Bolgar, Russia
Болгар
Bolgar is a town of 8,640 people in Tatarstan Republic, Russia, founded in 900.
Why visit Bolgar
Townapedia lists 56 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 13 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bolghar Gord, Ферма верблюдов, Balymer complex and Abdullah Alish Museum.
Weather in Bolgar
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Bolgar
Bolgar (Russian: Болгар; Tatar: Болгар) is a town and the administrative center of Spassky District in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Volga River, 140 kilometers (87 mi) from Kazan. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 8,650.
From the Wikipedia article Bolgar, Spassky District, Republic of Tatarstan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Bolghar Gord
Monument and historic site · 1.5 km
Gord of Volga Bulgaria
Museums and landmarks56
Balymer complex
Monument and historic site · 11.7 km
Archaeological site in Republic of Tatarstan, Russia
Abdullah Alish Museum
Museum · 1.5 km
Https://pravo.tatarstan.ru/oiv/veds/komitet-respubliki-tatarstan-po-ohrane-obektov/?npa_id=1115471
35 улица Назаровых, Болгары
08:00-17:00
Memorial sign for the Adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgarians in 922
Museum · 1.9 km
Настоящее принятие ислама произошло в 6 веке. Юридическое подтверждение принятия ислама булгарами было получено в 922 году. В...
27 улица Мухамедьяра
Mo-Th 08:00-18:00; Fr-Su 08:00-19:00
музей "Болгарское чаепитие"
Museum · 1.7 km
Https://pravo.tatarstan.ru/oiv/veds/komitet-respubliki-tatarstan-po-ohrane-obektov/?npa_id=1115391
45 улица Назаровых, Болгары
08:00-17:00
музей "Город на реке"
Museum · 1.3 km
Https://pravo.tatarstan.ru/oiv/veds/komitet-respubliki-tatarstan-po-ohrane-obektov/?npa_id=1115421
18 улица Назаровых, Болгары
08:00-17:00
44 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes13
Лэйсэн
Cafe · Regional, Tatar · 1.5 km
Https://pravo.tatarstan.ru/oiv/veds/komitet-respubliki-tatarstan-po-ohrane-obektov/?npa_id=1115436
9 улица Мухамедьяра, Болгары
09:00-18:00
Центральная столовая
Fast food · Regional · 0.9 km
108А улица Ленина, Болгар
8:00-19:00
1 more on the map.
History
The excavated monuments of Bolghar, the medieval capital of Volga Bulgaria, are within easy reach from the town. The modern town of Spassk (Спасск) was formed from the village of Spassk (Chertykovo) on the bank of Bezdna River in 1781. It was renamed Spassk-Tatarsky (Спасск-Татарский) in 1926, then Kuybyshev Куйбышев), in honor of Valerian Kuybyshev, in 1935, before getting its present name in 1991. It served as a district administrative center since 1930.
In 1957, due to the construction of Kuybyshev Reservoir and flooding of the original Spassk, the town was moved from the place of its foundation closer to historical Bolgar.
In 1991, the town changed its name to Bolgar in honor of the remains of the medieval city of Bolghar (Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex) located nearby.
Since 2010, on the initiative and the supervision of the first president of the Republic of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev, the complex programme 'Cultural Heritage - Island-Town of Sviyazhsk and Ancient Bolgar' has been implemented in Bolgar. The programme involves the conservation of architectural and archaeological heritage of Bolgar and the development of its touristic infrastructure. The programme has the following results:
Key architectural monuments as Small Minaret, Cathedral Mosque, Khan's Shrine, Eastern Mausoleum, Northern Mausoleum, Eastern Chamber, Assumption Church were conserved;
From the History section of Bolgar, Spassky District, Republic of Tatarstan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship2
Shopping7
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Болгарская средняя общеобразовательная школа №1 с углубленным изучением отдельных предметов
School
59 Октябрьская улица, Болгар
Болгарская средняя общеобразовательная школа №2
School · 0.9 km
15 Советская улица, Болгар
Болгарская школа-интернат для детей с ограниченными возможностями здоровья
School · 1.0 km
3 улица Дзержинского, Болгар
Healthcare7
Map of Bolgar
103 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport (ULY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 65 km away.
- Tetyushi 13 km west, about 13 min by car
- Kuybyshevskiy Zaton 22 km northeast, about 22 min by car
- Staraya Mayna 42 km south, about 42 min by car
- Apastovo 42 km northwest, about 42 min by car
- Buinsk 47 km west, about 47 min by car
- Laishevo 58 km northeast, about 58 min by car
- Cherdakly 70 km south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Isheyevka 78 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Ulyanovsk 83 km southwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Verkhniy Uslon 88 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Bolgar mosque, kremlin.ru / Alexey Nikolsky, CC BY 4.0
- Bolgar memorial, Aleksandra Glukhikh, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Black chamber, Bolgar, Alaexis, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Минарет Болгар, Плешков, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bolgar. White Mosque P6270610 2575, Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Болгарская исламская академия, Ильнар Академия, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Eastern mausoleum, Bolgar, Alaexis, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Северный мавзолей погреб монастырский Татарстан, Azmanova Natalia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Болгар2, MarinkaGal, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Khans' mausoleum, Bolgar, Alaexis, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Городище Булгар, Восточная палата, Anisantha, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Булгарское городище 9, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Болгар тыюлыгы, Ilnur efende, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Спасский техникум отраслевых технологий (2020), Unknown author Unknown author, CC BY 4.0
- В устье Малого Иерусалимского оврага, у живописного берега Волги, находится колодец Габдрахмана, Марина Валиуллина, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Красная палата (руины) городища Болгар, Марина Валиуллина, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bolghar-banner1, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bolghar White Chamber 2024-07-12 1168, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bolghar White Chamber 2024-07-12 1169, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bolghar White Chamber 2024-07-12 1170, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Булгарское городище бани 5, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Булгарское городище бани 8, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Булгарское городище бани 7, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bolghar White Chamber 2024-07-12 1167, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Булгарское городище Бани, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Булгарское городище бани 4, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bolghar White Chamber 2024-07-12 1166, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bolghar White Chamber 2024-07-12 1165, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bolghar Black chamber 2024-07-12 1173, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bolghar Small Minaret 2024-07-12 1172, Mike1979 Russia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Церковь Авраамия Болгарского. Болгар. Спасский р-н. РТ. Октябрь 2014 - panoramio, Vadim Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Дуб и Церковь Авраамия Болгарского. Болгар. Спасский р-н. РТ. Октябрь 2014 - panoramio, Vadim Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Булгарское городище минарет, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Болгар городище 007, Disciple, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Здание с водоемом, XIV в. руины, Mucharraf, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Булгарское городище 6, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Болгар12, MarinkaGal, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Булгарское городище 4, Indeikin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Болгар городище 014, Disciple, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Руины Белой палаты, Irina Danilova, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.