It is always interesting to study the history of a city. After all, the life path of cities is unique, and soon you begin to think about the purpose of each of them in the life of the country.
Overview
In our article we will talk about the history of Tomsk, why it has been progressively growing and developing over four centuries. It is surprising that this settlement was intended for prisoners and service people, but in a short period it became more significant than many other domestic cities. In 1991, Tomsk was given the status of a historical city, as unique historical buildings, landscapes, etc. were preserved in good condition. An asteroid (4931) was named after this city. The nuclear submarine K-150 "Tomsk", which is part of the Russian Pacific Fleet, is also named after the city. The writer A. Volkov was delighted with the greenery and vegetation of the city, which is why the magician from the fairy tale was from the Emerald City!
The history of Tomsk told us that the city had another name - Siberian Athens. Do you already want to know why it was called that? Then go ahead!
Foundation of the Tomsk Fortress
This amazing old Siberian city excites historians and archaeologists even today, and all because inIn 1604, Tsar Boris issued a decree on the founding of the city in "a strong place by the grace of the Lord …". The history of the city of Tomsk has more than four centuries!
Prince Toyan asked the king for help in defense and protection of his lands. Then the autocrat came up with the idea to found a city at the Cape of Voskresenskaya Mountain near the Tom River. The history of the name of Tomsk is simple: the city is named after the river on the banks of which it was founded. At the end of September of the same year, the construction of the settlement was completed.
The Tomsk Fortress was erected using the Gorodnya technique. At the base, the fortress had a quadrangle, with an area of 0.2 hectares. The height of the walls of the prison reached a maximum of 6.5 meters. There were 4 blind towers at the corners. Passing towers were built on the northern and opposite, southern, sides of the walls, their height was 13 and 22 meters. In the settlement there was a moving out hut, a governor's courtyard, various granaries and barns, as well as the Trinity Church, founded in 1606.
This was the small city of Tomsk. The history of its foundation is simple, but the significance of the city in the fate of the Russian state cannot be overestimated.
Tomichi continued to strengthen and build new walls of the settlement. So, in 1609, "within three walls" to the northern side of the fortress, another prison was nailed. The total length of its walls was about 604 fathoms and two arshins. Two deaf and passing towers were completed. Now the area of all Tomsk buildings was about 4 hectares. The history of the creation of Tomsk does not end there.
The next stage of construction
Another prison was built in 1634 on both sidesriver Ushaika, as most of the townspeople lived there. The locals called it "Lower Ostrog". The fiery element took Tomsk by surprise in 1639 and 1643. The city was badly burned. At that time, two thousand people already lived in Tomsk. Of these, more than 700 are peasants, townspeople and service people.
After the fires, by 1652, the townspeople and architects completed the construction of the city's fortifications.
By the end of the seventeenth century, Tomsk is a wooden fortress, surrounded by a palisade, with 7 built passable and deaf towers. The upper fortress adjoined the fortress on the northern side of the walls, where there was a large passing tower.
In 1734, G. F. Miller, a Russian historiographer, arrived in Tomsk. In his diary, he writes that the history of the founding of Tomsk is amazing, its growth delights with its pace. He also notices that the fortress was built “on the model of houses made of wood”, and there are artillery on the towers near the gates for firing. There was another tower - the seventh, with cunning. It belonged to Trinity Church. There was a small prison behind the fortress, in the 18th century captured Swedes languished in it.
By the end of the XVIII century the city was divided into seven parts. The fortifications of the city were no longer preserved. And in the city itself there were:
- 7 churches.
- 1 monastery.
- 237 shops=3 malls.
- 1500 city houses.
- 7500 inhabitants.
The history of Tomsk, recorded in the annals, says that in 1723 about 9 thousand citizens of different classes lived in the city.
How the city lived
Tomsk has becomeSiberian center in terms of economy, geography and military policy for several reasons. Let's take a look at them.
