Near to the kremlin on the other side of Ploschad Pervogo Maya is the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan which is located in a beautiful old building. A museum has been housed here since 1895 and is based on the collection of local historian Andrey Likhachev. Now the museum serves as the foremost museum of Tatar culture and history. The most interesting exhibitions include the carriage of Empress Catherine II which she gave the city after her visit, old coins from the eastern world, and other ancient artefacts from Volga Bulgaria and the Kazan Khanate.