The name of the city in western Siberia. Siberia

Novosibirsk is the third in Russia

There are a lot of settlements - cities, towns and villages in the Russian Trans-Urals, and the largest city is the capital of Siberia. Novosibirsk ranks third in Russia in terms of population after Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to 2009 data, 1.397 million people were registered in Novosibirsk. It is considered to be the city’s birthday on April 30, 1893, but despite its youth, it is impossible to talk about Novosibirsk without using the word “most”. Firstly, the city is located on the banks of the longest river in Russia - the Ob. The length of the Ob with its main tributary, Irtysh, is 5,410 km.

Secondly, the city has the largest theater and opera and ballet theater in Russia, which is the hallmark of Novosibirsk. The theater building is an example of modernist architecture of the late 20s. During the construction of the theater, many unique design solutions were used, for example, the structure of the theater’s dome. The dome was designed by B.F. Mother and P.L. A parsnip, a dome diameter of 60 meters with a thickness of only 8 centimeters - this is the largest dome of this design in the world.

Theater, Trans-Siberian Railway

In May 1931, the building was laid. And on August 1, 1941, the official opening of the theater was planned. But the war made adjustments, and the opening of the theater took place on May 12, 1945. During the war, the evacuated exhibits from the museums of Moscow and Leningrad were kept in the building of the future theater during the war.

The beginning of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway (1891) gave an impetus to the development of the city's industry. Before the October Revolution of 1917, Novosibirsk (until 1925 - Novonikolaevsk) was the trade and industrial center of Western Siberia. The leading industry in those years was the milling industry.

Novosibirsk plants

The largest factory "Trud", founded in 1904, produced spare parts for the mechanisms of mills, creameries and agricultural machinery. Before the war of 1941-1945, many industrial enterprises were being built in Novosibirsk, including a tin factory, Sibkombayn, a boring machine factory. In 1936, the aircraft factory was opened, which in 1939 was named after Valery Pavlovich Chkalov.

The second powerful impetus to the development of industry was given by the Great Patriotic War. Many enterprises from Leningrad and other cities of the USSR were evacuated to the largest city of Siberia, due to this, production for the front increased by 8 times: only Yak fighters for the front were issued up to 33 aircraft per day.

Modern Novosibirsk

In modern Novosibirsk, there are 214 enterprises that produce 2/3 of the total production of the Novosibirsk region. The leading industries of the city include engineering, metallurgy, energy, chemical, light and food industries. In 1985, the first metro stations were opened in Novosibirsk. This is the very first metro beyond the Urals with the longest indoor metro bridge in the world.

The city quickly grew and developed, in just a few decades, a small town with a population of 100 thousand people became a millionaire city. Only Chicago can boast such growth rates. In Novosibirsk (Novonikolaevsk) was the center of the Russian Empire. In this place, in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, a chapel was built in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, designed by the famous architect A.D. Kryachkov.

Chapel - a symbol of Novosibirsk

The design of the chapel is made in the style of Novgorod-Pskov architecture of the XII-XIV centuries. In 1933, by order of the City Council, "taking into account the wishes of the working masses and reckoning with the beautification of the city," the chapel was destroyed. On the 100th anniversary of the city, in 1993, the St. Nicholas Chapel was again erected. The project of the new chapel was completed by architect P.A. Chernobrovtsev.
Novosibirsk gained world fame thanks to its unique zoo, which occupies one of the leading places in the world for the conservation of rare animal species.

The largest city of Siberia continues to actively grow and develop. Much attention is paid not only to the construction of new modern buildings, but also to the preservation of historical architectural heritage.

Andrey Koshelev, Samogo.Net

Siberian population

The population of Siberia is about 24 million people. The largest cities of Siberia are Novosibirsk 1 million 390 thousand, Omsk 1 million 131 thousand, Krasnoyarsk 936.4 thousand, Barnaul 597 thousand, Irkutsk 575.8 thousand, Novokuznetsk 562 thousand people, Tyumen 538 thousand people. Ethnically, the main part of the population is Russian, but many other ethnic groups and nationalities live in this territory, such as the Buryats, Dolgans, Nenets, Komi, Khakasses, Chukchi, Evenki, Yakuts, etc.

The peoples of Siberia varied greatly in language, economic structure, and social development.

The Yukagirs, Chukchi, Koryaks, Itelmens, Nivkhs, as well as Asian Eskimos were at the earliest stage of social organization. Their development went in the direction of patriarchal-clan orders, and some features were already visible (patriarchal family, slavery), but elements of matriarchy still remained: there was no division into clans and clan exogamy.

Most of the peoples of Siberia were at various levels of the patriarchal clan system.

These are the Evenks, Kuznetsk and Chulymsky Tatars, Kotts, Kachins and other tribes of Southern Siberia. The survivals of patriarchal-clan relations also survived among many tribes that embarked on the path of class formation. These are the Yakuts, the ancestors of the Buryats, Daurs, duchers, Khanty-Mansi tribes.

Only the Siberian Tatars, defeated by Yermak, had their own statehood.

The population of Eastern Siberia

The total urban population is 71.5%. The most urbanized Irkutsk region. and Krasnoyarsk Territory. The rural population predominates in the autonomous okrugs: in the Buryat Ust-Ordynsky okrug there is no urban population at all, in the Buryat Aginsky okrug only 32%, and in Evenki - 29%.

The current migratory population growth of VVER is negative (-2.5 people.

per 1000 inhabitants), which causes depopulation of the population of the region. Moreover, negative migration from the Taimyr and Evenki Autonomous Okrugs is an order of magnitude higher than the average and creates the prospect of complete depopulation of these regions.
The population density in the region is extremely low, four times lower than the national average.

In the Evenki district, it is three people per 100 km2 - a record low in the country. And only in the south - in the forest-steppe Khakassia, the population density is close to the average Russian.

The economically active population of Eastern Siberia was 50%, which is close to the national average.

About 23% of the working population was employed in industry, in (in Russia, 22.4% and 13.3%, respectively). The general unemployment rate is very high (in the Republics of Buryatia and Tuva, as well as in the Chita region.

The unemployment rate in the WWER is quite high, and its composition is high in the proportion of hidden unemployment.
The ethnic composition of the population of Eastern Siberia was formed as a result of a centuries-old mixture of the indigenous Turkic-Mongolian and Russian Slavic population with the participation of small small peoples of Siberia, including those living in taiga regions and the Far North.

The peoples of the Turkic group live in the upper Yenisei - Tuvans, Khakasses.

Representatives of the Mongolian group — Buryats — live in the mountains and steppes of Cisbaikalia and Transbaikalia, and Evenks belonging to the Tungus-Manzhur language group live in the taiga regions of the central part of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The Nenets, Nganasans, and the Türkic-speaking Dolgans (related to the Yakuts) live on the Taimyr Peninsula.

In the lower reaches of the Yenisei, a small Ket people live, having an isolated language that does not belong to any of the groups. All of these peoples, with the exception of the extremely small Kets and Nganasans, have their own national-territorial formations - republics or districts.

Most of the population of Eastern Siberia adheres to the Orthodox religion, with the exception of the Buryats and Tuvans, who are Buddhists (Lamaists). The small peoples of the North and Evenks retain traditional pagan beliefs.

The population of the West Siberian region

The total urban population is 71%.

The most urbanized are the Kemerovo region, where the number of urban residents reaches 87%, and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - 91%.

At the same time, in the Altai Republic 75% of the population are rural residents.
The area varies in population density. Very high population density in the Kemerovo region. - about 32 people / km2.

The minimum density in the Arctic Yamalo-Nenets district is 0.7 people / km2.

The economically active population of Western Siberia was 50%, which slightly exceeded the national average. About 21% of the working population was employed in industry, and about 13.2% in agriculture.

The level of general unemployment in Western Siberia was below the average Russian indicator only in the Tyumen region.

In other regions, it exceeded the national average. In terms of registered unemployment, all regions except Novosibirsk oblast were in the worst position relative to the average Russian indicator (1.4%). Most registered unemployed in the Tomsk region - 2.1% of the economically active population. In the oil Khanty-Mansiysk district, their number is 1.5 times higher than the average for Russia.

The ethnic composition of the population of Western Siberia is represented by Slavic (mainly Russian), Ugric and Samoyedic (Khanty, Mansi, Nenets) and Turkic (Tatars, Kazakhs, Altaians, Shors) peoples.

The Russian population is numerically predominant in all regions of the ZSED. Nenets, members of the Samoyed language group of the Ural family, live mainly in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and are its indigenous people. Khanty and Mansi, members of the Ugric group of the Ural family, live in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. Turkic peoples - Kazakhs and Tatars live in the steppe and forest-steppe zones, and Altai and Shors - in the mountainous regions of Altai and Mountain Shoria in the Kemerovo region.

The Russian population of Western Siberia, mainly Orthodox, believing Tatars and Kazakhs - Muslims, Altai and Shors are partly Orthodox, some adhere to traditional pagan beliefs.