First of all, Tomsk is the center from where detachments of Cossacks came out to explore non-peaceful lands around from the Altai mountains, the Yenisei upper reaches to the steppes of Transbaikalia and even the shores of the Pacific Ocean! It was the service people of Tomsk who laid the first roads in these Siberian expanses.
Secondly, the primary economic basis for the development of the city was arable farming. It follows that Tomsk belonged to the arable cities of Russia. Soon a craft appears and develops in the city. Already in 1626 there were more than 20 artisans in the city. After 30 years, this number increases by 2.5 times. A hundred years later, there are more than 380 artisans of various speci alties among Tomsk residents. Among them were professional masters: icons, armor, watchmakers, etc. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, as the history of the city of Tomsk testifies, the smelting of iron from ore on an industrial scale was born. Woodworking and carpentry reached high heights. Tomsk architecture is a confirmation of this. The history of the buildings of Tomsk will be considered by us a little later.
Thirdly, the city very early and quickly became the largest shopping center, as it was founded in the neighborhood of the southern Siberian regions. Tomsk is the center of the transit movement of the peoples of Siberia.
Educational institutions
In the Siberian region, Tomsk has been leading the ranking in terms of the number of educational institutions for 100 years. Already in 1878 in this city wasthe first Imperial University in Russia beyond the Urals was opened.
V. V. Kuibyshev University is considered the oldest university in Siberia and the Far East. The history of Tomsk has shown that it was founded in 1880. A few years later, medical and law faculties were opened in the institution. In addition, pedagogical and medical institutes have been created on the basis of Tomsk State University.
In 1976, faculties were opened at TSU in the following areas:
- physical;
- radiophysical;
- mechanical-mathematical;
- physical and technical;
- geological and geographical;
- applied mathematics;
- chemical;
- soil biological;
- legal;
- philological;
- historical;
- economic;
- training;
- graduate school;
- preparatory and correspondence departments.
Research institutes in the fields of mechanics and mathematics, biology, and biophysics were opened at TSU. The university has its own botanical garden and many museums:
- mineralogical;
- paleontological;
- zoological;
- archeology;
- ethnography;
- herbarium.
The science library holds three million volumes on its shelves.
The dormitory for TSU students was built in 1883 entirely with donated funds. The rooms had furniture and utensils necessary for a comfortable stay of students. For them werecanteen and library are open. And the order in the dormitory was monitored by an inspection officer.
As for the leisure and cultural spheres of city life, a philharmonic society, theaters and museums were opened here already in the 19th century.
Some statistics
The opening of Tomsk State University has significantly affected the standard of living - it has improved qualitatively. This is not surprising, since 100 years after the opening of the university, almost 2000 teachers, teachers and researchers were recorded in the documents, of which about 70 professors and doctors of various sciences, about 450 associate professors and candidates, and the number of students exceeded 8000.
Outside view of the city
The history of houses in Tomsk suggests that the wooden and architectural architecture of that era had not only austerity, but also picturesque forms, attractive facades, good quality and amazing carved decor.
Today, many buildings have been preserved that will show the guests of the city the appearance of two centuries ago. The Church of the Resurrection, made in the Baroque style, is very beautiful. The Gostiny Dvor on the Market Square, made of stone, also looks amazing. There are buildings made in the manner of classicism:
- Magistrate (1802-1812).
- Public places (1830-1842).
- Exchange complex (1854-1854).
- The first building of TSU (1880-1885).
Abundant greenery, preserved forest areas, many stone and wooden buildings with unique carvings are features thatwhich distinguish the streets of Tomsk. History shows us a unique wooden architecture in the city, but, unfortunately, a large number of wooden buildings were destroyed by numerous fires. And today, buying a country house, Tomsk residents decorate its windows and doors with wooden carvings, they diligently preserve the traditions of the Siberian hinterland. The villagers also decorate their houses in the suburbs of Tomsk.
