Tomsk (English) Томск (Russian)
-  City[1]  - City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
Lenina Square in Tomsk
Location of Tomsk Oblast in Russia
Tomsk Location of Tomsk in Tomsk Oblast
Coordinates: 56°30′N 84°58′E / 56.5°N 84.967°E / 56.5; 84.967Coordinates: 56°30′N 84°58′E / 56.5°N 84.967°E / 56.5; 84.967
Coat of arms	Flag
City Day	June 7[citation needed]
Administrative status (as of April 2011)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Tomsk Oblast
Administratively subordinated to	Tomsk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
Administrative center of	Tomsk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
Municipal status (as of January 2005)
Urban okrug	Tomsk Urban Okrug[2]
Administrative center of	Tomsk Urban Okrug[2]
Leader[citation needed]	Nikolay Nikolaychuk[citation needed]
Representative body	Duma[citation needed]
Statistics
Area (2008)	297.2 km2 (114.7 sq mi)[3]
Population (2010 Census, preliminary)	522,940 inhabitants[4]
- Rank in 2010	32nd
Population (2002 Census)	487,838 inhabitants[5]
- Rank in 2002	34th
Density (2008)	1,755.2 /km2 (4,546 /sq mi)[3]
Time zone	OMST (UTC+07:00)[6]
Founded	1604[citation needed]
Postal code(s)	634xxx[citation needed]
Dialing code(s)	+7 3822[citation needed]
Official website
Tomsk on WikiCommons

Tomsk (Russian: Томск) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004. Population: 522,940 (2010 Census preliminary results);^[4] 487,838 (2002 Census);^[7] 501,963 (1989 Census).^[8]

It is served by the Bogashevo Airport.

Geography[link]

Tomsk is located about 20 kilometers (12 mi) southeast of the town of Seversk, a major center of plutonium production, reprocessing and uranium enrichment.

History[link]

Tomsk was established under a decree from Tsar Boris Godunov in 1604 after Toyan, the Tatar duke of Eushta, asked for the Tsar's protection against Kirghiz robbers.^{[citation needed]} The Tsar sent 200 Cossacks under the command of Vasily Tyrkov and Gavriil Pisemsky to construct a fortress on the bank of the Tom River overlooking what would become the city of Tomsk. Toyan ceded the land for the fortress to the Tsar.^[9]

In 1804, the government selected Tomsk to become the seat of the new Tomsk Governorate, which would include the modern cities of Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, and Krasnoyarsk, as well as the territories which are now in eastern Kazakhstan. The new status brought development and the city grew quickly.^[9]

The discovery of gold in 1830 brought further development to Tomsk in the 19th century. However, when the Trans-Siberian Railway bypassed the city in favor of the village of Novonikolayevsk (now Novosibirsk), development began to move south to connect with the railway. In time, Novosibirsk would surpass Tomsk in importance.

In the mid-19th century, one-fifth of the city's residents were exiles. However, within a few years, the city would be reinvented as the educational center of Siberia with the establishment of Tomsk State University and Tomsk Polytechnic University. By World War II, every twelfth resident of the city was a student,^[9] giving rise to the city's informal name - Siberian Athens.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the city was a notable center of the White movement, led by Anatoly Pepelyayev and Maria Bochkareva, among others. After the capture by the Red Army, Tomsk was incorporated into West Siberian Krai and later into Novosibirsk Oblast.

As in many Siberian cities, Tomsk became the new home for many factories relocated out of the war zone at the beginning of the World War II. The resulting growth of the city led the Soviet government to establish new Tomsk Oblast centered on Tomsk.^[9]

Administrative and municipal status[link]

Tomsk serves as the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast and of Tomsky District, although it is not administratively a part of the latter. Administratively, along with seven rural localities, it is incorporated as Tomsk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.^[1] Municipally, Tomsk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporated as Tomsk Urban Okrug.^[2]

City divisions[link]

Tomsk is divided into four city districts: Kirovsky, Leninsky, Oktyabrsky, and Sovetsky.

Climate[link]

Tomsk has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb). The annual average temperature is +0.6 °C (33.08 °F). Winters are severe and lengthy, and the lowest recorded temperature was −55 °C (−67 °F) in January 1931. However, the average temperature in January is between −21 °C (−6 °F) and −13 °C (9 °F). The average temperature in July is +18.7 °C (65.66 °F). The total yearly rainfall is 568 millimeters (22.4 in). In 2006, Tomsk experienced what might have been its first recorded hurricane-force winds, which toppled trees and damaged houses.^[10]

Politics[link]

A monument to Vladimir Lenin in Tomsk

Tomsk is governed by a mayor and a 33-member Duma. Nikolay Nikolaychuk,^[12][13][14] a member of The United Russia party, has been the Mayor since 2007,^[15] replacing mayor Alexander Makarov, who was suspended from his post pending the outcome of criminal proceedings against him. in russian

Of the 33 members, 16 are elected from the eight double mandate districts while 17 are chosen from party lists.