News and Society

The indigenous population of Siberia. The population of Western and Eastern Siberia

Siberia occupies a vast geographical area of \u200b\u200bRussia. Once it included such neighboring states as Mongolia, Kazakhstan and part of China. Today this territory belongs to the purely Russian Federation. Despite the huge area, there are relatively few settlements in Siberia.

Most of the region is occupied by the tundra and the steppe.

Description of Siberia

The entire territory is divided into Eastern and Western regions. In rare cases, theologians also determine the Southern region, which is a mountainous region of Altai.

The area of \u200b\u200bSiberia is about 12.6 million square meters. km This is approximately 73.5% of the total territory of the Russian Federation. Interestingly, Siberia is larger in area than Canada.

From the main natural zones, in addition to the Eastern and Western regions, the Baikal region and the Altai mountains are distinguished.

The largest rivers are the Yenisei, Irtysh, Angara, Ob, Amur and Lena. The most significant lake areas are Taimyr, Baikal and Ubsu-Nur.

From an economic point of view, the centers of the region can be called cities such as Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Omsk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Ulan-Ude, Tomsk, etc.
The highest point in Siberia is Mount Belukha - over 4.5 thousand meters.

Population history

The first inhabitants of the region, historians call the tribes of Samoyeds.

This people lived in the northern part. Due to the harsh climate, the only occupation was reindeer herding. They fed mainly on fish from adjacent lakes and rivers. In the southern part of Siberia, the Mansi people lived. Their favorite thing was hunting. Mansi traded in fur, which was highly valued by Western merchants.

Türks are another significant population of Siberia.

Inhabited in the upper river Ob. They were engaged in blacksmithing and cattle breeding. Many tribes of the Türks were nomadic. Buryats lived a little to the west of the Ob mouth. They became famous for the mining and processing of iron.

The largest ancient population of Siberia was represented by the Tungus tribes. They settled in the territory from the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk to the Yenisei. They earned their living from reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing.

The more prosperous were engaged in craft.
On the coast of the Chukchi Sea, thousands of Eskimos were located. These tribes have long had the slowest cultural and social development. Their only tools are a stone ax and a spear. Mainly engaged in hunting and gathering.

In the 17th century there was a sharp jump in the development of the Yakuts and Buryats, as well as the northern Tatars.

Native people

The population of Siberia today is made up of dozens of peoples.

Each of them, according to the Constitution of Russia, has its own right to national identification.

Many peoples of the Northern region even received autonomy within the Russian Federation with all the ensuing branches of self-government. This contributed not only to the lightning-fast development of the culture and economy of the region, but also to the preservation of local traditions and customs.

The indigenous population of Siberia is largely composed of Yakuts. Their number varies within 480 thousand people. Most of the population is concentrated in the city of Yakutsk - the capital of Yakutia.

The next largest people are the Buryats. There are more than 460 thousand people. The capital of Buryatia is the city of Ulan-Ude. The main asset of the republic is Lake Baikal. It is interesting that this particular region is recognized as one of the main Buddhist centers of Russia.

Tuvans - the population of Siberia, which according to the latest census totals about 264 thousand people.

In the Republic of Tuva, shamans are still revered.

Almost equally the population of such peoples as Altai and Khakasses: 72 thousand people each. The indigenous inhabitants of the districts are adherents of Buddhism.
The Nenets population is only 45 thousand people. They live on the Kola Peninsula. Throughout their history, the Nenets were famous nomads.

Today, their priority income is reindeer husbandry.

Also on the territory of Siberia there live such peoples as Evenks, Chukchi, Khanty, Shors, Mansi, Koryak, Selkups, Nanai, Tatars, Chuvans, Teleuts, Kets, Aleuts and many others. Each of them has its own centuries-old traditions and legends.

Population size

The dynamics of the demographic component of the region varies significantly every few years.

This is due to the massive relocation of youth to the southern cities of Russia and the sharp jumps in fertility and mortality. There are relatively few immigrants in Siberia. The reason for this is the harsh climate and the specific conditions for life in the villages.

According to the latest data, the population of Siberia is about 40 million people. This is more than 27% of the total number of people living in Russia.

By region, the population is evenly distributed. In the northern part of Siberia, large settlements are absent due to poor living conditions. On average, there is 0.5 sq. Per person here. km of land.

The most densely populated cities are Novosibirsk and Omsk - 1.57 and 1.05 million inhabitants, respectively. Further on this criterion are Krasnoyarsk, Tyumen and Barnaul.

The peoples of Western Siberia

Cities account for about 71% of the total region.

Most of the population is concentrated in the Kemerovo and Khanty-Mansiysk districts. Nevertheless, the Altai Republic is considered the agricultural center of the Western region.

It is noteworthy that the Kemerovo district ranks first in terms of population density - 32 people / sq. km
The population of Western Siberia is 50% composed of able-bodied residents. Most of the employment is in industry and agriculture.

The region has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, with the exception of Tomsk Oblast and Khanty-Mansiysk.

Today, the population of Western Siberia is Russians, Khanty, Nenets, Türks. By religion, there are Orthodox Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists.

The population of Eastern Siberia

The proportion of urban residents varies within 72%. The most economically developed are the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Irkutsk Region.

From the point of view of agriculture, the Buryat district is considered the most important point in the region.
Every year the population of Eastern Siberia is becoming smaller. Recently, there has been a sharp negative dynamics in migration and fertility.

It also has the lowest population density in the country. In some areas, it is 33 square meters. km per person. The unemployment rate is high.

The ethnic composition includes such peoples as the Mongols, Turks, Russians, Buryats, Evenks, Dolgans, Kets, etc. Most of the population are Orthodox and Buddhists.

Novosibirsk is the third in Russia

There are many settlements - cities, towns and villages in the Russian Trans-Urals, and the largest city is the capital of Siberia. Novosibirsk ranks third in Russia in terms of population after Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to 2009 data, 1.397 million people were registered in Novosibirsk. It is considered to be the city’s birthday on April 30, 1893, but despite its youth, it is impossible to talk about Novosibirsk without using the word “most”. Firstly, the city is located on the banks of the longest river in Russia - the Ob. The length of the Ob with its main tributary, Irtysh, is 5,410 km.

Secondly, the city has the largest theater and opera and ballet theater in Russia, which is the hallmark of Novosibirsk. The theater building is an example of modernist architecture of the late 20s. During the construction of the theater, many unique design solutions were used, for example, the structure of the theater’s dome. The dome was designed by B.F. Mother and P.L. A parsnip, the diameter of the dome is 60 meters with a thickness of only 8 centimeters - this is the largest dome of this design in the world.

Theater, Trans-Siberian Railway

Novosibirsk plants

Modern Novosibirsk

Chapel - a symbol of Novosibirsk

Book Atlas des Enfance: Llempire Russe, Imprimà à Université Imperial de Moscow, 1771.

Here I don’t even know what to say. I did not find any other information about this city. I wonder where the authors got this fact? On the other hand, the book is printed at the printing house of Moscow University. Dedicated to some kind of kriegs commissioner Glebov. Surely she went through censorship. So they didn’t just write.

It turns out the same book was published under a different title: Experience of Russian geography. Imperial Moscow University, 1771. And there she is dedicated to all the governors of then-Russia, according to the list. And each was sent a copy to correct errors and inaccuracies
Discover cities my specialty, heh!
This is not all. The city of Tyumen turns out to be called differently before. Again, this has not been written anywhere else.

Book: Abulgachi-Bayadur Khan The genealogy of the Tatars, translated into French from a handwritten Tatar book, the works of Abulgachi-Bayadur Khan, and supplemented by a large number of notes authentic and curious about the direct current state of North Asia with the necessary geographical landcards, and from the French to Russian at the Academy of Sciences. Published at the end of the 18th century. And part of the map from there. And the city of Siberia is very clearly visible on it.

The first Siberian king, according to the chroniclers of the 17th century, had a very interesting name - Ivan. Although there was Magmetov’s law. Here it is very interesting what exactly of the law and not of faith. This is not the first time I've met this definition - the law. It differs from the concept of faith. And this is a completely different view of the events of that time.
Someone Chinggis killed Ivan. Also Tatar. Miller has in his Description of the Siberian kingdom and all the things that happened in it: St. Petersburg: When Imp. Acad. sciences, 1750. - Tatars are the first and most important people of Siberia.
In addition to them, the Irtysh River, as follows from the text, lives the people "Chyud".
The city of Siberia was founded by Tsar Mamet somewhere in the late 15th century, judging by the text. And the Siberian kingdom for many years was part of the Kazan kingdom.
By the way a very interesting point. The first king in Russia was Ivan the Terrible, and before that we only had princes. But the Siberian, Astrakhan, Kazan and Crimean rulers were originally called kings. Why so, it is not clear. There was something, about which we now don’t even know what put these lands and their rulers above the Russian principalities in the then ranking table. What is Kazan and Siberia. It was the Kasimov kingdom, right next to Moscow. And there was a king and not a prince.
At the end of the text, an interesting fact is that the names of the sons of Kuchum do not coincide with the names recorded in our current history. I already wrote about the Siberian princes.
And now, if you re-read the whole text and figure out how much time has passed from Genghis to Kuchum, it turns out that a little. Years 100-150.
And finally. The then historian does not make any connection between Chinggis and the Tatars, with whom Russia constantly fought. And this is actually correct. I’ll write about this as well.

