The Manezh was built in the 1880s not far from the famous Spasskaya Tower. It once really was a riding arena where cadets practiced dressage and drill training. Their school adjoined this building on the north side.
The architectural style of the Manezh is close to Classicism, popular at the time, but overall the building is very pragmatic – it is a one-story rectangular structure measuring 56 by 17 meters.
For the celebration of Kazan's 1000th anniversary in 2005, the exterior of the Manezh was renewed, but without changing the original concept. Since its building lies along the route of many tourist excursions, it was quite reasonable to place exhibition halls here. Thus, in 2009 the Manezh was granted the status of the Kremlin Exhibition Hall. That same year, in the autumn, visitors were able to see the first exhibition, “Russia, the 20th Century in Photographs,” materials for which were provided by the Moscow House of Photography Foundation.
Today, the exhibition hall “Manezh” is an important venue of the Kazan Kremlin museum-reserve. New exhibitions on various topics are regularly held here, along with seminars, conferences, and entertainment events – balls and New Year celebrations.
