The 17th World Conference of Historical Cities opened today at the Kazan City Hall. It brought together experts from different cities -specialists in the field of preserving the native language, ethnic harmony, folk traditions, folklore and architectural monuments. During the conference, which will be held in a regular and remote mode until June 26, participants will discuss initiatives to preserve folk traditions, language, culture and history.

The Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin welcomed the participants of the conference. The head of the city noted that for the first time the League of Historical Cities World Conference is being held in Russia, and thanked colleagues from other cities for their confidence.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our plans: the date of the conference was postponed, some participants could not come to Kazan, to Russia. However, the meeting was not canceled, giving the chance to expand the geography of participants, exchange useful experiences and get to know each other better. We will try our best to make everyone who came to Kazan these days feel the hospitality and warmth of our hearts. And we have prepared a rich program for online participants to get acquainted with our traditions and customs”, - he said.

I.Metshin stressed that Kazan is a multinational city, where a careful attitude to cultural wealth is inherited from generation to generation. “Modern cities are not just a combination of high-rise buildings, malls and architectural monuments, but first of all, people, keepers of traditional culture, preserving the ties of times, destinies and values. Traditions, ways of life, stories that have left their imprint in ornaments, symbols, and crafts are the basis of the identity and uniqueness of our cities”, - the Mayor believes.

For example, the House of Friendship between Peoples of Tatarstan was established more than 20 years, where representatives of all nationalities living in the city create and develop their native culture, learn their native language. In addition, the current year has been declared the Year of Native Languages and National Unity.

Daisaku Kadokawa, Chairman of the League of Historical Cities, Mayor of Kyoto (Japan), in turn, thanked Kazan for hosting the conference during this difficult period.

Evgenia Lodvigova, deputy head of the Kazan municipality, noted that the city won the right to host the conference in 2018 in Bursa. “We were thoroughly preparing for this conference, we hosted the board of directors meeting of the League of Historical Cities. The program was adopted. We are waiting for days of fruitful work. We will talk about heritage, culture, and the preservation of monuments. Many scientists and experts from all over the world gathered. It is planned to listen 67 speeches, about 200 cities will join us,” - she said.