Spassky District (; ) is a territorial administrative unit and municipal district of the Republic of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation. The total area of the district is 2028 km². It is located in the southwestern part of Tatarstan. The administrative center is Bolgar. As of 2020, the population estimated at 18,599 residents.
Traditionally the Spassky district specializes in fur farming and grain farming. Agricultural land occupies up to 117.8 thousand hectares, while pa around 16.3 thousand hectares is pastureland. The largest agricultural investors are the Avangard forage company, the Bulgar plant growing farm and the Khuzangaevskoe agricultural enterprise.
The remains of previous Bulgarian settlements form a historical site Bolghar which starting from 2014 has been a part of the UNESCO Heritage Site List.
Location
In the east, the Spassky District borders the Alkeevsky and Alekseevsky Districts of Tatarstan, in the south - on the Ulyanovsk Oblast (Staromaynsky District and Melekessky Districts). In the watershed of the Volga (Kuybyshev Reservoir) it borders on the Tetyushsky, Kamsko-Ustinsky regions, along the waters of the Kama - with the Laishevsky District. In addition to the Volga and Kama, the largest rivers passing through the territory are the Abyss and Aktay. Also in the Spassky district there is lake Abkalarkul.
The district is located in the forest-steppe belt with a green zone or woodland occupying around 9% of the land. Most of the Spassky District is located on a low-lying plain, the average height of which does not exceed 60–70 meters, with a slight slope in the northwest direction. The highest point of the relief is in the southeastern part of the region and is 153 meters. Permian Pliocene and superficial deposits can be found in the region. Among the mineral deposits there are sands and clays, which are often used in construction.
Coat of arms
The contemporary coat of arms of the district is based on the historical coat of arms of the city of Spassk in Kazan Province. The flag repeats the colors and the image of the coat of arms and depicts an ancient tower standing in a golden field. The tower symbolizes reliability and a fortitude of spirit. Silver color is a symbol of purity, perfection, purity, mutual understanding. Black symbolizes eternity, wisdom, modesty.
History
People started to settle in the district around 60 000 years ago. The first settlements began to appear in the VIII-III centuries BC when the representatives of the Ananyino culture arrived. In VI-VIIth centuries the Bulgar tribes settled in the region while searching the new lands in the Volga region. Later Bulgars formed a feudal state Volga Bulgaria the population of which mostly engaged in agriculture, sowing wheat, rye, barley, millet, peas, oats, rye. In 922, on the territory of the Volga Bulgars, the ancestors of the modern Kazan Tatars officially converted to Islam.
In the first half of the XIII century, the territory of the Volga Bulgars was captured by the Mongols. For a century and a half, the majority of the population abandoned the Zakamye and moved to the Predkamye. Thus, during the period of the Khanate of Kazan and the first century after the siege of Kazan (in 1552), the territory remained uninhabited. Resettlement of the region began only in the second half of the XVII century, after the construction of the Zakamskaya zasechnaya line - a system of defense structures built in the period from the XVI to the XVII centuries on the southern borders of Russia to protect against nomads. In the second half of the 17th century, servicemen, archers, captured Poles, Chuvash and Mordovians began to resettle in the region.
The Spassky district was formed on August 10, 1930. Until 1920, the territory of the region belonged to the Spassky district of the Kazan province, and in the period between 1920 and 1930 - to the Spassky canton of the TASSR. At the time of formation, the district included 1 city and 41 village councils, 95 settlements, in which 52,504 people lived (46,231 Russians, 4641 Tatars, 1632 representatives of other nationalities). In 1935, part of the land became part of the Kuznechikhinsky district. In 1935, the city of Spassk was renamed the city of Kuibyshev in honor of the revolutionary and party leader Valerian Kuybyshev. The Spassky district was also named Kuibyshevsky. In 1940, the area of the district was 1762 km², and the population was 49.4 thousand people.