Where to go
| Institution | Address | Features |
| Local History Museum | Prospect Frunze, d. 2 | Founded in March 1922 in the house of the Tomsk gold miner ID Astashev. Assistance in the formation of the exhibition and museum exhibits was provided by the Tretyakov Gallery and the Rumyantsev Museum |
| Museum of Wooden Architecture | Kirov Avenue, d. 7 | The museum is located in a building-monument of national architecture of federal importance. The house is built of logs, the decoration is made in the Art Nouveau style. The exhibition of the museum is located on the second floor and even in the attic. The fund has about 200 exhibits, as well as 300 objects are stored there temporarily |
| Monument to Happiness | Shevchenko Street, d. 19 | The sculpture in the form of a wolf has another name - "I'll sing right now." It was opened not so long ago, in 2005. The wolf personifies happiness, according to the author of the project Leonty Usov |
| Monumentruble |
Square Novo-Sobornaya |
The weight of the wooden coin is about 250 kg. Such money is made from pine. At first, it was covered with a special solution from moisture damage, but later it was "packed" in a special transparent plastic box |
|
History Museum city of Tomsk |
Bakunin Street, d. 3 | The museum was opened to visitors relatively recently, in 2003. The exhibition is called "The First Century of Tomsk" |
| Epiphany Cathedral | Lenin Square, d. 8 | One of the oldest cathedrals in Tomsk. Built in 1630 |
| Planetarium | Lenin Avenue, d. 82, room 1 | Based on TSU |
|
Theater "Skomorokh" named after R. Vinderman |
S alt Square, d. 4 | The theater opened its doors to visitors in the 40s of the twentieth century. This place is great to visit with small children, as all performances are performed with the participation of puppets |
| Museum of Slavic Mythology | Zagornaya Street, d. 12 | The largest museum beyond the Ural region. The exhibition includes unique exhibits. Easel painting, graphics - all this is based on our mythology, as well as based on Russian folk tales. Ancient Russia comes to life before the eyes of museum visitors |
What else deserves the attention of city guests
Since Tomsk is an old Siberian city, there are many historical buildings here. Today they house a museum, banks, and administrative services. There are many Orthodox churches in the city, there is a church and even a mosque. Today, five universities operate on the lands of the former Tomsk Fortress, actors play on the stage of a drama theater. A huge number of unique and funny monuments adorn the streets of the city. But outside the city there are attractions that are no less interesting and significant!
So, for example, at the top of the Basandaika river there are about 15 springs with wonderful healing water. Three keys were called by the townspeople as "Talov bowls". They got such a figurative name due to the lime s alt that they contain. Coming to the surface of the river, the components form an oval wall, and it darkens due to the content of manganese oxide. The largest bowl has parameters:
- wall thickness - 30 cm;
- height - 1 meter;
- length - 4 meters.
They say that Talovskaya water is not only healing, but also pleasant to the taste. Surprising is the fact that in the harsh winter these springs never freeze.
Tomsk nature is rich in unique monuments that deserve no less attention than a temple or Gostiny Dvor.
Conclusion
The history of Tomsk is rich in events and facts. This city is rapidly growing and developing. In 4 centuries, he has achieved what many cities could not realize in a thousand years.
The city has created and developed a variety of infrastructure. Todaythe main problem is to preserve and modernize it. In addition, Tomsk has another concern - the preservation of the historical face, the creative ambitions of Siberian Athens - the historical cultural center. A large number of measures have been taken, but there is still much to be done by the authorities.
The history of Tomsk briefly and clearly demonstrates to the guests of the city its greatness, success and progress.
Tourists who have visited Tomsk say that it is impossible not to fall in love with this city. They saw him clean and well-groomed. It is noticed that drivers are polite to pedestrians. Women described it as a cozy and pleasant town. Men really like the Tomsk Beer Museum. Despite the fact that the city is considered ancient, it has a lot of young people who study at state universities and colleges.
You can get to this cozy and ancient city by plane, train, bus and, of course, by car. Let it be short from Novosibirsk: 250 km - and you are there.
