Kazan was granted the right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of Russia.
• In 2009, Kazan was chosen as the "Sports Capital" of Russia.
• In 2013, Kazan will host the Summer Universiade.*
• Kazan is one of the largest industrial and financial centers of Russia.

source:  wikipedia.org

*Actually, the 2013 Summer Universiade took place on July 6-17.  The 15-year-old girl who sent this postcard wrote, "July 6 is the [day] our city starts Universiade.  :) Our city is preparing for this memorable day!"  You can read more about the Summer Universiade in Kazan here.

Also (just now!), I discovered that this postcard is of Bauman Street...the pedestrian street in the heart of Kazan.  Pictured in the center is the Bell Tower of the Epiphany Church.  You can read more about Bauman Street in Kazan here.

If you'd like more information about collecting international postcards, you can read my original post here.