Omsk is a Russian million-plus city. There is a large transport hub and the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Irtysh River with developed shipping. This territory has been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by numerous burial grounds attributed to the period from VI BC. The need for the formation of the city was mentioned in chronicles from the 17th century, but only thanks to the efforts of I. Bukholtsev a fortress was erected here, which was intended to protect the southern borders of Russia.
The peak of the development of the settlement occurred at the beginning of the 20th century, from 1918 to 1920 it was the capital of White Russia. In the war and post-war years, industry rapidly developed in the city, since many factories were evacuated here. Today, despite a lot of negative reviews, Omsk is a cultural and industrial center of Siberia with a lot of interesting places and attractions.
Fortress and Tobolsk gate
The main attraction of Omsk is the fortress, the first structure of which appeared in 1716. This is where the history of the city begins. Then it was just two small redoubts. After 2 years, a foundation of clay bricks and birch has already been laid. There is still a lot of controversy regarding the shape of this fortress: some researchers claim that it was pentagonal, while others - quadrangular.
The first fortress had 4 gates:
- Znamensky, facing the city of Tomsk.
- Spassky, facing the Irtysh River and having an observation deck.
- Nikolsky, facing the banks of the Omi River.
- Shestakovs facing the Barabinsk road.
At that time, about 250 Cossacks lived in the fortress, but by the middle of the XVIII century it was "morally" outdated, and decided to build a new one.
In the 60s of the XVIII century a new fortress was erected, which was 5 times larger than the old one, with 4 bastions and 3 half-bastions, 4 gates. This is a whole complex of buildings, the construction of which was completely completed in the XIX century. There were schools, administrative buildings, a cathedral and a church, a prison for convicts. Among the prisoners was even Dostoevsky F.M., who was busy with construction work.
To date, only the Tobolsk Gate is preserved from the fortress - a landmark of Omsk of federal significance. The guardhouse building, the church and the curfew have also been preserved. Tara Gate was destroyed in 1959, but in 1991 it was completely rebuilt.
Lutheran Church of St. Catherine
Another decoration and attraction of Omsk is the Lutheran Church. In addition, this is the only religious building in the city, which has been preserved since the XVIII century. Services in it took place until 1930. Kirche is located in the Omsk fortress. Once the church even housed the Museum of Internal Affairs.
Why is it Lutheran? And everything is very simple, during the construction period, a lot of people professing the Lutheran religion lived in the city and the region. The building accommodated at the same time 100 people. There was practically nothing left of the initial interior decoration, only curved cornices and windows with arches. And in the period of the USSR they even dismantled the Gothic tower and closed the church. In the 70s of the last century, the temple was used as a house of culture, so all religious decorations were eliminated.
Object address: Dostoevsky street, 2/1.
St. Nicholas Cathedral
Another attraction of Omsk that you must see with your own eyes is the St. Nicholas Cossack Cathedral. The surviving building was laid back in 1843. Prior to this, the cathedral was built in 1833 with funds raised by Siberian Cossacks. The building with tall domes and a beautiful bell tower is a prime example of Russian classicism. The architect Stasov V. worked on the design of the temple.
Today in the cathedral there is a miraculous Abalak icon and the relics of saints are kept. And since 1883, the banner of Yermak has been kept in the church, but in 1918 it was lost, and now there is only a copy of it, which was made in 1960.
The facility is located at: Lenin street, 27.
Academic Drama Theater
Even if you are not fond of theatrical performances, you should definitely look at this attraction of Omsk. The theater was founded in 1874. It was a wooden structure, the construction of which was collected by the whole city. Literally after 3 years, the theater completely burned down, the corpse performed at the military arena.
Already in 1898, the merchant Sichkarev erected another wooden theater, but it turns out to be unsuitable for theatrical productions. The public needs a new building. The modern structure was erected in 1905. The first theatrical production in the new building was The Examiner. Now on the stage of the Omsk Theater, not only local actors perform, but also Russian and foreign celebrities come.
The facility is located on Lenin Street, 8A.
Stone Fire Tower
This is an unforgettable landmark of the city of Omsk, which is more than 100 years old. It was built in 1915. The height of the tower is approximately 32 meters, along with the outbuilding and the flagpole. On the ground floor there was always a horse, then a carriage. And on the second floor lived a fireman with his family. In the 60s of the last century, the kalanch was almost demolished under the pressure of active residential development. However, the public defended the fire department. Kalancha performed its functions until the 40s of the last century.
Today it is an architectural monument located at 41 Internationalnaya Street.
Holy place in the vicinity of the city
On the banks of the Irtysh River, not far from the village of Naberezhny, there is an attraction of Omsk, the description of which is hard to convey in words - the Achair nunnery of the Holy Cross. This is a whole complex of buildings, with four gates, five chapels and seven churches. On the territory there is a hotel for pilgrims and outbuildings
The monastery was founded in 1890, and a few years later a mineral water source was discovered on the territory. The water temperature in the source is always stable - 36.6 degrees. It is rich in silicosilicic acid, bromine, potassium and sulfur. For some period of time, this water was sold in stores under the name Achaira Monastery, but now it can only be collected by arriving at this place.
Modern Art
Many in Omsk sights of contemporary creators. So, on Lenin Street 3 there is a park sculpture called "Dynamic balance, or the Scales of Being", made entirely of metal by a local sculptor. Creation is designed to reflect human desires and throwing. On the street of Karl Marx, 4B there is a sculpture "Don Quixote". In the city you can also see a real miracle-yudo whale fish with the official name "Communal Crucian carp" located on 83 Chapaeva Street.
In Omsk there are still many interesting places, so you should just come here and walk along the streets, admiring the local beauties.