It is located in the geographical center of the country. Huge, hectic. Hospitable. It owes its appearance to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Hello!

I recently returned from Novosibirsk ( video about November Novosibirsk) . I have been here many times already, and I never cease to be amazed at how quickly the city grew from a small village. Yes, even what! One of the largest in the country.

At first it was a railway station on the right bank of the Ob, it was called Krivoshchekovsky settlements, then — the village of Aleksandrovsky. A little later — Novonikolaevsk, in honor of the emperor (there was simply Nikolaevsk, on the Amur).

10 years after its foundation, the village became the city of Novonikolaevsky. It grew and developed rapidly — after all, it was a key station on the Trans-Siberian Railway. In 1925 Novonikolaevsk became Novosibirsk. That’s strange: why «Novo-«? After all, the city of «Sibirsk» did not exist … But they decided: Novosibirsk. And soon this name appeared on the maps.

The city is only 128 years old. Yes, for the city this is precisely “everything”. I remember very well when I was a student, I often heard the popular song “90 Years of Novosibirsk”…

Novosibirsk records

Today, the city’s population exceeds 1,620,000 people. And Novosibirsk became a «millionaire» after some 69 years from the moment of its foundation (in September 1962). And this is a world record. Chicago was previously thought to have reached the population of 1 million the fastest. But the American city took 20 years longer than Novosibirsk.

The main highway of Novosibirsk is Krasny Prospekt. Elegant, solid street. And it is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records — as the world’s longest completely straight street. Indeed, the straight section of Krasny Prospekt lasts as much as 12 kilometers.

And the grandiose NOVAT , the Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre? Previously, it was listed in the Guinness Book as the world’s largest theater building. But the Chinese pressed NOVAT. And now it is the largest theater in Russia. Much more than the famous Bolshoi. (There are 2 photos in the gallery).

Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Photo of the author. November 2021 Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Photo of the author. November 2021

And it is in Novosibirsk that the world’s longest covered bridge for metro trains is located. And this is also recorded in the Guinness Book. Moreover, the bridge is remarkable not only for its length, but also for the uniqueness of its design.

The world’s longest covered metro bridge is in the background. Photo of the author. 2016 The world’s longest covered metro bridge is in the background. Photo of the author. 2016

The new beautiful Bugrinsky Bridge also holds the record as the bridge with the tallest mesh arch.

Novosibirsk is also the first city in Russia where universal FREE primary education was legalized. In 1912, 12 elementary schools were built at the same time. And two of these 12 buildings still exist today.

And there is also the shortest street in Russia — Sibstroyputi Street, and the «smartest» street in the world — Akademika Lavrentiev Avenue. A record number of research institutes have been built on the avenue.

The city does not have a centuries-old history, but…

Yes, Novosibirsk is very young. And there are not many architectural monuments here. But there are several very beautiful buildings built at the beginning of the last century, and they are protected by the state. I’ll only show you the ones I’ve seen.

Novosibirsk. The building of the local history museum. Photo of the author. November 2021 Novosibirsk. The building of the local history museum. Photo of the author. November 2021

This building was built in 1910. It was built as a trading building. And in 1920, the Central Folk Museum of the city of Novonikolaevsk was organized here.

And here is a two-story elegant mansion on Michurin Street. To the right of the mansion is the famous Dezhnev River School. (There are 2 photos in the gallery).

Brick merchant’s mansion on the street. Michurina, 6. Photo by the author. Brick merchant’s mansion on the street. Michurina, 6. Photo by the author.

Presumably, this house was built in 1900 and belonged to one of the Tomsk merchants. In the building to the left of the mansion there is a hostel where I stayed when I flew to the ballet in NOVAT . Therefore, I had time to admire the old house and examine it. By the way, everything shows that he recently survived the reconstruction.

The station is one of the largest in the country.

And, perhaps, one of the busiest and most beautiful. The building is asymmetrical. And so it was conceived: it was built in the form of a steam locomotive. The left side is the nose. To see the steam locomotive, you need to move away.

Station Novosibirsk-Main. Photo of the author. November 2021 Novosibirsk-Glavny Station. Photo of the author. November 2021

Next to the «big» station is a smaller, suburban station. It is also very nice from the outside and renovated, quite modern inside the building.

Station Novosibirsk Prigorodny. Photo of the author. November 2021 Novosibirsk Prigorodny Station. Photo of the author. November 2021

There is a metro station near the railway stations. Here, on the square, intercity buses and buses to the airport stop. Very comfortably!

Novosibirsk metro is the easternmost in the country

The Novosibirsk metro in Russia is in third place — naturally, after the metros of Moscow and St. Petersburg. There are only 2 branches and 13 stations in Novosibirsk. The last station was built in 2010, finally opened in 2011 (there were problems with it, it was opened, then closed). Over the past 10 years, not a single station has been built, although there is a need for them, and what a need! At the same time, in the capitals, stations are growing like mushrooms. Why is Novosibirsk worse?!

Metro stations in Novosibirsk are very clean, neat, shallow.

Siberian station, Novosibirsk. Photo of the author. November 2021 Sibirskaya station, Novosibirsk. Photo of the author. November 2021

I love coming to Novosibirsk. I feel good in this city, despite its vastness and bustle. I can easily navigate here. I like its wide streets. I like it when you suddenly see a hundred-year-old mansion among the tall buildings in the center. I like that here and there there are numerous cafes and eateries with quite reasonable prices.

I like that there are a lot of young people in the city — because there are a huge number of educational institutions.

I had to come across stories on the Internet about Novosibirsk as a dirty, gray, uncomfortable city … And I saw it clean, spacious, modern, youthful. Although I usually come at the worst time of the year.

Have you been to Novosibirsk? What impression did the city leave?

Health to all and good mood, regardless of the weather!