centre of Novosibirsk

This is a satellite town, some 20 km to the south from the centre of Novosibirsk, amid enchanting woodland close to the Ob Sea. Accessible by local train or minibus from the city, too.

Set up in Soviet times by one of Russia’s greatest minds, mathematician Mikhail Lavrentyev, it allowed the young forward-thinking scientists who moved East from Moscow and St Petersburg a pleasant lifestyle, enabling them to work successfully.

It is home to 32 institutes and researching centres, the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Novosibirsk State University. 

A two day forum is discussing revolutionary new applications for radiation technology benefiting humankind.

Pioneering director of Novosibirsk Zoo died age 75 following medical treatment in Israel.

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. 

A pioneering French-Siberian Scientific and Education Centre highlights international recognition of Siberia's scientific strength.

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.

Centre is one of only two repositories in the world of smallpox virus, and a key hub of research into the planet's deadliest diseases.

Everyone knows that Istanbul is the city of contrasts; much less known is that Novosibirsk is the city of start-ups. 

Pioneering research in Novosibirsk can help formulate cures for depression in European people.

Scientists warn over 'rapid rate' of spread now accounting for 50% of new infections in Novosibirsk.