новосибирск

Novosibirsk is (not) my native city. I was born here in 2002. So I have been living in Novosibirsk since my birth. A few words about its history. The city was founded in 1893 on the place of the construction site of the railway bridge across the Ob. There is a legend that the bridge had to be constructed near Tomsk. But the community of Tomsk coachmen resisted the project being afraid of loosing their profits. The construction was run by an engineer Garin-Mikhailovoski. So the foundation of our city is connected with his name. The first settlement which appeared by the bridge was called Aleksandrovski after the tsar Alexander the third. In 1895 it was renamed Novonikolayevsk. In 1903 the settlement got a status of a town. The town grew so fast that it was often called Russian Chicago-the fastest growing city. Already before the First World War Novonikolayevsk became the main railway station in Siberia. In 1919 Novosibirsk was occupied by Kolchak troops. It was the time of opposition in the town society which resulted in bloody executions of Soviet activists first, then Kolchak officers and soldiers after the restoration of the Soviet power. In 1925 Novonikolayevsk was renamed Novosibirsk. The thirties were the years of fast construction of industrial giants, educational and cultural institutions (among them our college which was founded in 1936). During the great Patriotic War Novosibirsk hosted some huge plants evacuated from the European part of the Soviet Union Olovozavod, Metal Plant, Electrovacuum Plant, Tyazhstankohidropress Plant, Soyuz Plant Chemikopharmaceutical Plant added to the industrial development of the city. People work long hours. The bigger part of them were women and teenagers. But notwithstanding the hardships of life our citizens made an enormous contribution into the Victory and after war development of the country and city. Today Novosibirsk is a metropolis with more than 1,6 million inhabitants. The bigger part of them are Russians, then come Germans, Ukrainians and the Tatars. But every year the city is becoming more and more cosmopolitan: lots of people of different nationalities from the former republics of the Soviet Union, Tyva and even China come to work and study here. Our city is turning into a sight of glass and metal that is very beautiful as I think. But its 126 years history has left its remarkable monuments and places of interest. Among them is St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral. It is one of the first brick buildings on the territory of the city built in 1896-1899. The Tsar family made big donations to construct it. They paid for the land and also presented some icons. The Cathedral built in the remarkable Byzantine style was a monument to Alexander the third. In 1937 it was expropriated and given back to the Church only in 1989. Not far from the Cathedral you can admire St. Nikolas Chapel. In 1915 the Chapel was erected to commemorate the 300 anniversary of the Romanov Family. It served as a symbolic centre of the Russian Empire. But during the years of the Soviet power it was destroyed. In 1992 the Chapel was rebuilt and now it looks just as the original one. But the symbol of Novosibirsk is still the Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. Its construction began before the Great Patriotic War. According to the project of the architects Kurilko and Bart the theatre had to be a part of a huge Centre of Science and Culture complex with scientific research institutions, museums, art galleries. Later the project was changed. The theatre was opened in May 1945. It is the biggest theatre in the Asian part of Russia. It has three halls: big with 2,000 sits, concert and a small one with 130 sits. They stage great performances here. Opera and ballet stars are proud to appear here. In 1957 Akademgorodok was founded. The academicians Mikhail Lavrentiev and Sergey Sobolev became the main initiators of the idea. Today Akademgorodok is known all over Russia. Academician Lavrentiev Street is the smartest street in the world, because 20 institutions occupy 2 km of the street.

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Among them are such institutions as the institute of Thermal Physics, the institute of Computer Engineering, the institute of Cytology and Genetics, the institute of Organic Chemistry and others. Novosibirsk State University is famous all over the world. It is on the list of the 500 best universities among all world universities. Actually any interest can be satisfied in Novosibirsk. One can get higher education in 21 state education institutions and many private ones, lots of colleges, technical schools. Novosibirsk restaurants offer food from all over the world. People can enjoy jazz, samba or any other live music not only in concert halls but in cozy cafes or just walk along its pretty streets.