Tomsk

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Tomsk

Image:Tomsk city flag.png	Image:Tomsk city coat of arms.png
Flag	Seal

Image:RussiaTomsk2005.png

Tomsk and Oblast on the map of Russia

Coordinates: 56°30′N 84°58′E

Oblast

Tomsk

Mayor

Aleksandr Makarov

Area

- City

294,6 km²

- Land

294,6 km²

- Water

0 km²

Elevation

+100 m

Population

- City (end of 2005)

509,568

- Density

1,730/km²

Website: Municipality website

Image:Tomsk Privokzalnaya square 1.jpg Image:TSU-2004-19924.jpg Image:TomskCoin.jpg Tomsk (Russian: Томск) is a city on the Tom River in the southwest of Siberian Federal District, Russia, the administrative centre of Tomsk Oblast. It is located about twenty kilometres south-east of the town of Seversk, a major centre of plutonium production and reprocessing and uranium enrichment in Russia. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004. Population: 487,838 (2002 Census).

1 Geography
2 Climate
3 History
4 Politics and government
- 4.1 Proportional representation
- 4.2 Double mandates
5 Education
6 Culture
7 Famous people
8 Tomsk Sister Cities
9 External links

[edit] Geography

Tomsk is divided into four city districts: Kirovsky, Leninsky, Oktyabrsky, and Sovetsky. The historical areas of Tomsk include: Voskresenskaya Gora (Resurrection Hill), the Swamp, Belozerye, Greater and Lesser Yelany, Zaistochye (Tatar settlement), the Lakeside, Kashtak, Kirpichi, and Mukhin Mound^{[citation needed]}.

In 2005, the city annexed the settlements of Eushta, Dzerzhinsky, Timiryazevskoye, Zonalny, Loskutovo, Svetly, Kirgizka, and Kopylovo.

[edit] Climate

Tomsk has a continental climate. The annual average temperature is −1.3°C. Winters are severe and lengthy, and the lowest recorded temperature was −56°C in January 1996. However, the average temperature in January is between −21°C and −19°C. The average temperature in July is 23°C to 25°C. The total yearly rainfall is 435 mm.

[edit] History

In 1604, the Russian tsar Boris Godunov ordered Cossack leader Gavril Pisemsky and boyar son and strelets officer Vasiliy Tyrkov to found a fort on the Tom River in place where its small right tributary Ushayka River flows into it, on Tatar land, to protect the river crossing and Eushta population from Kalmyk and Kyrghiz tribes. It became important as a military center for pacifying the native people and evolved into a regional administrative center. Beginning in the late 1830s, its population grew quickly thanks to the intensifying gold-mining activity in Siberia.

[edit] Politics and government

Tomsk is governed by a mayor and a 33-member city Duma. The current mayor is Aleksandr Makarov and the current Duma chairman is Nikolai Nikolaichuk, both members of United Russia. Of the 33 members, 16 are elected from the eight double mandate districts while 17 are chosen from party lists.

In the October 2005 local elections, United Russia was expected to cruise to a solid victory, however, the Pensioners Party put up a strong showing. The final count was:

[edit] Proportional representation

19.42% - 5 seats - Pensioners Party
17.85% - 5 seats - United Russia
9.95% - 3 seats - Communist Party
8.57% - 2 seats - Union of Right Forces/Yabloko coalition
7.77% - 2 seats - Liberal Democratic Party of Russia -
14.67% - Against all candidates

[edit] Double mandates

10 seats - No party affiliation
4 seats - United Russia
1 seat - Pensioners Party
1 seat - Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in Siberia.

Tomsk has a number of prominent universities:

Tomsk State University is the first university in Siberia (founded in 1878, opened in 1888). The prominent Tomsk State University library book reserve is considered to be among the richest in Russia.
Tomsk Polytechnic University which opened in 1900 is the first technical university in Siberia.
Siberian State Medical University, one of the oldest and highest rated medical schools in Russia.
Tomsk State Pedagogical University
Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building
Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics
Tomsk Economics and Law University
Tomsk Institute of Business

Thanks to its strong university presence, Tomsk has become a center of the IT industry in Russia.

[edit] Culture

Image:Tomsk Lenin 75.jpg

Tomsk has many local cultural institutions including drama theaters, a children's theater and a puppet theater. One can find music at the city concert hall, home of the local orchestra, or the sports palace where pop and rock stars perform. The city also has centers of German, Polish and Tatar culture where residents can study languages or learn about other countries.

Unfortunately, one of Tomsk's theaters was destroyed in a bloody act of terrorism in 1905. The Korolevskii Theater (built in 1884-85) was being used by a group of communist revolutionaries one evening, when members of the Black Hundred struck. The Black Hundred was a hardline organ of the tsar and brutally stamped out opposition. The theater was set on fire with Black Hundred members shooting those who tried to escape the flames. Estimates of casualties ranged from 200 to 1000 people.

There are a number of museums in Tomsk including those devoted to art, local history and wood carving. Tomsk State University has a number of small museums with exhibits on archaeology, paleontology, zoology as well as a herbarium and botanical garden.

Image:Tomsk Lenin square 7.jpg

As in many other cities in the Former Soviet Union, the government destroyed a number of old churches in the city including two that had existed since the 17th century. However, Tomsk managed to retain some of its churches by creating alternative uses for them such as machine shops, warehouses, archives, and even residences. Since the end of communism, some of the churches have been renovated and handed back to their congregations.

Tomsk is well-known for its (gingerbread) carved wooden houses. The quantity of these wooden houses is constantly decreasing due to fire and new construction.

Trud (Labor) Stadium, in central Tomsk, plays host to FC Tom' Tomsk, the city's soccer team. Thanks to the team's promotion to the Russian Premier League in 2005, local fans have the opportunity to see Russia's best soccer teams when they visit each year.

Tomsk does have many local media outlets including a television station TV2, radio stations (Radio Siberia and Echo Moscow - Tomsk) and newspapers (Tomskii Vestnik, Tomskaya Nedelya, Krasnoye Znamya and Vechernii Tomsk).

Tomsk received notoriety thanks to a major economic cooperation summit to be held in Tomsk between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in April 2006.