Sights in Novosibirsk & Tomsk Regions
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Resurrection Hill
When founded in 1604, Tomsk's original fortress sat atop Resurrection Hill. For the city's 400th anniversary, an impressive replica of its 'Golden Gate' was rebuilt in wood complete with domed central tower. Beside it, the well-presented but sparse Tomsk History Museum has resprouted its wooden lookout tower: try to spot the seven historic churches from the top.
Olde-worlde charm continues up cobbled ul Bakunina (named for a 19th-century anarchist) past the Italianate 1833 Catholic Church and on towards the Voznesenskaya Church. This Gothic edifice with five gold-tipped black spires has great potential as a Dracula movie set. A truly massive bell hangs from its new lurid-…
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B
Ploshchad Lenina
Central pl Lenina isn't really a square so much as a jumbled collection of beautifully restored historic buildings interspersed with banal Soviet concrete lumps. The frustrated Lenin statue, now relegated to a traffic circle, points at the ugly concrete of Tomsk Drama Theatre apparently demanding 'build more like that one'. Fortunately, nobody's listening. The theatre is flanked instead by the splendid 1784 Epiphany Cathedral, the former trading arches and the elegant 1802 Magistrat Hotel.
Topped with a golden angel, in a second circle beside Lenin, is the recently rebuilt Iverskaya Chapel whose celebrated icon is dubbed 'Tomsk's Spiritual Gateway'. The 1000 Melochey Shop…
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Wooden Architecture
Tomsk's greatest attraction is its 'wooden-lace' architecture - the carved windows and tracery on old log and timber houses. The city combines endless examples of these fine wooden mansions, some grand century-old commercial buildings and a dynamic, modern outlook. The most notable concentration of the wooden lace architecture is along ul Tatarskaya, accessed via steps beside the lovely old house at pr Lenina 56.
Several lesser examples line per Kononova, including number 2 where communist mastermind Kirov lodged in 1905. Close by (but hazardous to reach from per Kononova across a slippery pipe) is the splendid, recently restored Shishkov House. There's even a wooden-lace…
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C
Oppression Museum
The gloomy 1898 brick building is supposedly a haunted former school. Closed following the murder of a pupil, it later became the prison for the cruel NKVD (proto-KGB). The building’s eerie dungeon is now a memorable Oppression Museum. Tours are recommended but are only in Russian. Failing that you can just wander round yourself. Look out for the stunning Gulag map, the system of Soviet labour camps depicted as an uncountable mass of red dots across the territory of the former USSR.
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Tomsk University
The classically colonnaded main buildings of the Tomsk University lie in resplendently leafy grounds, giving Tomsk the soubriquet 'Oxford of Siberia'. Tomsk is one of the most enjoyable cities in Siberia and has flourished in recent times as a university city and now has half a dozen major academic establishments hence the youthful, intellectual atmosphere during term time. Tucked away in unmarked rooms, Tomsk University hosts several quietly intriguing museums covering zoology and ethnography.
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D
Voznesenskaya Church
Olde-worlde charm continues up cobbled ul Bakunina (named for the 19th-century ‘father of anarchy’ who studied in Tomsk) towards the Voznesenskaya Church. This Gothic edifice with five gold-tipped black spires has great potential as a Dracula movie set. A truly massive bell hangs in its new lurid-pink belfry.
reviewed
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The Four Churches
Tomsk has many fine churches, including the scoop-domed 1844 Trinity Church (Troitskaya tserkov), the very active Kazansky Icon Church of a former monastery, the pretty new Nevsky Church and the Byzantine-style brick Peter & Paul Cathedral (Petropavlosky sobor) from 1911.
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Tomsk History Museum
The well-presented Tomsk History Museum has resprouted its wooden lookout tower : try to spot the seven historic churches from the top. The stone just outside the museum entrance marks the founding of the city.
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State Art Museum
The State Art Museum has an extensive collection including icons, Siberian art, Braque-esque works by Nikolai Gritsyuk and numerous distinctive mountainscapes by celebrated spiritual Russian painter Nikolai Rerikh.
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F
Chapel of St Nicholas
The pretty little Chapel of St Nicholas was said to mark the geographical centre of Russia when it ws built in 1915. Demolished in the 1930s, it was rebuilt in 1993 for Novosibirsk’s centenary.
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Atashev Palace
Built for gold-mining entrepreneur Ivan Atashev in 1842, the Atashev Palace was once used as a church, hence the incongruous steeple tower and wonderful organ hall where concerts are held.
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Iverskaya Chapel
Topped with a golden angel, in a second circle beside Lenin, is the recently rebuilt Iverskaya Chapel whose celebrated icon is dubbed ‘Tomsk’s Spiritual Gateway’.
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Cathedral of the Ascension
The gold-domed 1914 Cathedral of the Ascension has a wonderful, colourful interior with a soaring central space that’s unexpected from its fairly squat exterior appearance.
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pl Lenina
Despite its daunting scale, the 'capital of Siberia' has a manageably simple centre focused on pl Lenina. The city's main axis, Krasny pr, runs through this square linking most points of interest.
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White Mosque
The Zaistochye district was historically the ‘Tatar’ Muslim quarter. Its unusual, whitewashed 19th-century White Mosque is now fully renovated.
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Lenin statue
In front of the Opera and Ballet Theatre, wearing a flapping coat, the dashing Lenin statue is flanked by waving partisans vainly trying to direct the chaotic traffic.
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Former ‘Hunter’s House’
Ul Gagarina is well worth strolling along – look out for the picturesque former ‘hunter’s house’.
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Local Studies Museum
In an elegant mansion, the Local Studies Museum has Altai shaman coats, cutaway pioneer houses and some splendid religious artefacts.
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WWII Memorial
Pr Lenina finally ends at the powerful mother-and-son WWII memorial, behind which are taiga views across the meandering Tom River.
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Red Mosque
The 1904 Red Mosque was sacrilegiously used as a vodka factory in the Soviet era, but was reopened to worshippers in 1997.
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Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
The 1898 Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a red-brick Byzantine-style building with gilded domes and colourful new murals.
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Kirov’s House
Several lesser examples line per Kononova, including Kirov’s house where the communist mastermind lodged in 1905.
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Old Believers’ Wooden Church
The cute, Old Believers’ Wooden Church is worth a look although its surroundings are relatively uninteresting.
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Shishkov House
Hazardous to reach from per Kononova across a slippery pipe is the splendid, recently restored Shishkov House
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1000 Melochey Shop
The 1000 Melochey Shop has a wonderful 1906 facade featuring griffins and art nouveau ironwork flourishes.
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