The Ministry of Agriculture’s building in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan in the Russian federation, is a magnificent work of eclectic architecture with a beautiful, massive wrought-iron tree that inspires pastoral agricultural images – and its construction was completed just a few years ago. The tree was designed to cast its shadow on the building’s lobby below.
The building, built by the Russian construction firm Antica, is a nod to previous Russian architecture – but not to the brutalist Soviet buildings that most directly precede it. Imperial Russian architecture has a rich a diverse tradition, owing to the diverse peoples that makes up the Russian federation. The building stands across from the Kazan Kremlin, which is a beautiful mix of Eastern and Western architecture.
