Monday, Dec 04 2023

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'Lake Baikal's ability to purify itself is down to an endemic microscopic shrimp called epischura baikalensis'

'Sacred Sea', Peter Thomson

What to see

Novosibirsk - the unofficial capital of Siberia - is an excellent stopover for train travellers in search of rest and relaxation as they cross the continent.

Below are a few ideas, both within the city and also on a trip out to the satellite town of Akademgorodok, in the heart of pine forests

In summers - when it can be very hot - or in the extremely cold but sunny winters, the city is good for strolling, with plenty of pubs and cafes to wander into for those in need of a cooling, or warming, drink.

You’ll be pleased to see how many people speak good English.

Pervomaisky Park

A splash of green in the middle of the bustling city, at least in summer, with fountains and pleasant cafes.

Horse rides at weekends, with live music concerts.

Right opposite Novosibirsk City Hall at Lenin square.

Railway Locomotive Museum

This exceptional collection of brightly coloured historic engines and carriages, dating from pre-revolutionary times, is fascinating as much for the casual visitor as the railway fanatic.

You can climb into many of the old exhibits, and get a sense of the extraordinary Soviet locomotives that opened up Siberia in the age of steam.

From the city, you can get here by local train, perhaps combining a visit with sightseeing in Akademgorodok and at the Ob Sea.

USSR museum

Apparently the only USSR museum in Russia, opened in 2009 and situated in a pretty 1917-built wooden house, nestled between the city centre office and residence blocks.

So far it is more a chaotic collection of all kinds of items from the Soviet times, from iron hair-straightener to an old fashioned TV set, and famous Soviet perfumes, rather than a systemised museum exposition-but it is still worth a visit!

Some of the items are for sale.

Lenin Square

As a reminder of its Soviet past, a vast brooding statue of Lenin still glowers over a city centre that has already lost much of its Communist feel.

Good for souvenir photos, as a meeting point and just as beginning of your walk or drive about the city.

You may see just married couples visiting here and sipping champagne. Pleasant gardens around this square and open air exhibitions.

Novosibirsk Railway Station

Reputed to be the largest train station in Russia, it takes an area of almost 30,000 m2, and can simultaneously host 4,000 passengers.

Novosibirsk Glavniy Train Station is designed like a steam engine, heading East, with interiors which one of the visitors described like: ‘Huge and decorated like a concert hall in Vienna...high ceiling, big chandeliers, the architecture - it is unique!’

Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre

Completed during the Second World War, and with its first performance three days after peace in Europe on 12 May 1945, it is arguably the most extraordinary building in all Siberia.

Located on Lenin Square, it includes a vast dome some 60 metres wide and 35 metres high supported by neither columns nor girders. The dome is some 8cm thick, meaning that the ratio to its radius is less than that of a hen's egg.

The theatre has a capacity of just under 1,800, with a total area of 11,837 square metres and a volume of 294,340 cubic metres.

Novosibirsk Zoo

With more than 11,000 animals from 702 species - about 150 of them are from them World Red Book - Novosibirsk Zoo is a popular tourist attraction with almost a million visitors annually, and a noted scientific institution.

One of the largest in Russia, it boasts a world record in captive breeding programmes for endangered species.

Rostislav Shilo, Zoo’s Director since 1969, says that there are only two other self-supporting zoos in the world - in Singapore and in San Diego.