Tomsk Oblast.

History

The oblast's oldest settlement is Narym, founded in 1596. Tomsk was founded in 1604 by decree of Tsar Boris Godunov, after the local Tatar leader Toian asked the tsar for protection. In the 19th century the city flourished during the gold boom, but in the 1890s the Trans-Siberian Railway passed further south, through what became Novosibirsk. Tomsk instead became Siberia's centre of learning, and by the Second World War roughly one resident in twelve was a student. The present oblast was formed in 1944.

Culture & traditions

Tomsk is called the 'Siberian Athens': Tomsk State University, founded in 1878, is the oldest in Siberia, and the Polytechnic, opened in 1900, was the first technical college in Asian Russia. Today more than 100,000 students study in the city. Tomsk is famous for its wooden houses with lace-like carving, though sadly many are disappearing. The city has drama, children's and puppet theatres, museums of art, local history and wood carving, and the university's botanical garden and scientific collections.

Nature

About 85% of the oblast is forested with Siberian pine, Scots pine, spruce, fir and larch. The Ob, Tom, Chulym, Ket, Vasyugan and other rivers flow through it. The Vasyugan Swamp, covering around 53,000 km², is the largest peatland in the world; it began forming about 10,000 years ago and is on UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list.

Sport

Tomsk's main sports venues are Trud Stadium and the Palace of Sport. For many years Trud was home to the football club Tom Tomsk, which first reached the top division in 2004.

Food & drink

The taiga and rivers have long fed the people of the region. Pelmeni are widely seen as Siberia's contribution to Russian cuisine, having spread as Russians settled the Urals and Siberia.

Practical information

Tomsk is served by Bogashevo Airport, 20 km from the centre. The oblast's railways are short, six lines totalling 346 km, and the Trans-Siberian passes south of Tomsk. Local time is Moscow plus four hours. Winters are long and frosty (around −20°C in January) and summers warm (about +19°C), with a frost-free season of about 100 days. Summer and early autumn are the best times to visit.

What to see

• Wooden Tomsk — houses with lace-like carving in the old quarters
• Tomsk State University — Siberia's oldest, with a botanical garden and museums
• Tomsk museums — collections of art, local history and wood carving
• Vasyugan Swamp — the world's largest peatland
• Narym — the oblast's oldest settlement, founded in 1596

Cities on the map

• Tomsk 543,742