“Siberia ... Far and at the same time close. If you get by train - far away, on foot - and then on. Closer - by plane. And it’s really close - with the soul, ”wrote Russian publicist Yegor Isaev. With Mazda6 we were lucky enough to look into the very heart of Siberia, its former capital - the glorious city of Tobolsk.

0 km

The total length of the route

Moscow city
City Tobolsk

Not of this world

Still, it is no coincidence that the ancestors believed that the inheritance of Russia was "not of this world." Like it or not, our first task was not to equip our way of life as it did for our neighbors in the West, because Holy Russia only wanted one thing - to return to the Kingdom of Heaven. All ancient Russian culture is a way to Heaven. Great-grandfathers knew: a man cannot build paradise on earth, even though you crack. So our cities are continuous metaphysics. Perhaps the most “non-peaceable" of all Russian cities is Tobolsk. Nowhere did legends and prophecies come true in the way that happened in the history of Tobolsk land. No other provincial city connected in one knot as many fates of glorious and famous personalities as the old capital of Siberia, the city of Tobolsk, connected. Yes, under what circumstances! But more on that later.

Winter Tobolsk met us severely: with a frosty spirit, in snow-white clothes, with an angry face. And the peppy Siberian sun did not flirt at all.

Winter Tobolsk met us severely: with a frosty spirit, in snow-white clothes, with a gray angry face. And against the expectations of the peppy Siberian sun, he did not flirt at all. Similar to a gray-haired grumpy old man, who smells of stove and shag, Tobolsk seemed to be frowning at us, checking for lice: what are you, whose will you be, what have you come up with? It is then that the “old man” will become red and blurry in a good-natured smile, then the sun will look out, and the sedate views of the Irtysh will open, and wide tables will appear, plentifully laid according to Siberian law. In the meantime, our Mazda6 quietly crept along the snowy streets of the ancient city, and we carefully looked at the local decoration, wholeheartedly breathing in the amazing history of these places.

“Famous unknown soul unknown”

The very fact of the emergence of this city and its prehistory give rise to a lot of mysteries that begin with the identities of the person who is considered to be the “conqueror of Siberia” - Ermak Timofeevich Alenin. Scientists still have not come to a unanimous opinion of what kind of character is in Russian history, who only had seven names. Few people know that Yermak was also called Yermolai, Herman, Yermil, Vasily, Timothy and Yeremey. Who is this husband by origin, various annals broadcast in different ways. “An unknown genus, a famous soul,” says one of them. For the majority, he comes from the estates of the Stroganov industrialists on the Chusovaya River, who later left to “vole” on the Volga and Don and became a Cossack chieftain. According to another version, he is a purebred Don Cossack from the Kachalinskaya village, according to the third - originally from the Pomors of the Boretskaya volost, according to the fourth - a representative of a noble Turkic family.

In one of the annals

a description of Yermak Timofeevich’s appearance is given: “Velmi is courageous, human and pupil, and pleased with all wisdom, flat-headed, black by black hair, middle age (that is, height), flat and shoulder-length”.

August 15, 1787

in the family of noblemen in Tobolsk, the great Russian composer Alexander Alexandrovich Alyabyev was born in the family of Vice Governor Alexander Vasilyevich Alyabyev.

Another question: why did he go to Siberia? Three modern versions have the right to life for modern historians, each of which at the same time has its own weaknesses. Whether the Cossacks blessed Ivan the Terrible for the campaign to join their possessions of new lands, whether the industrialists Stroganov equipped Yermak to protect their towns from the raids of the Siberian Tatars, whether the ataman went on the raid “for zipuns,” that is, for the purpose of personal gain, historians argue still. Be that as it may, according to archival documents of the Ambassadorial order, Khan Kuchum, the owner of the Siberian Khanate, had about ten thousandth army. How could Ermak with a detachment of 540 to 1,636 people, according to various sources, conquer Siberia - remains a mystery. Although the figure “5000” is mentioned in the Remezovskiy Chronicle, but here we are talking about the size of the reserves taken by the squad (“5000 openings”) and only indicates that these reserves were very large.

Palm of an angel

Let us return to the city from which Russian Siberia began. Its future capital arose in 1587, in a picturesque place on the banks of the Irtysh River, seventeen kilometers from the former capital of the Khanate, where the significant battle of Yermak on the Chuvash Cape took place. According to legend, Tobolsk is blessed by the Holy Trinity, which is why it was founded on this holiday. The first city building was the Trinity Church, and the cape was called Trinity. Subsequently, this part of the city, located on the mountain, began to be called the Upper Posad, and the one below - the Lower. The lower city has not changed from pre-revolutionary times. The only touch - thinned down the tops of churches and bell towers, but the buildings have not changed much. To see this, just look at the old photographs of Prokudin-Gorsky.

Although Tobolsk was considered the capital of Siberia by default from the end of the 16th century, the title was officially reinforced by the Petrine reform of 1708, when Tobolsk became the administrative center of the largest Siberian province in Russia, including the territory from Vyatka to Russian America. Up to the 18th century, Tobolsk is sometimes referred to as the city of Siberia in geographical maps.

“Like the Siberian city of Tobolesk - an angel! His right hand is ward discharge. At the bottom, having a lower posad, the left hand is the cathedral church and the wall of the stone pillar, the right side is the jar to the Irtysh, the left is the Kurdyumka river and the right wing is Tobol to the steppe, and the left is the Irtysh. This angel is the whole of Siberia, the host and a hefty ornament, and with foreigners peace and silence. " These words belong to the boyar’s son, a native of Tobolsk, a writer, historian, architect, builder, cartographer, icon painter Semyon Ulyanovich Remezov. It was he who designed and built the first stone Kremlin on Siberian soil. According to one version, while dying, Remezov bequeathed to crush his bones into powder, which they should have used as building material during the restoration of the Tobolsk Kremlin. Such is the “love of the native ashes”.

The “Silver Age” of Tobolsk began in the first half of the 17th century - in 1621 the city became the center of the formed Siberian diocese. The construction of the vast bishop’s yard and the wooden St. Sophia Cathedral began. With the increasing importance of Tobolsk as the most important administrative, spiritual and cultural center of Siberia, the role of the Tobolsk Kremlin as a symbol of the greatness of the Russian state, covering all new lands, grew. Maybe I experienced the notorious tourist complex, but, it should be noted, being on the Trinity Cape in the historical part of the Upper City, looking at the endless Siberian landscapes, you experience unforgettable sensations: the memory of the former prosperity of this city and legendary ancestors, the whole history of the fatherland, and time itself seemed to freeze in these harsh places.

One of the legends speaks of the special grace given to the city by God. In the autumn of 1620, on the way to Tobolsk - the first diocese in Siberia - the newly appointed Archbishop of the Tobolsk Monk Cyprian appeared in a dream an angel of God. He covered his lower city with his luminous palm and ordered the construction of churches in Lower Posad so that they would repeat it. The angel promised that in this case the grace of God would descend on the city and special people would be born here - “God kissed”. And so it happened. One by one they were built in Tobolsk according to the palm of the angel of the church: “And they burst forth like sparks of God at the fingertips of the holy palm.

With Tobolsk began the Russian link. The first Tobolsk exile is the Uglich bell.

They did not have time to build a church only on the symbolic fifth finger. But the higher will was stronger, and another branch of Christianity ended and fulfilled the prophetic dream of Cyprian. According to the Higher Conduct, a Catholic church was built on the fifth finger, which completed the drawing “The palms of an angel” in Nizhny Tobolsk. ”

Indeed, Tobolsk gave the world a large number of famous people for such a relatively small city. Here are just a few of them: artist Vasily Perov, composer Alexander Alyabyev, philosopher Gavriil Batenkov, scientist Dmitry Mendeleev, Elder Grigory Rasputin, founder of the Geneva School of Linguistics, linguist Sergey Kartsevsky, inventor of television, scientist Boris Grabovsky, chief architect of the Ostankino Tower and Luzhniki Stadium Nikolai Nikitin, actress Lidia Smirnova, actor Alexander Abdulov.

The birthplace of Alexander Abdulov is Tobolsk, not Fergana, as many publications telling about the life of the actor claim. Alexander's father, Gabriel Danilovich, served in the Tobolsk Drama Theater as a director and chief director.

The wooden house where the Abdulov family lived was still preserved in the foothills of the city. Gabriel Abdulov worked in Tobolsk from 1952 to 1956. And here in 1955 he was awarded the honorary title "Honored Artist of the RSFSR".

