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Novosibirsk
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Novosibirsk () is Russia's third-largest city, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast. It is also the largest city in Siberia and the administrative center of Siberian Federal District, in the southwest of which it is located.
city was founded in 1893 as the future site of the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge crossing the great Siberian river Ob, and was known as Novonikolayevsk after Saint Nicholas. Also, it was the name of the Tsar ruling at that time Tsar Nicholas II.
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Encyclopedia
Novosibirsk () is Russia's third-largest city, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast. It is also the largest city in Siberia and the administrative center of Siberian Federal District, in the southwest of which it is located.
History
The city was founded in 1893 as the future site of the Trans-Siberian Railway bridge crossing the great Siberian river Ob, and was known as Novonikolayevsk after Saint Nicholas. Also, it was the name of the Tsar ruling at that time Tsar Nicholas II. The bridge opened for traffic in the spring of 1897. Its importance further increased early in the 20th century with the completion of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway, connecting Novosibirsk to Central Asia and the Caspian Sea.
By the time of the bridge's opening Novonikolaevsk's population was 7,800 people. The year 1906 saw the first bank of Novosibirsk being established and by 1915 there were already five banks. In 1907 it became a city with all the rights of self-government and population of 47,000. The pre-November Revolution period saw Novosibirsk with a population of 80,000 and was the largest commercial and industrial center having an agricultural processing industry, power station, iron foundry, commodity market, banks, commercial and shipping companies, 7 Orthodox churches, one Roman-Catholic church, several cinemas, 40 primary schools, a high school, teachers' seminary and the Romanov House' non-classical secondary school. Novosibirsk was one of the first towns in Russia that accepted the compulsory primary education in 1913.
The Russian Civil War took a toll on the town, with several typhus and cholera epidemics which took thousands of lives. The famous Ob bridge was blown up, and for the first time since the beginning of its history Novonikolaevsk's population fell. In December 1917 the Soviet Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies of Novonikolaevsk seized the town. In May, 1918 Czechoslovak prisoners of war set up an opposition and together with White Guards captured Novonikolaevsk. It was taken by the Red Army in 1919.
Novonikolaevsk began reconstruction in 1921 at the start of Lenin's New Economic Policy. It was given a new name, Novosibirsk, in 1926.. The "novo" part means "new", "sibir" - Siberia and the "sk" suffix is common for settlement names, so "Novosibirsk" can be translated as "New Siberia City".
During Stalin's Industrialization Novosibirsk rose from a large commercial city turned into one of the largest industrial centers of Siberia. Several huge plants were located here, including the Sibkombain plant, a mining tools plant, a metal processing plant, food processing and other plants and factories, and a power station. From 1932-1933, during the Great Soviet Famine, more than 170 thousand refugees arrived at Novosibirsk. They settled down in barracks at the outskirts of town, in shacks and huts, giving rise to slums such as Big Nakhalovka, Little Nakhalovka, and others.
Tram rails were laid in Novosibirsk in 1954; by that time it was the largest city of Siberia with 287,000 residents. The next year the Kommunalny bridge on the Ob was built to replace the old bridge that helped start Novosibirsk.
To cope with the large amount of people moving to the town during the 1950s a hydroelectic power station for 400,000 kilowatts was erected near Novosibirsk, that caused the creation of a giant water reservoir - to be known as the Ob Sea. However, that power station didn't solve all the power supply problems; in fact it caused more. Vast fertile fields were flooded; relic pine woods were put under water; because of the new water space the wind speed doubled causing higher soil erosion.
Akademgorodok, the city of scientific research, was built about 30 km south of the city centre in 1957 and was the centre of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences. There arose within a very short time 14 research institutions and universities, virtually making it a new city.
At September 2nd, 1962, Novosibirsk reached a population of one million. At that time it was the youngest city in the world with over a million people. It took Novosibirsk less than 70 years to achieve that milestone.
In 1979 construction of the Novosibirsk Metro began, culminating in the opening of the first line in 1985.
Novosibirsk was on the center path of the Solar eclipse of August 1, 2008 with a duration of 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
Geography
The city lies along the Ob River in the West Siberian Plain. To the south is the Ukok Plateau part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site entitled Golden Mountains of Altai.
