Omsk is a capital
city of the western Siberian region of Omsk - this predominantly industrial city is
located at the confluence of the Irtysh and Om Rivers. A major river port, Omsk is also an
important junction of the Trans-Siberian Railways. The city was established in 1716,
during the reign of Tsar Peter the Great by Ivan Buchholz as a fortified garrison,
transport and administrative centre for the remote northwestern parts of the empire. All
too soon, Omsk gained the dubious distinction of being the favourite detention and exile
destination of the Tsars, a practise later carried to new heights by the Communist big
bosses. The most illustrious of those banished to Omsk was the writer Fyodor Dostoevsky,
exiled here between 1849-1853. He tells the story of his days in exile in his book,
‘Buried Alive in Siberia’.
But right at the beginning, most of the residents of this faraway town were military
men. As Omsk grew, so did its population and soon the denizens of Omsk included merchants,
artisans, government officials as well as the soldiers and officers of the Imperial
Russian Army. By 1894, once the Trans-Siberian railroad connected Omsk to Moscow, St
Petersburg and the Far East, it became the Gateway to Siberia - paving the way for the
economic exploitation and commercial development of this rich region. Many national and
international companies opened their offices in Omsk, banks set up shop, business boomed
and so did construction activity. The old fortress remained the symbolic and actual heart
of Omsk but the city sprawled in the open spaces around the two rivers.
During the civil war in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Omsk
served as headquarters of the anti-Bolshevik armed forces under Admiral A. V. Kolchak.
World War II forced the Russians, now under Communist rule, to shift a number of vital
heavy industries to Omsk, as safe a destination as possible from German air raids. In the
last fifty years, Omsk has become a major industrial capital with motor works, defence
industries, oil refineries supplied by pipeline from West Siberia and factories producing
footwear, clothing, tyres and consumer durables.
Getting there: There are several ways to get to Omsk - most conveniently
by air from Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk. Omsk Avia, a local airlines flies to
Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Hanover in Germany. The only direct international train to Omsk
is from Berlin. Omsk is connected by train to Yekaterinburg (12hrs), Tyumen (8hrs),
Novosibirsk (10hrs) and Moscow (2 days). In the warmer months between June and September,
boats ply the Irtysh and Ob Rivers - from Omsk to Salekhard (2714km) via Tobolsk,
Khanty-Maniysk and Beryozova.
Basically an industrial city, Omsk's major attraction to tourists lies in its Siberian
locale but sights to see within the city include the two 18th century fortresses of Stary
Krepost and Novy Krepost, the beautiful 19th century cathedral, WWII memorial
dedicated to war heroes, the Omsk State Museum of Fine Arts, the Dostoevsky Literary
Museum and a beach along the banks of the Irtysh River.
Accommodation: Omsk has around 70 hotels, tourist centers and health
resorts but only two establishments that can fall into the three star category.