Native of Tobolsk

the great scientist and encyclopedist Dmitry Mendeleev is known as a chemist, physicist, metrologist, economist, technologist, geologist, meteorologist, teacher, balloonist, instrument builder.

During my link

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky met in Tobolsk with the wives of the Decembrists, one of whom gave the writer the old Gospel, which he kept all his life. In the final scene of Crimes and Punishments (conversation of the exiled Raskolnikov and Marmeladova), the surroundings of Tobolsk are recognized.

born in the village of Pokrovskoe in the Tobolsk district in the family of a coachman Efim Vilkin and Anna Parshukova. In the 1900s, among certain circles of St. Petersburg society, he had a reputation as an “elder”, a visionary, and a healer.

Historically, it was Tobolsk that became the first “exiled” city in the Russian Empire. And the first to go into exile ... was the Uglich bell, which sounded the alarm during a city uprising after the assassination of Tsarevich Dmitry, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible and the only legitimate heir to Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich. Following the bell, Archpriest Avvakum, the Decembrists (along with their wives), Dostoevsky, Korolenko, and the last emperor Nicholas II, and tens of thousands of other exiles and convicts of the Russian Empire also visited here.

Tobolsk suffered the fate of many Siberian pioneer cities. The gradual decline of the city is mainly due to the transfer of the Siberian tract, when the character of the development of Siberia changed and there was a shift in population and economic life to the south, into the forest-steppe. The Trans-Siberian Railway passed through neighboring Tyumen, and from the second half of the 19th century Tobolsk began to lose its former influence ...

Now in Tobolsk lives a little more than one hundred thousand inhabitants. The city comes to life and even promises to grow again. In addition to the fact that the Tobolsk-Neftekhim city-forming petrochemical plant is operating here, a large Tobolsk-Polymer polypropylene production plant is being built near the city. The old capital of Siberia risks becoming not only a tourist mecca, but also a large industrial center. The history of Siberia continues, miracles are yet to come ...

Lanterns in Tobolsk are a separate issue. Walking through the streets of the city, sometimes it seems that there are as many of them as there are stars in the sky. The thing is that in the city there is an enterprise for the production of lamps "Ugor", known far beyond the borders of Tobolsk and the Tyumen region. Ugra light is familiar to many cities of Russia. Siberian lanterns illuminate not only Tobolsky, but also the Moscow Kremlin and Sochi beaches ...

Our shoot has ripened everywhere

In 1582, Ermak won the main battle at the Chuvash cape on the Irtysh, defeated Kuchum and occupied the capital of the Khanate - the city of Siber. From here came the familiar name of our great expanses between the Urals and the Pacific Ocean. True, after two years of ownership, the Cossacks again lost their conquests back to Kuchum, but a year later they returned forever. And fifty years after the death of Ermak, the centurion Peter Beketov, on the banks of the Lena River, the Yakutsk prison was founded - the future city of Yakutsk. Four years later, another ataman - Ivan Moskvitin - was the first of the Europeans to reach the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk. Cossack Semyon Shelkovnikov laid the hut here, which later grew into the first Russian port - the city of Okhotsk. Through severe frosts, thousands of kilometers of impassable taiga and swamps - in just half a century. The colonization of North America by Europeans went on for four hundred years - from the XVI to the XIX century. Moreover, even the Russians helped them in this. Alaska, Kodiak Island and the Aleutian Islands were explored and mapped in the middle of the 18th century thanks to the Second Kamchatka Expedition of Vitus Bering and Alexei Chirikov. Know our!

Last link

On August 6, 1917, at 6 o’clock in the afternoon, Tobolsk met the ship with a bell ringing, on which the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family arrived in exile. The exiled royal persons settled in the governor's house, located near the marina. The family occupied the second floor of the building; on the ground floor, a dining room and rooms for servants were arranged. In April 1918, by order of the Council of People's Commissars and the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Romanovs were transported to Yekaterinburg, and Tobolsk went down in history as "the city that did not kill the tsar." Currently, the city administration is located in this house, which promises to soon release a historical monument to organize a museum of the royal family.

Siberian Mazdovod

The main guide to Siberian land was the Mazda6, which wants to put a separate bow to the earth as a token of gratitude for the excellent work in the harsh Siberian winter. In addition, the Six periodically hypnotized the locals, deservedly capturing the enthusiastic looks of the local Mazdovods, of which there were quite a lot in Siberian open spaces. One Tobolsk youth on the previous Mazda model could not stand it and, catching up with us at the traffic lights, literally showered us with persistent questions about the new car. His eyes were burning, curiosity was eating up, and the conversation dragged on, I had to turn on the emergency gang. Of course, we could not give him the longed wheel for him, so it was not easy to part with him ...

Highlights

The harsh climate makes the Siberian region unattractive for mass settlement. For the most part, these are uninhabited lands where civilization has failed to curb wildlife. Only 36 million Russians live here, with an average population density of less than three people per square kilometer. Meanwhile, in 20 Siberian cities, the population exceeds 200,000, and Krasnoyarsk, Omsk and Novosibirsk are millionaire cities.

Siberia is one of those places on the planet that excite the imagination. Many wonderful writers and travelers who have been here have left the world with fascinating descriptions of this region. Among them - a medieval merchant, the Venetian Marco Polo, the Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen. Briton Daniel Defoe in one of his books sent Robinson Crusoe to Siberia, and the famous French writer Jules Verne wrote an adventure novel in which the action takes place in these northern parts of Russia.

The perfection of nature, the rich recreational, cultural and historical potential of Siberia, the colossal scientific and industrial resource created here - all this contributes to the growth of the region's attractiveness for business and tourism. Tourists who have been here will retain vivid and diverse impressions forever, because the choice of tours to Siberia is wide - from a comfortable stay in health resorts with thermal waters to extreme trips to unknown mysterious places, conquering mountain peaks, risky rafting on mountain rivers. All year round, travelers fill up ski resorts and tourist camps scattered in the most beautiful corners of Siberia, wander around the best reserves in Russia, fish, hunt, go on cruises on comfortable motor ships along the most beautiful rivers of the world.

History of Siberia

According to one version, the name of the region comes from the consonant word of one of the Turkic languages, meaning "blizzard". Other researchers believe that in the toponym Siberia the name of the ancient ruler of the Turks of the Siberian Khan was fixed. Historians also found that once in the Irtysh there was a powerful tribe of Ugrians, whose self-name was consonant with the word "Siberia".

The settlement of Siberia began more than half a million years ago. Stone tools discovered by archaeologists in the ancient site of primitive people in the Altai region are at least 600 thousand years old. Here, in the valley of the Anui River, is located the famous Neolithic cave site Ayu-Tash (Denisova Cave), which has become a popular tourist destination.

In the II millennium BC. e. Siberia was already inhabited by various tribes from the Urals to Chukotka. Around the 9th century BC e. powerful tribal unions of the Huns, Scythians, Sarmatians began to take shape here. Their distinctive cultures are known for artifacts found in the burial mounds of that time.

In the XIII century, a significant part of Siberia was captured by the Mongol-Tatar rulers of the Golden Horde. Later independent khanates arose here. Starting from the 15th century, the principality of Moscow entered the struggle for possession of the northern territories. In the last quarter of the 15th century, Moscow governors Gavrila Nelidov and Fedor Pestry conquered the vast Perm Territory. Then Grand Duke Ivan III sent troops beyond the Urals. The Moscow army conquered the Ugra and Vogul principalities, seized territories right up to the Irtysh River. In the middle of the next century, the Moscow Tsar Ivan the Terrible conquered the huge Siberian Khanate (part of the territory of the Golden Horde), and when the Siberian Khan Kuchum stopped paying yasak (tribute), a Cossack squad led by Ermak went to Siberia. The Khan's army was defeated, and the territory was annexed to the Moscow state.

By the beginning of the 17th century, Tobolsk, Tyumen, Surgut and other cities were founded in Siberia. Further, the Moscow detachments moved to the Ob, Yenisei, reached the rivers Indigirka, Kolyma, Lena, the shores of the Sea of \u200b\u200bOkhotsk, conquered the local peoples and founded Yakutsk, Okhotsk, Irkutsk. By the middle of the century, the chieftain Khabarov reached the Amur and reached the borders of China.

Under Tsar Peter I, in 1703 Buryatia was conquered, and thousands of Russian immigrants went to the development of southern Siberia. The lively trade with China required the construction of the Siberian Highway. This road stretched more than 8 thousand miles from Moscow to the Amur River through Kazan, Tyumen, Tobolsk, Irkutsk and Nerchinsk. The eastern section of the tract is also known as the “Tea Road”.

From 1763 to 1771, exclusively for circulation in the Siberian region, special “Siberian” money was minted. These coins, with face values \u200b\u200bfrom half to 10 kopecks, were issued by the Kolyvan Mint. Now Siberian coins are a numismatic rarity.

