Tatarstan 2016: Altyn on Repeat, New Taxi, and a 200-Ruble Note

A new trend called «2026 is the new 2016» is gaining popularity online, sparked by social media users feeling nostalgic for the past. People are mass-posting their decade-old photos.

What would Tatarstan post if it joined the trend? The editors of 116.RU suggest recalling the republic«s most iconic events of 2016.

«Min Altyn Matyr Chächek»

In late 2016, singer Tatarka (real name Irina Smelaya), a native of Naberezhnye Chelny, released the track «Altyn», which became one of the year«s biggest hits. The music video was released at the same time and garnered over three million views in its first week, with »Afisha« including it in its list of the 100 best videos of the year.

Today, the video on YouTube has 63 million views. Smelaya later said in an interview that the video essentially became a major advertising project for Samsung, as it was shot on the company«s new smartphone.

The lyrics for «Altyn» were written by Ilyas Gafarov, director of the Kazan label Yummy Music. Ten years ago, the entire country listened to this song: the line «Min altyn matur chächäk» («I am a beautiful golden flower») sounded from cars, at parties, and simply from street speakers.

Yandex Taxi

On April 14, 2016, the well-known taxi service officially launched in Tatarstan. It had appeared in the republic as early as 2012 but was operating in a test mode at the time. Local media then wrote that the «economy» fare had a dispatch cost of 30 rubles (about $0.30 at current rates) and 9 rubles (about $0.09 at current rates) per kilometer.

Sculpture at the «Bowl»

On June 14, 2016, the sculptural composition «Barsy and Zilanty» (Snow Leopards and Dragons) was installed near the Kazan Family Center. At the time, the building was not yet called the «Bowl»—that popular nickname became established a little later.

The sculptures were created by Russian artist Dashi Namdakov. Since the composition is located near a wedding palace, the zilanty symbolically guard the Family Center, embodying the inviolability of marital foundations and family traditions. The barsy act as patrons of children.

That same year, an online petition appeared demanding the removal of the sculptures. Its author called the composition «huge statues of monsters in the Gothic style,» and the initiative was supported by about 750 people. However, the sculptures were not removed.

«According to the legend of Kazan»s founding, these devilish creatures brought much evil to the city«s inhabitants, who could only settle here after completely exterminating these creatures,» the petition«s author wrote.

Today, «Barsy and Zilanty» are considered a landmark of the Kazan Family Center and are among the city«s popular tourist sites.

Opening of Gorkinsky-Ometyevsky Forest

On December 25, 2016, Gorkinsky-Ometyevsky Forest in Kazan was ceremoniously opened after a large-scale improvement and reconstruction. Previously, the area was popular with skiers and athletes but remained inconvenient for most residents due to a lack of lighting and recreational infrastructure.

Before the work began, residents filled out hundreds of questionnaires, participated in surveys and focus groups. As a result, the forest gained arches with lighting, a platform with a stage, a sports base with a ski track, eco-trails, a fountain, a playground, a bridge, an eco-center, and even coffee shops.

Furthermore, a road was planned between Gorkinsky and Ometyevsky forests, but activists opposed it, stating it would disrupt the integrity of the green zone. As a result, the project was revised.

Today, Gorkinsky-Ometyevsky Forest is a specially protected natural area and is administratively part of the «Lebyazhye» protected area. Families and young people regularly walk here, and sports events and group walks are held.

Kazan Misses Out on the 200 and 2000 Ruble Notes

In June, the Bank of Russia announced a competition to choose images for new 200 and 2000 ruble banknotes (about $2 and $20 at current rates). A special portal was created for voting.

In the struggle to get on the banknote, flash mobs, shows, and car rallies took place in Kazan. Officials, residents, and city guests took photos with mock-ups of the 200-ruble note and posted the pictures on social media with the hashtag #200Kazan.

Based on the voting results, the Kazan Kremlin and the main building of KFU (Kazan Federal University) took only third place, losing to Vladivostok and Sevastopol. The results were controversial at the time: they were called unfair, and Rustam Minnikhanov even suggested the Central Bank «think about transparency» in such competitions.

However, in 2025, Kazan did appear on a thousand-ruble note (about $10 at current rates). The Palace of Farmers now adorns the reverse side of the banknote.

Opening of the Bridge Across the Kama River

In the summer of 2016, a bridge across the Kama River was ceremoniously opened in Tatarstan. From that moment, motorists were able to travel on the four-lane crossing.

The opening ceremony took place on Republic Day—August 30. Previously, a ferry crossing operated here, and drivers had to wait in line for hours. Construction of the bridge began as early as 1992; today it has federal significance status.

«Gorki Park» and «Port»

That same year, the Gorki Park shopping center opened on Zorge Street in Kazan. Residents of the district gained the opportunity to no longer travel to distant shopping complexes for their purchases.

The two-story shopping center with a total area of 38,000 square meters (about 409,000 sq ft) became the only shopping center of that format to open in the republic«s capital in 2016.

Also that year, the large wholesale and retail trade complex «Port» on the Orenburg Highway began operations.

Appearance of an Ozon Warehouse

In the autumn of 2016, the first warehouse of the Ozon marketplace in the Volga Federal District opened in the village of Stolbishchi, Laishevsky District. Its area exceeded 3,500 square meters (about 37,700 sq ft).

The opening of the warehouse allowed residents of Tatarstan to receive orders the day after placing them.

Restoration of the Cathedral

That same year in Kazan, a memorial stone was laid in the foundation of the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The ceremonial event was conducted by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus«.

From that moment, the construction and restoration of the cathedral officially began; it opened in 2021.

Tatarstan Stars Also Follow the Trend

Stars from Tatarstan have also joined the trend and shared their archival photos from a decade ago: singer Alsou was pregnant at the time, and MakSim called 2016 the happiest and most adventure-filled year of her life.

In truth, those times were almost cinematic. Rustam Minnikhanov was still called president, and residents literally never left social media: they photographed every step, generously adding hashtags to their posts. Gosha Rubchinskiy was in fashion, and bright fashionistas with a slight nostalgia for the «90s and 2000s walked the streets.

And now the main question troubling everyone who is filming this trend: is it true that 2026 is the new 2016?