Karakuz Park in the citycenter of Almetievsk | Arcanika Studio

The Karakuz Park is a part of a renovation of the citycenter of Almetyevsk. The several stage project aiming to bring a mono-city back to its citizens, transform streets, buildings and parks into a united space comfortable to live in on a daily basis. The project has deep roots in the city’s history and is one of the measures taken in order to reshape mono-city. It shows, how the city can transfer from a resource-based to an innovative economy by improving the quality of urban areas.

In order to unite different functions, Arcanika created a public space, which became a new center of attraction for citizens of Almetyevsk. The space is divided in different theme-zones. In the center there is a sculpture “Karakuz”, surrounded by pedestrian and green zones. Eco-trail made of larch connects main entrance of the headquarter with an underground parking and a park with a square in front of the Community

One of the problems of Almetyevsk is an absence of the city center, as its infrastructure has not changed since the Soviet time. The project was initiated by Tatneft - a Russian oil company, the largest taxpayer and anchor employer of the mono-city. For us, architects, it was significant to create a project deeply connected with history and traditions of the region and contributes to transforming mono-city.

A new public space united cultural and business life of citizens – a modern request, affecting the quality of city space and desire of young generation to stay in the hometown. The project gave birth to the first area in Almetyevsk which can be called “citycenter”: people hang out in the shade of trees, work, study and spend leisure time in this area all year long. In order to accentuate consistency of tradition we found a local legend of Tatar woman-warrior Karakuz and put her sculpture in the square.