In the 1920s, Siberia was administratively divided into two large governor generals - West Siberian and East Siberian. Their main cities were Tobolsk and Irkutsk, respectively. By this time, mining was developing in Siberia, ore, copper, gold, semiprecious and semi-precious stones were mined here. Drill timber was exported from here, the best timber went to the shipyards of the empire.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Trans-Siberian Railway was laid, connecting the Far East with the capital St. Petersburg and many cities of Russia.

During the Civil War, the Bolsheviks did not immediately establish Soviet power in Siberia. The government of the tsar admiral Alexander Kolchak acted here, the Far Eastern Republic was proclaimed. At the end of the war, the industrialization of a vast region began. Mining of high-quality coal was organized in the Kuznetsk basin, large steel mills and other industries appeared.

The tragic pages of the history of Siberia are connected with the organization in this harsh region of a whole network of Stalinist concentration camps, to which hundreds of thousands of repressed citizens of the USSR went.

In the 60-80s of the last century, dams of powerful hydroelectric power stations were built on large Siberian rivers, the Baikal-Amur Railway was laid, which gave a new impetus to the development of urban planning, the economy and culture of Siberia.

Geography and climate

This colossal territory is usually divided into two large regions: Western and Eastern Siberia. According to the modern administrative division of the Russian Federation, Siberia is divided into regions, districts, territories, autonomous republics.

Geologists and geographers distinguish such zones of this part of Russia - the West Siberian Plain and the Central Siberian Mountain Plateau, stretching from the Ural and Altai Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Steppes and forest-steppes are characteristic of flat landscapes in the south, taiga, tundra, mosses and lichens in permafrost prevail in the north.

Siberian mountains often reach three kilometers in height. The lower parts of the slopes are overgrown with mountain taiga, and the alpine tundra extends above. The largest rivers are the Yenisei, Angara, Lena, Amur. The longest river system is formed by the Ob and Irtysh (5410 km). Its sources are identified in the mountainous region on the border of Mongolia and China, and its mouth - on the coast of the Kara Sea.

Today, the Russians under the name "Siberia" means the territory that is part of the Siberian Federal District, but at the beginning of the last century, the north-east of Kazakhstan and most of the Russian regions that are now part of the Far Eastern Federal District were also called Siberia.

Climatologists define two main climatic zones of Siberia: temperate in the south and subarctic in the north. The general characteristic of the climate is sharply continental, severe. The average July temperature in the south reaches +23 ° С, in the north - about +5 ° С. The average thermometer in January is in the south: –16 ° С, in the north: up to –48 ° С.

The weather conditions in Siberia are so diverse that each region has its own temperature records and options for the best time of the year for travel.

Western Siberia

Western Siberia stretches from the Ural Mountains to the foothills of Altai, Salair, Kuznetsk Alatau, Mountain Shoria and the mouth of the Yenisei, 80% of its territory is occupied by the West Siberian Plain. Numerous rivers of Western Siberia belong to the Kara Sea basin. The largest water arteries are Ob and Irtysh. There are five natural zones on this grand territory: steppe, forest-steppe, forests, forest-tundra and tundra.

Tyumen region

This land, in the bowels of which huge reserves of oil and gas are stored, occupying about 60% of all Western Siberia, has spread in the Irtysh and Ob basins. Tourists are attracted here by numerous nature reserves, national parks, historical and cultural monuments. Pilgrims go to temples and monasteries, many of which are iconic shrines of Orthodoxy.

The administrative center of the region, Tyumen, dates back to the late 16th century and is one of the first Russian cities erected on this harsh land. Tyumen has the oldest Orthodox churches in Siberia, architectural historical sights, and interesting museums.

Tobolsk, founded a little later than Tyumen, for a long time had the status of the capital of Siberia. The city is famous for its ancient Kremlin, ancient wooden carved towers, picturesque cobbled streets leading to parks and gardens laid back in the century before last. A curious attraction of Tobolsk is the museum reserve, located on the territory of the Prison Castle, built in the middle of the 19th century and known as the Tobolsk central. From here, the convicts went to hard labor or settlement in even more remote areas of endless Siberia. Not far from Tobolsk, in the tiny ancient village of Abalak is the famous Abalaksky monastery.

Other ancient cities of the Tyumen region include Surgut, Yalutorovsk, Ishim, Zavodoukovsk, and the cities of Nizhnevartovsk, Novy Urengoy, Nadym, Noyabrsk have long been known around the world as the largest oil and gas production centers on the planet. These lands are also famous for their healing geothermal springs, reservoirs with healing mud, and balneological and resort centers are located nearby.

Resting here, do not miss the opportunity to visit the Lososefarm and recreation center in Turnaevo (Nizhny Tavdinsky district). Here you will have a rare opportunity to admire close powerful with their luxurious horns, to feed animals with their hands. In Turnaevo you can tastefully go fishing, view the picturesque surroundings on horseback, have fun riding a wagon drawn by husky and malamutes, and learn how to manage sledges.

Fans of hunting and fishing can head to the Tugun wildlife sanctuary, which is 160 km from Tyumen. Here, among taiga wilds, lakes, rivulets, and well-equipped guest houses take shelter. The hunting farm has its own pheasantry, where, in order to please the hunters, they raise royal birds, famous for their luxurious plumage and delicious meat.

There are excellent places for skiing in the Tyumen region. One of the most popular is the modern ski complex Kamenny Cape, located between Surgut and Nefteyugansk. Very close to Tobolsk is the Alemasova ski resort, 30 km from Tyumen - the Kuliga Park ski center.

Omsk region

Omsk borders with the Tyumen region. Its administrative center is the city of Omsk, spread out at the confluence of the Irtysh and Om rivers. Founded in the 18th century, today Omsk is a large city, known as one of the museum and theater centers of Siberia. Its main historical attraction - Holy Assumption Cathedral - a significant monument of Russian architecture. During the Civil War, when Omsk was the capital of the White Guard movement, the Assumption Cathedral had the status of the main temple of the ascetics of the old regime.

The second largest city in the Omsk region, Tara, is known as one of the first Russian settlements in Siberia. Initially, the village was a fortress, soon became a place of exile for the guilty peasants, posad people, archers. Then they sent here the Decembrists, revolutionaries, raznochintsy, populists. It is interesting to see the historic quarters where two-story wooden and stone houses of wealthy citizens of the 19th century were preserved, when Tara was a typical Siberian merchant city.

The landscape of the Omsk region is flat, the steppes that in the south, closer to the north pass into the forest-steppes, then forests stretch, and after them - marshy taiga. On this land are located botanical, zoological, integrated reserves, a natural park, the world's only rural zoo. There are more than 130 hunting farms in the region, people come here at different times of the year to hunt bear, wild boar, elk, fur-bearing animals, waterfowl.

There are about 16,000 lakes in these parts. The most famous are the salted relict water bodies of Uljay and Ebeyty with deposits of sulfate mud, freshwater lakes Saltaim, Tenis, as well as Ik, where the colony of pelicans is the northernmost on the planet. The area of \u200b\u200b“Five Lakes” is also popular with tourists - here, near recreation facilities with clear water, recreation centers are located.

In the Omsk region more than 4000 large and small rivers. Om, Tara, the taiga river Shish are famous among lovers of rafting, and lovers of comfortable water travel are attracted by cruises on the ship along the Irtysh.

Kurgan region

In the Kurgan region beyond the Ural ridges, a plain begins. This area, rich in minerals, in particular uranium, is incredibly picturesque. Thousands of lakes give it a unique look; the water in many of them is healing. Here are the best health resorts in Western Siberia. Especially popular is the rest on Bear Lake. According to its healing properties, the water in it is not inferior to the waters of the Dead Sea. It is so salty that neither fish nor algae live here. The Gorky-Zvrinogolovskoye, Gorky-Uzkovo, Gorky-Victoria lakes are famous for their therapeutic mud.

In the Kurgan region, many monuments of temple architecture and holy monasteries have been preserved. Among them are the Dalmatian Holy Assumption Monastery, founded in 1644, the Holy Kazan Chimeevsky Monastery, the Transfiguration Cathedral - a masterpiece of "Siberian Baroque", Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (late XIX century), located in the main city of the region - Kurgan .

Ecotourism lovers enjoy spending time in the Belozersky Zoological Reserve with its famous ecological trail, which includes 26 demonstration sites. A man-made natural attraction is very curious - a forest in the Zverinogolovsky district, planted in the form of a colossal inscription "Lenin is 100 years old." The inscription, which can be seen from Earth's orbit, is created from 40,000 pine trees.

Kemerovo region

The Russians prefer to call the Kemerovo region briefly - Kuzbass. This name is akin to the brand: it can be seen in the names of cafes, restaurants, hotels, sports teams. Kuzbass, where three quarters of all Russian coal is mined, is the most densely populated region of Western Siberia. But not only coal mines and metallurgical plants determine the appearance of this region. Far from industrial centers are protected lands with unspoilt nature, where about two dozen nature reserves are protected by the state, as well as the famous Kuznetsk Alatau Nature Reserve.

