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 Omsk (Russian: Омск) is a Russian city located in southwestern Siberia and the administrative center of Omsk Oblast. It is Russia's second-largest city east of the Ural Mountains. The distance from Omsk to Moscow is 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi). In imperial times, Omsk was the seat of the Governor General of Western Siberia, and later of the Governor General of the Steppes. For a brief period during the Russian Civil War in 1918–1920, it served as the capital of the anti-Bolshevik Russian State and held the imperial gold reserves. Omsk is the administrative centre of Siberian Cossack Voisko, it also serves as the see of the bishop of Omsk and Tara, as well as the administrative seat of the Imam of Siberia.
[edit] LocationOmsk is situated on the banks of the north-flowing Irtysh, at its confluence with the smaller Om River. The city has an altitude of 87 metres (290 ft) above sea level. Both branches of the Trans-Siberian railway pass through the city, which also serves as a major junction for the regional highway network. River port facilities handle both passengers and freight, giving the city access to the extensive navigable waterways of the Irtysh and Ob rivers. The waterways connect Omsk with the coal and mineral-mining towns in Kazakhstan, as well as with the oil, natural gas and lumber operations of northern Siberia. Omsk is served by the Tsentralny Airport, which offers access to domestic and international (primarily, German and Kazakh) destinations, making the city an important aviation hub for Siberia and the Russian Far East. [edit] ClimateThe climate is dry and continental, characterized by dramatic swings of weather. The average daily temperatures, taken over the past three decades, are 20 °C (68 °F) for July and −19 °C (−2.2 °F) for January, although temperatures can reach 45 °C (113 °F) in the summer and drop to −45 °C (−49 °F) in the winter. On average Omsk sees over 300 sunny days in any given year. Average annual rainfall is 315 millimetres (12.4 in). [edit] HistoryIn 1714 Peter the Great sent Ivan Bukholts (Johann Buchholz) up the Irtysh to Lake Zaysan to search for gold and build a fort. They were driven out by the Oirats and retreated downriver to Omsk. The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier, along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes. In the late 1700s, stronger works of brick were erected on the right bank of the Om; of these, the original Tobolsk and the restored Tara gates still stand, along with the original German Lutheran Church, an armoury, a military jail, and commandant's house.  In the 19th and early 20th century, Omsk became the administrative center of Western Siberia and the Steppes (Kazakhstan), acquiring a few churches and cathedrals of various denominations, mosques, a synagogue, the governor-general's mansion, a military academy. Ink was joked to have been sold by the buckets. As the frontier receded and military importance diminished, the town fell into lethargy; it was during the mid-1800s that Dostoevsky lived and wrote in exile here. The new boom began with the construction of the Trans-Siberian railway in 1890s, when the merchants flocked to the city on the rail/river junction. Many a trade companies opened stores and offices here, building an elaborately decorated district of the city, and bringing the hustle-and-bustle of modern transportation, means of communications and entertainment. Foreign powers, including the British, Dutch and Germans, opened consulates to represent their commercial interests. The pinnacle came with the lavish Siberian Exposition of Agriculture and Industry in 1910, for which a complex of buildings and fountains was constructed. In line with the popularity of World Fairs of the day, the exposition influenced observers to foretell the wonders of the "Chicago of Siberia". Many of the period's buildings survive (though none from the expo), and the architecture gives the city centre a distinguished historical Siberian town flavour. Shortly after the 1917 revolution, the pro-monarchy "white" forces seized control of the city. The "Provisional Government of Russia" was established in 1918, headed by the polar explorer and decorated war hero Admiral Kolchak. Omsk was proclaimed the Capital of Russia, and its central bank kept the Imperial gold reserves, guarded by the Czechoslovakian garrison trapped in the chaos of World War I. The city proved to be a key to power in Siberia; eventually, Kolchak, the government, and the gold retreated along the Trans-Siberian eastward to Irkutsk, and the bolshevik "red" forces took control in 1919. [edit] Soviet era    The Soviet government preferred the young Novonikolayevsk, now Novosibirsk, to be the designated centre of Western Siberia, prompting the mass transfer of administrative, cultural and educational functions from Omsk, dampening the city's growth and sparking a rivalry between the two cities continuing to this day. It was during and after World War II that Omsk received a new boost: many industries were