Astrakhan Kremlin

Astrakhan sits at the top of the Volga delta near the Caspian, and the kremlin was raised there between 1580 and 1620 to hold the river mouth after the khanate fell. The walls are white limestone and brick, and much of the stone was taken from the ruins of Sarai-Batu, the Golden Horde capital upriver, which was quarried for the purpose - so an older city is physically inside this one. Seven towers survive, among them the Zhitnaya, Crimean and Artillery towers of the 1580s and the Red Gate, which can be climbed. Inside stands the Assumption cathedral of 1710, tall, white and two-tiered with an arcaded gallery, generally counted among the best Russian baroque churches outside the capitals, and beside it a bell tower of 1910 that leans slightly. The setting is the point too: this is the delta, hot in summer, with the river splitting into channels below and the steppe beginning behind.

History

The first wooden fortress was laid out in 1587-1588 by I. G. Vorodkov on the highest hill, the Zayachii, ringed by the Volga, lakes and marshes, and it was later rebuilt in stone using strong old Tatar bricks from the ruins of Golden Horde cities. Thirty stonemasons began the Assumption Cathedral on 1 October 1699, a two-storey church whose building took almost 12 years (Wikipedia, Astrakhan Kremlin).

What to look for

• The recycled stone - walls built from the ruins of the Golden Horde capital upriver.
• The 1710 cathedral - the tall two-tiered Assumption with its arcaded gallery.
• The leaning bell tower - the 1910 tower that settled off vertical.
• The delta position - a fortress at the head of the Volga delta near the Caspian.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Summer is very hot; midsummer is uncomfortable for walking the walls. Half a day.

What to expect

Summer heat is severe and shade inside the walls is limited. Museums in the towers are small and ticketed separately. The city around it is worn in places. Mosquitoes are heavy in the delta season.

Nearby

The Volga channels run below; the delta and the lotus fields are south.