The most popular among travelers corner of the Kemerovo region is Mountain Shoria, located in its southern part in the middle of the rocky taiga. Tourists are attracted by the ski resorts and the beauty of the Shor National Park. Tens of thousands of guests annually visit the Sheregesh mountain resort, famous for its peaks Mustag, Zelenaya, Utuya and Kurgan, at the foot of which are equipped camp sites and individual cozy guest houses. In winter, they ski here, and in the summertime they go boating along mountain rivers and make trekking and horseback riding.

The largest cities of the region are the administrative center of Kemerovo, Novokuznetsk, Yurga, and the most ancient, leading their history from the 17th century, are Mariinsk and Salair. Near the latter is a holy place - the source of John the Baptist. In the font, equipped with him, even in severe frosts, water never freezes.

40 km north of Kemerovo, near the Tom river, is the famous Tomsk Pisanitsa Museum-Reserve. On its territory you can see the cave paintings made by the inhabitants of Pritomye, who lived here in prehistoric times.

In the Kemerovo region there is also its own "sea" - this is how the locals call the Belovo reservoir. In this reservoir carp, carp, common carp, silver carp, sturgeon are bred.

Tomsk region

Two thirds of the Tomsk region are occupied by taiga forests, the rest of the territory is swampy. This is where one of the largest swamps on the planet is located - Vasyugan swamp.

Another natural wonder of this region is the Talovskiye Chalice - original natural vessels created from limestone and Bernessite. They are filled with water rich in salts and minerals, curing many diseases. Talovsky bowls are located 50 km from Tomsk - the main city of the region, founded in 1604 and known for its monuments of wooden architecture.

On the right bank of the Ob, in the village of Mogochino, at the end of the last century St. Nicholas Monastery was built. It was erected at the expense of pious benefactors who decided to build a cloister in the ancient Siberian village. Today, another community has settled near the monastery, volunteer monks live here. These not so long ago deaf places became the center of pilgrimage famous throughout Siberia.

Novosibirsk region

The Novosibirsk region occupies the southeastern part of the West Siberian Plain. Its administrative center, one and a half million megalopolis Novosibirsk, located in the Ob river valley, is known as the cultural, business, industrial and scientific center of Siberia, often referred to as the third capital of Russia. On the territory of the Academgorodok there are many scientific institutes known throughout the world. There are many museums in the city, and the local opera house is the largest in Russia. There are few large cities in the Novosibirsk Region, but there are plenty of villages, towns, and natural attractions.

Traveling around this region, visit the huge karst Barsukovskaya cave, the touch of the walls of which, according to legend, returns to a person vitality. Another place of worship is Lake Karachi, located in the Chanovsky District, fed by a bitter-salted healing source. According to local legend, after one of the battles, Genghis Khan himself healed his wounds in it. Today, a federal resort is equipped here, and more recently, a water-entertainment center with a 25-meter pool, water attractions, waterfalls, Russian and Turkish baths, a Finnish sauna has opened at the Lake Karachi sanatorium.

The most beautiful natural monument of the Novosibirsk region are Berd rocks, located in the Iskitim district. Locals have long nicknamed these rocks St. John's Wort, due to the fact that in the summer their slopes are covered with a luxurious carpet woven from the thickets of this healing grass.

Near the city of Barabinsk there are two large lakes - Chany and Sartlan, chosen by fans of summer and winter fishing. The city itself, in which the fish factory operates, is simply a klondike for fish lovers. Common carp, asp, peled, carp for a very reasonable price are sold everywhere in fresh, chilled, smoked, salted form.

Skiers and snowboarders are well aware of the surroundings of Novosibirsk, where ski slopes are equipped, sports complexes, a snowboard park are equipped. The best ski resort - Novososedovo - is located 140 km from Novosibirsk, near the city of the same name.

Altai Republic

The Altai Republic, which occupies part of the majestic Altai Mountains, is one of the largest tourist regions of Russia. This land still preserves the memory of the peoples who inhabited it: Scythians, Dinlins, Huns, Turks, Uighurs, Mongols, who formed a distinctive local culture. Everything breathes patriarchy here. Locals are breeding horses, deer, camels are closer to Kazakhstan, and there is only one city here - the capital of the republic of Gorno-Altaysk, or Gorny, as it is often called. It is located in a picturesque intermountain basin, away from the Chuguysky tract - the main transport artery of Altai.

The unique nature of “Russian Tibet”, as Altai is often called, breathes special energy, and has long become a pilgrimage site for seekers of “places of power”, adherents of secret wisdom, and ufologists. The popularization of this region was greatly facilitated by Nicholas Roerich, who organized the Great Central Asian expedition in search of the mythical country of Shambhala in the 1920s. Until now, his followers hit the road "through the Roerich places" and, of course, visit the Roerich Museum, which was built in the ancient village of Verkh-Uimon.

On this earth there is also the sacred mountain Belukha soaring up to the clouds, the highest in Siberia (4509 m), revered by the indigenous people as a living creature. Belukha is a center of attraction for climbers, photographers, and miracle seekers.

The steep snow-covered slopes of the Altai Mountains have long been known to fans of winter sports - from amateurs to professionals. The most popular trails for skiers and snowboarders are located on the Seminsky Pass, on Tugaya Mountain.

Beautiful places are found on the outskirts of Lake Manzherok, surrounded by the forested mountains of Sinyuha and Malaya Sinyuha. The lake is located near the village of the same name, near it the main river of Altai flows - Katun, known among lovers of rafting and other water sports for its risky rapids. On the left bank of the river, 7 km from the village, there is a beach-entertainment complex "Turquoise Katun", where a water park, the first in the Altai region, was recently equipped. The famous natural attractions of this corner of Altai are Kamyshlinsky Falls and Tavdinsky Caves.

On the right bank of the Katun River, in its lower reaches, between the villages of Souzga and Chemal, camp sites, campsites, motels and hotels are located. Hiking, cycling, horse riding routes to the most interesting and mysterious sights of this Siberian region are laid from here.

Melting glaciers and mountain snow feed the Altai rivers with their numerous tributaries, and lakes, which can not be counted. One of the most amazing ponds is Lake Teletskoye, which is a tectonic crack filled with clear water with steep banks and charming bays. The Karakol lakes are good, located in an area where forests are gradually replaced by alpine meadows, glacial Akkem lake, Shavlinsky lakes with their rocky, fantastically defined shores.

Popular with travelers and ethnic tours, including visits to places of worship of the indigenous peoples of Altai. Such expeditions allow you to immerse yourself in the Altai culture, get acquainted with the ancient local customs and rituals, permeated by the shamanistic worldview.

Altai region

The region borders on the Altai Republic, partially covering the Altai Mountains and the Sayan Mountains. Its administrative center is Barnaul, one of the largest in Siberia. The second most important city is Biysk. In both cities there is something to see. Here are interesting museums, in historical areas interesting architectural monuments and samples of Russian wooden architecture have been preserved.

Altai Krai is famous for its natural wonders, outstanding landscapes, caves, protected protected lands. You can hunt here only with a license. One of the most popular places for tourists is Aya Natural Park, located in the picturesque valley of the Katun River. Its main attraction is the purest warm lake Aya, sheltered among the green mountains. In summer, the water here warms up to +20 ° C, this is one of the few mountain lakes in Altai, where you can swim. On its shore there is a beach, rental bicycles, boats. The surroundings of the lake with their magnificent mountain landscapes, caves, pine forests have earned the glory of one of the most beautiful corners of Altai. A wonderful panorama of these places will open in front of you if you climb the Devil's Finger rock.

The Tigirek Nature Reserve, one of the youngest in Russia, is also located in the middle mountains - where mountain slopes abruptly descend to river valleys running along gorges and canyons. One of the rivers, the beautiful Inya, is well known to lovers of water rafting.

A unique natural and archaeological site - Denisova Cave - is located above the banks of the Anuy River. Judging by archaeological excavations, it still in prehistoric times served as a refuge for people and animals. Recently, a sensational scientific discovery was made: decoding the genome of the tissue fragment of the human bone found here allowed scientists to argue that 50,000 years ago, Siberian territory was inhabited by people who were distant "relatives" of Neanderthals. This ancient population was conditionally called "Denisovets," or "Altai man."

The main resort of the Altai Territory - Belokurikha - is located near the city of the same name. This area, which is called "Siberian Davos", is surrounded by hills covered with dense coniferous forests. The local air, saturated with aromas of needles, flowers and herbs, has an amazing healing effect. Belokurikha is listed in the register of unique resorts in Russia and boasts a decent tourist infrastructure.

Altai Territory is well known to gamblers. Here, 230 km from Barnaul, the gambling zone “Siberian Coin” is located - the only complex in Siberia where gambling is legally permitted.

