Hermitage-Kazan exhibition on Nicholas II brings imperial items to Tatarstan

The Hermitage-Kazan Centre in Tatarstan is hosting the exhibition Nicholas II: Family and Throne, which includes items from the State Hermitage in St Petersburg. In an interview with Tatar-inform, Nikolai Onegin said some objects had left the Hermitage for the first time and were transported by road under guard rather than by train or plane.

Onegin said Nicholas II never visited Kazan, but the city still has a link to him. Tatars took part in court ceremonies in St Petersburg and Moscow, and with substantial Tatar financial support, the first mosque in St Petersburg was built with the emperor's approval. The exhibition features a dish presented by Kazan residents in the first year of his reign, and a teddy bear that belonged to Tsarevich Alexei.