The National Library occupies several buildings in Kazan, but tourists mostly like its main department, located in Ushkova House, which is amazing in terms of architecture and history.

The history of the house is not trivial: it was constructed from the other three buildings by the famous architect of the time, Karl Mufke. He worked for a wealthy student Alexey Ushkov, the son of a chemical industry magnate. Alexey decided to build this house for his bride and was ready to spend a lot of money.

The architect, who had already created the buildings of the Kazan Art School and Kazan University, brilliantly coped with the task of combining completely different houses. He created many original details in the decor and complemented the overall composition of the house with towers and balconies. With its creamy color and Baroque and Rococo moldings, the house began to look like a wedding cake. According to the plan, the first floor of the house was rented out to shops, and the second was occupied by the owner's apartment.

When the architect asked the client about the appearance of the house, Ushkov replied that he wanted the whole world to fit in it. Therefore, each room has a different style and content.

The lobby welcomes visitors with doors decorated with dragon-shaped handles – this is the oriental style. You can still look in the Venetian mirrors, climb the stairs with the mahogany railing, and admire the stained glass windows by a French master. The main hall has become the library's reading room made in the Empire style. For example, the ceilings are adorned with images of military equipment and a monogram in the form of the letter "N" (Ushkov adored Napoleon Bonaparte). The men's lounge room is decorated in Moorish style, the living rooms are green and pink, and the dining room is Gothic.

One of the most interesting rooms that fascinate all the visitors is the unique grotto garden, which houses one of the library's reading rooms. The room evokes a full sense of a cave: it is full of plants, the ceiling is covered with stalactites, the walls are lined with natural shells. However, it is not gloomy at all: the outer wall entirely consists of windows that illuminate the many bizarre plants of the grotto.