In the October 2005 local elections, United Russia was expected to cruise to a solid victory; however, the Pensioners Party put up a strong showing. The final count was (proportional representation):

• 19.42%—5 seats—Pensioners Party
• 17.85%—5 seats—United Russia
• 9.95%—3 seats—Communist Party
• 8.57%—2 seats—Union of Rightist Forces/Yabloko coalition
• 7.77%—2 seats—Liberal Democratic Party of Russia—
• 14.67%—Against all candidates

Double mandates

• 10 seats—No party affiliation
• 4 seats—United Russia
• 1 seat—Pensioners Party
• 1 seat—Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

Education[link]

Tomsk has a number of prominent institutions of higher education, including:

• Tomsk State University is the oldest university in Siberia (founded in 1878, opened in 1888). The archives of the Tomsk State University Library are ranked among the richest in Russia.
• Tomsk Polytechnic University, founded in 1900 is the oldest technical university in Siberia.
• Siberian State Medical University, one of the oldest and highest rated medical schools in Russia.
• Tomsk State Pedagogical University
• Tomsk State University of Architecture and Construction
• Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics
• Tomsk Economics and Law University
• Tomsk Institute of Business
• Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics Siberian Branch of RAS
• Institute of Petroleum Chemistry Siberian Branch of RAS
• Institute for Monitoring Climatic and Ecological Systems Siberian Branch of RAS
• Republican Scientific-Technical Center at ISPMS SB RAS
• Institute of Atmospheric Optics Siberian Branch of RAS
• High Current Electronics Institute Siberian Branch of RAS
• Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science SB RAS

The large number of educational institutions in the city have contributed to making Tomsk a major center for Russia's IT industry. Tomsk was one of the first cities in Russia to possess Internet service, which became available in the early 1990s due to grants received by the universities and scientific cooperation.

Culture[link]

Tomsk Museum for Regional Studies and the Organ Hall of the Philharmonic

Tomsk has many local cultural institutions including several dramatic theaters as well as a children's theater and a puppet theater. Major concert venues in the city include the Conservatory Concert hall and the Tomsk Palace of Sport. The city also has cultural centers dedicated to German, Polish and Tatar languages and culture.

One of the city's prominent theaters was destroyed in an act of terrorism in 1905. The Korolevsky Theater (built in 1884–85) was being used by a group of communist revolutionaries when the theater was attacked and set on fire by members of the Black Hundred, a hard-line nationalist organization. Those who escaped the flames were gunned down by Black-Hundred members waiting outside the theatre. Estimates put the number of casualties at between 200 and 1000.

There are a number of museums in Tomsk devoted to various subjects, most notably art, local history and wood carving. There is also a 'Museum of Oppression' housed in a former KGB dungeon. Tomsk State University has a number of small museums with exhibits on archaeology, paleontology, zoology as well as a herbarium and botanical garden

As in many other cities in the former Soviet Union, the revolutionary government destroyed a number of old churches in the city including two that had existed since the 17th century. However, Tomsk managed to retain some of its churches by transforming them into machine shops, warehouses, archives, and even residential buildings. Since the end of the communist era some of the churches have been renovated and returned to their congregations.

Tomsk is well known for its intricate "gingerbread" decoration of its traditional wooden houses. However, the number of old homes in this style is decreasing due to fire, as the structures have little to no fire protection, and redevelopment.

Trud (Labor) Stadium, in central Tomsk hosts FC Tom Tomsk, the city's professional soccer club. The team's 2004 promotion to the Russian Premier League gave local fans a chance to see some of the nation's best teams play at their local stadium.

Tomsk has many local media outlets including the TV2 television station, the radio stations Radio Siberia and Echo of Moscow in Tomsk along with several newspapers (Tomskii Vestnik, Tomskaya Nedelya, Krasnoye Znamya and Vechernii Tomsk).

In April 2006 Tomsk received international media attention as the venue of a major summit on economic cooperation, held in the city between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Tomsk was the name given by children's author Elizabeth Beresford to one of her fictional characters The Wombles, all of whom are named after places.

Notable people[link]

A satirical monument to Anton Chekhov, who made an unfavorable mention of Tomsk in his diaries while traveling through the city on his way to Sakhalin

Economy[link]

Energy generation[link]

Tomsk has the oldest electrical grid in Siberia. There are three powerstations in the city:

1. TEC-1 (launched on January 1, 1896)
2. GRES-2 (launched on May 28, 1945)
3. TEC-3 (launched on October 29, 1988)

Tomsk consumes more electric energy than it produces. The bulk of the city's electric and thermal energy is produced by the GRES-2 (281 MWt) and TEC-3 (140 MWt) powerplants, belonging to Tomskenergo Inc. Tomsk supplements its energy needs with electricity generated at Seversk.

Transportation[link]

Road network:

• northern branch of the M53 federal road;
• road R 398 to Kolpashevo;
• road R 400 to Mariinsk;
• Northern latitude highway Perm—Surgut—Tomsk (under construction).

There is a commercial and passenger port on the Tom River.

The city is served by Bogashevo Airport.

Railways[link]

Tomsk is a small railway centre that is situated on the Tayga (Тайга́)—Bely Yar line (Tomsk branch) of the Trans-Siberian Railway

The main line of the Trans-Siberian railway, built in 1896, passes 50 km south of Tomsk and bypasses Tomsk. Access from Tomsk to the Trans-Siberian railway is available via the town of Tayga. A regional rail line links Tomsk with Tayga.

The Tomsk Railway existed as an independent entity until 1961. At the present time, the Tomsk line belongs to the West-Siberian Railway, branch of Russian Railways Corp.. Trains link Tomsk to Anapa, Asino, Barnaul, Bely Yar, Moscow, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Sochi and Tayga.

City transport[link]

The main part of inner-city and suburban transportation is provided by marshrutka collective taxis, over 1000 marchrutkas, mainly PAZ) minibuses, serve about 40 bus routes.

Additionally, the city has 11 proper bus routes, 8 trolleybus lines (built in 1967) and five tram lines (constructed in 1949). Private taxis are also readily available.

Air transport[link]

Tomsk Bogashevo Airport is served by the following airlines: