CITY · OMSK OBLAST

Omsk.

Omsk grew from a fortress built in 1716 where the Om flows into the Irtysh, and became one of Siberia's largest cities. Dostoevsky served his prison term here, Vrubel was born here, and Lyubinsky Avenue keeps the look of the old merchant centre.

Region: Omsk Oblast
Population: 1,101,367 (2025)
Founded: 1716
Airport: Tsentralny · OMS

Good news & stories

We are collecting good news and stories from this city. Know of something worth telling? Write to privet@russia.direct.

All good news

History

The fortress on the Irtysh was founded on 2 August 1716, and Omsk received town status in 1782. From 1822 it served as the administrative centre of Western Siberia. Fyodor Dostoevsky served a prison term in Omsk from 1850 to 1854; the old fortress was dismantled in 1864, though some of its structures survive near the river junction. During the Second World War Omsk became a major industrial centre.

Culture & traditions

Omsk has an opera and ballet theatre, an academic drama theatre, a musical theatre and a circus. Its museums include the regional history museum, the Dostoevsky Literary Museum and the Vrubel Museum of Fine Arts, named after the painter born in the city. The Russian Revival Dormition Cathedral was consecrated in 1896, while the St Nicholas Cathedral of 1840 was commissioned by the Siberian Cossacks and holds their relics. Lyubinsky Avenue mixes Art Nouveau, Neoclassical and Second Empire styles.

Sport

The city's best-known club is the ice hockey team Avangard, which plays at the G-Drive Arena. Omsk also has the football club Irtysh, the volleyball club Omichka and the Red Star Stadium. The Siberian International Marathon is run here every year. The city has produced many gymnasts, hockey players and chess players, including Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Yevgeniya Kanayeva.

Practical information

Tsentralny Airport is only 5 km southwest of the city. Moscow is about 2,230 km to the west. Local time is Moscow plus three hours. The climate is continental, around −17 °C in winter and +20 °C in summer, with more than 300 sunny days a year; summer and early autumn are best for exploring.

What to see

Lyubinsky Avenue — a merchant street in Art Nouveau and Neoclassical styles
Dormition Cathedral — a Russian Revival church consecrated in 1896
St Nicholas Cossack Cathedral — relics of the Siberian Cossacks
Vrubel Museum of Fine Arts — the city's main art collection
Dostoevsky Literary Museum — the story of the writer's four years in prison here
Remains of the Omsk fortress — where the Om meets the Irtysh