Novosibirsk

With a population of 1.5 million, Novosibirsk is the third largest city of Russia (after Moscow and St. Petersburg) and the main city of Siberia. Established in 1893 as the future site of a railroad bridge crossing the great Siberian river Ob (it is crossed by the famous Trans-Siberian Railroad built in 1890s - 1900s), it officially became a town in 1903.

From 1893 until 1925, Novosibirsk was called Novonikolayevsk. The original name refers to Nicolas II (Nikolay II Alexandrovich Romanov), the last Emperor and Sovereign of Russia the Great, the Little and the White, the Grand Duke of Finland, the Tsar of Poland, etc. With the beginning of the Soviet history the city was renamed Novosibirsk ("New Siberia") in 1925.

Novosibirsk has become the chief industrial, cultural and academic center of Siberia. Manufacturing includes mining equipment, turbines, textiles, chemicals, heavy machine tools, metallurgy production. It is the home of one of Russia's best universities, a number of institutes and a scientific research center. Novosibirsk boasts opera and ballet companies, several theaters, museums, and art galleries, and numerous sports facilities. Novosibirsk is the third city in Russia (after Moscow and St. Petersburg) in which a subway system was established (The Novosibirsk Metro, opened in 1985).

Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, one of the most impressive in Russia, was built during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and the grand opening took place on May 9, 1945-Victory Day. The Novosibirsk Philharmonic is among the best orchestras of Russia and in general, according to foreign critics, and it has come to represent the culture of Siberia.

The creation of Novosibirsk Akademgorodok (scientific center) in 1950s was the first large center of science created far from Moscow or Leningrad (St.Petersburg) by a group of prominent scientists (Lavrentyev, S. L. Sobolev, S. A. Khristianovich and others), who attracted gifted researchers from the country's western regions to the development of Siberian science. Today Akademgorodok is the seat for the Siberian Branches of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, with a unique complex of scientific and research institutes, Academy of Agriculture and Academy of Medicine.

Siberia has been opening up to the West and offers a range of still unexplored experiences and opportunities. As the cultural, scientific and educational center of Siberia, surrounded by picturesque wooded and field areas, Novosibirsk is an excellent place for immersion in the Russian language and culture, and provides many opportunities to experience the hospitality and cordiality for which Siberians are famous.