Climate
The climate is sharply continental, with severely cold winters. Snow is frequent, falling on almost half of winter days, but individual snowfalls are usually light. Temperatures in summer range from 20 °C to 25 °C (75 °F); in winter -18 °C to -20 °C (0 °F), but can reach from -40 °C to -50 °C (-40 °F) in winter and 35-40 °C (100 °F) in summer. The difference between the highest and the lowest temperature is 88 °C (158 °F). Most of the time the weather is sunny, with an average of 2880 hours of sunshine per year, but heavy rain is possible in summer.
Travelers coming from countries with mild climates may find Novosibirsk’s winter tough, but it will not be extraordinary for those from northern countries. Sometimes, bitter cold may hold for some days, but temperatures of -40 °C and lower do not occur every year. In contrast, springtime is not the best season for visiting Novosibirsk, as streets and roads become dirty due to mud and melting snow, and the weather is still cold.
Summers are typically very nice, with warm, long days (sunrise at 5am and sunset after 10pm).
Flora
The most prominent tree genera native to Novosibirsk are birch, pine and aspen. Some mountain ash, hawthorn, spruce and fir are also present. European species of apple, ash, elm, linden and oak have been successfully introduced.
Fauna
Large mammals native to the Novosibirsk area include the brown bear, reindeer, moose (locally called elk), wolf and fox. Also present are wolverine, ermine, marten, weasel and polecat. The predators among them are supported by populations of beaver, hare, mouse, hamster, vole, shrew, squirrel and chipmunk. More than 350 species of birds have been recorded. On the other hand, only a few cold-blooded vertebrate species occur on land, but they include the venomous adder and the swift grass snake. Perch and carp are prominent among the fish, of which there are more than 30 species. The carp often host a dangerous parasite, the liver fluke. Ticks in the area are frequent carriers of viral encephalitis.
Broadcasting
Novosibirsk is home to Russia's most powerful shortwave relay station east of the Ural mountains. This relay station can reach most of South Asia, the Middle East, and China. The Magadan and Vladivostok relay stations when operated in conjunction with Novosibirsk can guarantee that the Voice of Russia or any other broadcaster renting time at Novosibirsk is heard in the intended target area.
Transport
Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia (after Moscow and Saint Petersburg) and the first in Siberia in which a metro system was established (the Novosibirsk Metro, opened in 1985). The city is served by Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport with regular flights to Europe and Asia and other Russian cities. Tolmachevo is the hub for S7 Airlines. There is also the auxiliary Novosibirsk Elitsovka Airport and a smaller field for general aviation at Novosibirsk Severny Airport.
Sports
Amongst several other former Soviet Olympians, Novosibirsk has the distinction of being the hometown of Alexander Karelin, the 12-time world champion Greco-Roman wrestler (including 3 Olympic gold and 1 Olympic silver medals), voted by FILA as the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century.
Novosibirsk has numerous sports facilities.
Music
Three classical violinists of modern times, Vadim Repin, Natalia Lomeiko and Maxim Vengerov, are natives of Novosibirsk. The city possesses a Conservatory (named after Mikhail Glinka]), a Philarmony and several music halls where concerts are given.
The Zoo of Novosibirsk
The Zoo of Novosibirsk is a world renowned zoo and a popular tourist attraction to the city. The zoo has over 4000 species of animals, and actively participates in thirty-two different societies for preserving endangered species. On average, around 700,000 people visit the zoo each year.
In 2000, the zoo held the closest relative to the cape lion of South Africa. John Spence was always fascinated about the stories of these grand lions scaling the walls of General van Riebeeck's castle in the 17th century. Spence's search took thirty years, which led him to the Novosibirsk Zoo where he found the closest living resemblance to the cape lion; the zoo called him Simon. The lion and his family are kept outdoors in large, natural settings. "It is kept all the year around in the climate conditions of the West Siberia at the temperatures from to . In forty years, more than sixty cubs were born."
The zoo's current curator is Rostislav Shilo. Simon's cubs were named after him and his wife, Katisha.
Twin Towns - Sister Cities
Novosibirsk is twinned with:
External links
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