The role of cartographic sources in project activities on preservation of cultural heritage sites

The author provides a description of the plans stored in Russian and regional archives and identifies their role in determining the historical and archaeological significance of a particular land plot. Fragments of Kazan city plans from the second half of the 18th – early 20th centuries are given as examples. The Republic of Tatarstan’s, RF, state archive funds capabilities, due to which the historic development of the site is restored, indicating the chronology, owners, functional purpose and building material of the constructions, are separately considered. The data obtained enabled developing a program of rescue archaeological field works to preserve cultural heritage sites, in which a promising land allocation area for research is identified, the type of work is selected, and areas of destroyed or damaged cultural layer are excluded