Eastern Siberia

Eastern Siberia spread out east of the Yenisei and in the east it is bounded by mountains that form the watershed between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. In the bowels of this land hides most of all reserves of coal and brown coal in Russia, ore, gold. A large part of its territory is occupied by taiga forests, and conifers growing here - larch, pine, cedar, spruce, fir - make up half of the country's forest resources.

Irkutsk region

The Irkutsk region, which is invariably associated with the impenetrable taiga, majestic mountains, Decembrists, political prisoners, shock construction sites of the Soviet era, is unofficially called the Baikal region. It is here that Baikal is located - the pride of Russia, the cleanest and deepest lake on Earth (1642 m). His venerable age is estimated at 30 million years. The native inhabitants of these places - the Mongols and the Buryats - call it Baigal Nuur.

No wonder Lake Baikal is called the sea. From a geological point of view, it is a narrow and long flooded rift valley, curved like a giant sickle, from the south-west to north-east for 636 km, and from coast to coast you need to swim about 70 km.

Many rivers flow into Baikal, but only one flows out of it - the Angara. The lake contains about a quarter of the purest fresh water available on the surface of the Earth. Baikal is a unique nature reserve, and its animal diversity affects many biologists. Some lake inhabitants are endemic.

Irkutsk region owns only a third of the shoreline of the lake-sea, the rest is in Buryatia. The shores of the Irkutsk Baikal are steep, and the beaches of Buryatia have sandy beaches. Water in Baikal even in the summertime never warms above +18 ° С.

Baikal routes, automobile and hiking, fishing, extreme, educational, ethnographic - the main areas of tourism in the Irkutsk region. In summer, the water surface of Lake Baikal is cut by motor ships, yachts, boats, and in winter lovers of ice fishing, curling and golf on ice rush to the lake covered with strong ice.

The complete opposite of the Baikal region is the northern regions of the Irkutsk region. In these impassable taiga places of Siberia, where there are more bears and sables than people, only the most brave and curious travelers get there. But the areas stretching between Baikal and the taiga are very attractive for tourists: a trip to the Irkutsk part of BAM will allow you to see the impassable beauty of this region from the train window, a cruise in the Angara will give you the opportunity to enjoy magnificent landscapes from the ship, trips to the hinterland to get acquainted with the life of local residents. Irkutsk ethnography is a whole world where Buryats and golendras, Chuvashs, Evenks, Udmurts, Tatars, immigrants from the Caucasus and Central Asia live in authentic compact settlements.

The main city of the region deserves a visit - the old Irkutsk, where historic wooden houses built in the Siberian Baroque style are adjacent to modern high-rises, and the doors of museums and theaters are open for guests. The Siberian city is especially beautiful in winter, when its snow-covered streets become like an illustration for a fairy tale.

The Republic of Buryatia

Buryatia borders on the water area of \u200b\u200bLake Baikal and part of the territory of the Transbaikal Reserve in the Irkutsk Region, in the south it is adjacent to Mongolia and is separated from this country by the high ridges of the Eastern Sayan Mountains. As in the Irkutsk region, the center of attraction for tourists in Buryatia is Lake Baikal. Dozens of kilometers of beaches with fine sand, the color of which changes from snow-white to creamy yellow, are wide, clean and not crowded. Most of the Buryat coast of Lake Baikal is a protected area with a strict security regime, and only recently the rudiments of tourist infrastructure began to appear here.

In the territory of Buryatia there are two national parks - Zabaykalsky and Tunkinsky. The latter occupies the entire region of the same name of the republic, located in the Tunkinsky valley, which locals simply call “Tunka”. Thermal resorts are located here, the most famous of which is Arshan with its radon terms.

The most important pilgrimage centers of Buddhists in Eastern Siberia are located in Buryatia - the existing Ivolginsky, Tamchinsky and Atsagatsky datsans. Dozens of miniature monasteries with elegant, curved roofs are scattered on this land. Tourists here are friendly. The smiling llama greets you in Russian and offers to eat in a cafe at the datsan.

In many Buryat villages among the local population there is sure to be a shaman. As a rule, shamans are respected in the district, and Aboriginal people and tourists of different nationalities and religions turn to them for advice.

There are ancient settlements in Buryatia where Old Believers who were sent by Catherine II to Siberia live. In these harsh lands, they retained their originality, and their cultural traditions - songs, tales, ceremonies - are included in the lists of UNESCO's intangible heritage masterpieces.

There are only six cities in Buryatia. The main city of the republic is Ulan-Ude, leading its history since 1666, when Russian Cossacks arranged the Udinskoye winter hut in this place. The appearance of the city, spread out amphitheater along the banks of the rivers Uda and Selenga, has incorporated the features of the Orthodox and Buddhist cultures. Here, Orthodox churches and ancient residential buildings harmoniously coexist with the datsans, Buddhist monks in bright orange robes and Orthodox clergymen in black robes scurrying around the same streets.

Transbaikal region

The history of the development of this land by Russian pioneers dates back to 1653, when a small Cossack army, led by Siberian explorer Voivode Petr Beketov, began to equip fortifications in the places where the cities of Nerchinsk and Chita are today - the modern administrative center of the region.

The most famous natural attractions of this Siberian region are the Arahlei Natural Park with its system of lakes, which is the most important point on the migration route of migratory birds; Charsky Sands is a sandy valley lost in the mountains, causing admiration among tourists and more than once has become the subject of controversy among scientists about their "wrong" location.

In the upper reaches of the Chengtei-Chikoi Highlands, near the border with Mongolia, the Sokhondinsky Reserve is located. At different heights there are valleys with blue lakes and swamps, endless meadows, dense taiga, tundra, and elongated ridges crowned by this diverse landscape, the peaks of which are covered with eternal snow. The reserve staff developed walking and combined horse-riding routes, taking from 3 days to a week. Guides and instructors are always accompanying tourists on a journey.

In the valley of the Tura River, on the basis of medicinal springs, the oldest Siberian health resort, founded in 1858, is located - the resort Darasun. Another balneological resort area, Yamorovka, is equipped on the river of the same name. There are also ski resorts in Transbaikalia, the most famous are Molokovka and Highlands.

Krasnoyarsk region

The vast territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, spread in the basin of the great Yenisei River, occupied more than 14% of Russia. In this space, an impressive variety of natural zones is represented - the steppe, forest-steppe, taiga, forest-tundra, tundra, and the Arctic desert. Forests, mainly taiga, occupy almost 70% of this land. The contrast of the local climatic conditions is also surprising: the southern regions, almost Sochi warm, are famous for their rich grain harvests, and in the northern expanses, where solid mineral reserves are stored in the bowels of the earth, winter begins in September and lasts almost eight months.

The main city of the region is Krasnoyarsk, the largest in Eastern Siberia. It has a 400-year history and is included in the list of historical cities of Russia. Krasnoyarsk is located on both banks of the Yenisei River, and a 2-kilometer bridge connects them. This is an important industrial, scientific and cultural center with beautiful historical areas, where the buildings of the XIX-XX centuries are well preserved.

Just 3 km from Krasnoyarsk is the State Nature Reserve "Pillars". On its territory, densely covered with pine trees, larch and cedar, a whole forest of granite rocks “grows”, created for thousands of years by winds and rains. With their bizarre outlines, the rocks resemble birds, animals, people, which is reflected in the names of many of them. In these parts even a special kind of sport has been formed - columnism, that is climbing on pillar-rocks. Daredevils who climbed up on them have stunning views of the endless Siberian expanses and the Yenisei.

This greatest planet of the planet unites the entire territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, crossing it from south to north. On its shores, cities and villages have long been settled down, including the old Yeniseisk, included in the list of cities-monuments of Russia, still preserving its pre-revolutionary appearance and charming with beautiful baroque manors. In this Siberian city is an important state facility - the Space Communications Center. The cities of Kyzyl, Sayanogorsk, Abakan, Divnogorsk, Tarukhansk, Igarka, Dudinka, Minusinsk are located along the banks of the river. You can get acquainted with their sights, as well as enjoy unique natural wonders, by going on a cruise on a boat on the Yenisei.

Between Minusinsk and Kyzyl there is one of the most picturesque and original corners of Eastern Siberia - the Ergaki rock massif. Here, among the most beautiful lakes and waterfalls, sharp rocky peaks rise, creating a phantasmagoric landscape.

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory there are about 300 thousand lakes, large and small, and large rivers - more than ten. In the south of the region there is a lake chain, fed by thermal springs, ponds are rich in healing mud. A popular holiday destination is Lake Tiberkul, located in the Kazyr River Valley surrounded by unspoiled nature.