evacuated away from Russia's western front in 1941. In the event of a German victory during the Battle of Moscow, Omsk was to become the provisional Soviet capital. However, the concentration of military enterprises also had negative effects, as until 1990, the city stayed closed to foreigners, and, after 1990, the collapse of the Soviet military demand led to high unemployment. Military industries which moved here included part of the OKMO tank design bureau in 1941, and S.M. Kirov Factory no. 185 from Chelyabinsk, in 1962. The Kirov Factory and Omsk Transmash design bureau (KBTM) produced T-80 tanks from the 1970s, and were responsible for the BTR-T, TOS-1, and prototype Black Eagle tank. Omsk Transmash declared bankruptcy in 2002. In the 1950s, following the development of oil and natural gas field in Siberia, an oil-refining complex was built, along with an entire "town of oilworkers", expanding Omsk northward along the Irtysh. It is currently the largest complex in Russia, and third such in Europe. Gazprom Neft, the parent company, is the largest employer in the city, wielding its tax address as leverage in negotiations with municipal and regional authorities. [edit] Omsk todaySince the 1990s and the fall of Soviet Union, the former party elite, new businessmen and the criminal world mixed together and fought for control of the city's most profitable enterprises. The most notorious cases involved Sibneft, and were reported by The New York Times, yet nothing was ever resolved. Until 2000, the feud between the regional and the municipal authorities made at least two points of view available to the public, and some work was done for the public good. This includes the establishment of the annual Siberian International Marathon (SIM), the celebration of City Days, construction of new leisure parks and renovation of the historic centre. Nevertheless, the feud drained the city's resources, and two mayors were forced to leave, with a replacement all but appointed by the region's governor, in his post since the communist era. Currently, all of the region's important power levers, including the courts and the media, are in the hands of the regional government. The city is underperforming the Russian averages on economic growth and quality of life. The Omsk hockey team (Avangard) has also recently acquired former New York Ranger Jaromir Jagr from The NHL of North America. On March 2, 2005, the Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan was opened. Previously in 1943, the Free India Government in Exile has opened its consulate in Omsk as well.  [edit] Main sightsThe centrepiece of the city is an ensemble of buildings along Lyubinsky prospekt/Lenin Street. This is the former Gostiny Dvor, flanked by two chapels. Close at hand are a bourse and a drama theatre, all dating from late 1800s – early 1900s. Side streets are lined with stately mansions of former insurance companies, trusts and banks from the same period. Hidden closer to the river confluence are the few surviving somber buildings of the 18th-century fortress. The largest and most opulent church in the city is the Dormition Cathedral, a five-domed edifice in the Russian Revival style, consecrated in 1896, blown up by the Soviets, and meticulously restored in the early 2000s. Another area of interest is Nikolsky prospekt/Krasnykh Zor Street, where a line of merchants' wooden houses still stands. The street leads to the Neoclassical cathedral of St Nicholas, which was commissioned by the Cossacks, designed by Vasily Stasov and consecrated in 1840. It contains various relics of the Siberian Cossacks. Various other landmarks are scattered throughout the city. The major museums in Omsk are the Omsk Vrubel Art Gallery and the State Historical Museum, located in the former bourse building and the governor-general's mansion, respectively. Among the attractions of city — more than several dozen churches, monuments, including the style of "l’art nouveau", historic sites, and sculptures devoted to the famous people, and lots of other interesting places [edit] DemographicsThe population in Omsk rose from 31,000 in 1881 to 53,050 in 1900 and to 1,148,418 in 1989 Census. The 2002 Census recorded that the population declined to 1,134,016. [edit] MetroMain article: Omsk Metro  A subway system, proposed in the late 1980s, but postponed for lack of funds, is currently under construction, with the Metro bridge over the Irtysh river. The bridge is already opened for cars (upper level), but the metro (lower level) is still under construction. As a first step one short line will connect the districts in the northwest with the city centre. The first line of the metro is scheduled to be finished in 2010. [edit] Sports
[edit] Notable citizens
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[edit] Education Omsk is home to many institutions of higher learning and several universities:
[edit] International relationsMain article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia [edit] Twin towns — Sister citiesOmsk is twinned with:
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