In this corner of Siberia there are seven nature reserves that are grandiose in size. One of them, Taimyr, spread in the far north, is the largest and most famous in the country. In this kingdom of nature, noble reindeer and a frightening type of musk ox, arctic foxes, ermines, wolverines, a huge number of birds live. Valuable and rare fish species are found in Lake Taimyr. Myths and legends are covered by the Tunguska Reserve, created at the site of the fall of the Tunguska meteorite. This is the only area on the planet where you can study the environmental consequences of space disasters. The Central Siberian Nature Reserve is famous for its unique richness and diversity of the plant world, an abundance of rare plants. Ethnographic studies are also conducted here to study the ancient culture of the small indigenous people - the Kets.

The Great Arctic Reserve, the largest in Eurasia, is spread beyond the Arctic Circle. To get to these deserted silent places is possible only by air. Here, travelers are given the opportunity to visit the William Barents Biostation to watch rare species of birds with binoculars, to get acquainted with the life and traditions of the Nenets. On the Hutuda-Biga river, tourists go rafting and sport fishing, and the coastal waters of the Arctic Ocean attract extreme surfers. On long comprehensive tours, biologists, biologists, huntsmen, and sometimes cooks and doctors accompany them.

The Republic of Khakassia

Khakassia is located in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Most of the territory of the republic is occupied by harsh mountains, which dominate amazing landscapes with their blue lakes, stormy rivers with crystal clear water, and bright colors of the plant kingdom.

This ancient land, covered with legends and traditions of the Khakass epic, is a unique storehouse of archaeological finds. Among the 30 thousand ancient monuments - witnesses of history - cave paintings, mounds, burial grounds and temples, the picturesque ruins of fortifications. One of the iconic structures is the Chebaki fortress, dating back to the II millennium BC. e. There are about 50 similar structures in the republic; the Khakases call them “sve.” The famous local writings are Sulekskaya and Boyarskaya, and the most famous cave painting depicting scenes from the life of an ancient tribe is located in the Valley of the Tagar kings. Here, in the middle of the silent steppe, scattered dozens of mounds conditionally fenced with vertical stone slabs.

Khakassia is famous for its salt and fresh lakes. The largest body of water is Lake Bele, located in the Jerim steppe. According to legend, monsters live in this lake. Lake Shira, in the Shirinsky district, is known as one of the most popular balneological resorts in Siberia. Tourist bases are scattered throughout Khakassia: on the banks of mountain rivers and lakes, in cedar taiga forests. The Republic of Khakassia is a well-known ski center in Siberia. There are about a dozen resorts and bases, where modern routes of different lengths and difficulty levels are equipped.

The main city of Khakassia is Abakan, leading its history from the 19th century and today is the industrial, cultural and scientific center of the republic. Ancient Khakass villages have grown over the past decades, most of them are connected by highways and railways. Local residents are still involved in cattle breeding and sheep breeding, and their life is imprinted in ancient eras.

Tyva Republic

Tuva, which is located in the upper Yenisei, occupies a relatively small territory, on which two completely different natural zones adjoin: sandy and forest-tundra. Camels and deer, red wolves and snow leopards live nearby from each other. The symbol of the republic is the obelisk "Center of Asia", located in the capital of the republic - Kyzyl. It was this definition of Tyve that was given in 1910 by the English geographer and traveler Alexander Douglas Carruthers, who visited these places.

At Kyzyl, the Big Yenisei and the Small Yenisei merge, and from here a full-flowing river carries its waters to the north of Siberia. All Tuvan rivers originate in the mountains and abound in magnificent waterfalls. The largest and most famous are Biy-Khemsky, Khamsyrinsky, Dototsky falls. Many mountain rivers are very popular with lovers and professionals of water rafting. The most interesting places for hiking and horseback riding are located in the south-west of the republic, in the Taiginsky and Mongun-Taiginsky districts.

Fishermen are well aware of the Choigan-Khol Lake and the Sorug River, located at one of the spurs of the Eastern Sayan Mountains, and a good half of the entire republic occupies hunting grounds.

The original culture of the main local population - Tuvans - always makes a vivid impression on tourists. During the festivities there are horse races, competitions in wrestling khuresh, archery. Going on an ethno tour in Tuva, you can get acquainted with the ancient Tuvan rituals, as well as hear the famous Tuvan throat singing, mesmerizing with its tints, which have absorbed the spirit of boundless steppes.

Local kitchen

Siberian cuisine is as diverse as the many-sided traditions of the peoples living in this vast region of the planet. The culinary preferences of Siberian natives themselves have always been determined by their habitat. And today, in some regions, the meal is not complete without fish dishes, in others, the main product is meat.

Among the famous dishes of Siberian cuisine are salted raw meat (corned beef), jellied meat and stews from offal (ears, hooves, tongues), dumplings with assorted minced meat consisting of beef, pork and lamb, pies with porridge, meat, mushroom, curd, berry fillings, prepared for the future sausages, ham, salted mushrooms. Siberian culinary products from fish have excellent taste: they are steamed, dried, marinated, dried in the wind and in the sun, baked in scales stuffed with fish fillet with spices or porridge with onions and mushrooms.

National Siberian delicacy - pine nuts, seeds, honey. The most popular drinks: kvass on malt, jelly - flour, berry, milk, teas on local herbs.

Siberian souvenirs

Siberia is a generous land, ready to present its guests with a wide variety of gifts. Among the most popular edible gifts - pine nuts - in cones, unpeeled, peeled, in honey. It is better to buy nuts in the collection season (in September) or a few months after it, since this taiga souvenir very quickly loses its useful qualities and taste. A good purchase is cedar oil and excellent quality buckwheat, taiga and flower honey.

The "trick" of the Baikal regions is the omul fish. As a tasty and “long-playing” souvenir, it is better to purchase it in a pickle packed in special gift barrels. They can be bought in the villages, and in city supermarkets, and directly at the airport before departure.

Another tasty and healthy souvenir is Siberian tea, which is not tea, but a healing herbal collection. Look for such a bouquet of herbs, which includes a valuable sagan-dail plant, according to ancient beliefs, prolonging life. Healthy souvenirs include fir oil, cedar gum resin, balms and herbal tinctures.

An excellent souvenir from Siberia is jewelry and crafts made of charoite - stone, the only deposit in the world located on the border of the Irkutsk region and Yakutia. The extraction of this beautiful stone, shimmering in shades of pink, lilac, purple, is strictly limited, which makes it quite expensive. In order to avoid acquiring a fake, please ask for a certificate upon purchase.

Birch bark products are popular: caskets, kitchen utensils, baskets, panels. In any region of Siberia, you can buy interesting ethnic souvenirs: from jewelry and clothes to musical instruments.

Where to stay

Tourism infrastructure in different regions of Siberia is not uniformly developed. However, in each administrative center and major cities there are two to four-star hotels. In Novosibirsk, you can stay in hotels of world brands "Hilton" and "Marriott" (about 7000 rubles per day).

Those who plan to relax in nature and engage in outdoor activities, it is better to stay at a camp site, in a campsite or guest house. On Lake Baikal, for example, you can live in a hostel, where a room with two beds and all amenities will cost from 2000 rubles per day.

If you want to improve your health, head to one of the many sanatoriums or dispensaries. As a rule, they are located in picturesque places with the purest healing air, rich in natural healing resources - mineral waters, muds. Most health facilities are equipped with complete diagnostic facilities and offer comprehensive treatment and prevention services.

Transport

In Siberian cities, public transport is represented by buses, trolleybuses, minibuses, and Novosibirsk also boasts a subway. Prices for travel in the regions vary.

Large settlements are connected by bus. By bus from the administrative centers of the regions, you can get to popular, “untwisted” resorts. Tourists arriving here with companies often rent a minibus in order to comfortably get to the right place. The transfer company "Bus Center" is engaged in the organization of a transfer from Novosibirsk to the resorts of Siberia.

Siberian regions are connected by railways: West Siberian, East Siberian, South Siberian.

In recent years, regional air service has been restored, new routes have been opened. Often, airplanes and helicopters are the only vehicles that allow you to get to the protected Siberian regions.

The cities of Siberia are connected by the main waterways - Ob, Irtysh, Lena, Yenisei, Angara. Going on a long river cruise, you will get the opportunity to see places that are not available for land excursions.

Large Siberian cities operate car rental offices. Prices are different everywhere, but, as a rule, at least 900 rubles / day.

How to get there

Tolmachevo International Airport operates in the main city of Siberia, Novosibirsk. Flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg are sent here daily. Travel time is from 3 to 5 hours. Airports in Irkutsk, Tomsk, Omsk, Ulan-Ude, Barnaul, Kemerovo, Bratsk, Kyzyl, Krasnoyarsk also have international status. There are airports in other cities, but mostly they are designed for internal air traffic.

Siberia permeates the Trans-Siberian Railway. By train, from Moscow to the Far East, you can reach Novosibirsk, Severobaykalsk, Novokuznetsk, Blagoveshchensk, Ulan-Ude, Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Abakan, Tomsk.

Trains from Novokuznetsk are poisoning from the Ladoga railway station in St. Petersburg; in Novosibirsk, the train makes a stop.