Tomsk Томск
City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
View of Tomsk
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Tomsk
Tomsk Location of Tomsk Show map of Russia Tomsk Tomsk (Tomsk Oblast) Show map of Tomsk Oblast
Coordinates: 56°30′N 84°58′E / 56.500°N 84.967°E / 56.500; 84.967
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Tomsk Oblast
Founded	1604
Government
• Body	Duma[2]
• Mayor	Dmitry Makhinya[3]
Area [4]
• Total	294.6 km2 (113.7 sq mi)
Elevation	80 m (260 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[5]
• Total	524,669
• Estimate  (2018)[6]	574,002 (+9.4%)
• Rank	32nd in 2010
• Density	1,800/km2 (4,600/sq mi)
Administrative status
• Subordinated to	Tomsk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction[1]
• Capital of	Tomsk Oblast,[1] Tomsky District[1]
Municipal status
• Urban okrug	Tomsk Urban Okrug[7]
• Capital of	Tomsk Urban Okrug,[7] Tomsky Municipal District[8]
Time zone	UTC+7 (MSK+4 [9])
Postal code(s)[10]	634xxx
Dialing code(s)	+7 3822
OKTMO ID	69701000001
City Day	June 7
Website	www.admin.tomsk.ru

Tomsk (Russian: Томск, IPA: [tomsk]; Siberian Tatar: Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, on the Tom River. Population: 556,478 (2021 Census);^[11] 524,669 (2010 Census);^[5] 487,838 (2002 Census);^[12] 501,963 (1989 Soviet census).^[13]

Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. It has six universities, with over 100,000 students, including Tomsk State University, the oldest university in Siberia.^[14]

Tomsk originated with a decree by Tsar Boris Godunov in 1604 after Toian [ru], the Tatar duke of Eushta [ru], asked for the Tsar's protection against Kyrgyz.^[15] The Tsar sent 200 Cossacks under the command of Vasily Fomich Tyrkov [ru] and Gavriil Ivanovich Pisemsky to construct a fortress on the bank of the Tom River, overlooking what would become the city of Tomsk. Toian ceded the land for the fortress to the Tsar.^[16]

In 1804, the Imperial Russian government selected Tomsk as the seat of the new Tomsk Governorate, which would include the modern cities of Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, and Krasnoyarsk, as well as the territories now in Eastern Kazakhstan. The new status brought development and the city grew quickly.^[16]

The discovery of gold in 1830 brought further development to Tomsk in the 19th century; however, when in the 1890s the Trans-Siberian Railway bypassed the city in favor of the village of Novonikolayevsk (Novosibirsk), development began to move south to connect with the railway. In time, Novosibirsk would surpass Tomsk in importance.

In the mid-19th century one fifth of the city's residents were exiles. However, within a few years, the city reinvented itself as the educational center of Siberia with the establishment of Tomsk State University, founded in 1880, and Tomsk Polytechnic University, founded in 1896. By World War II, every twelfth resident of the city was a student,^[16] giving rise to the city's nickname, the Siberian Athens.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the city became a notable center of the White movement, led by Anatoly Pepelyayev and Maria Bochkareva, among others. After the victory of the Red Army in the 1920s, Soviet authorities incorporated Tomsk into the West Siberian Krai and later into Novosibirsk Oblast.

Like many Siberian cities, Tomsk became the new home for many factories relocated out of the war zone from 1941. The resulting growth of the city led the Soviet government to establish the new Tomsk Oblast, with Tomsk serving as the administrative center.^[16]

During the Cold War, Tomsk became one of many designated closed cities,^{[citation needed]} which outsiders and, in particular, foreigners, could not visit. In 1949 matters went a stage further with the establishment of a secret city, known as "Tomsk-7^[17]" (or sometimes simply as "Postbox 5") 15 kilometres (9 miles) north-west of Tomsk; the new settlement became the home of the Tomsk Nuclear Plant (subsequently renamed the Sibirskaya Nuclear Power Plant), the Soviet Union's first industrial-scale nuclear-power station. Tomsk-7 received municipal status in 1956 and was renamed Seversk in 1992.

Tomsk serves as the administrative center of the oblast and, within the framework of administrative divisions, it also serves as the administrative center of Tomsky District, even though it is not a part of it.^[1] As an administrative division, it is, together with seven rural localities, incorporated separately as Tomsk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.^[1] As a municipal division, Tomsk City Under Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporated as Tomsk Urban Okrug.^[7]

Tomsk is divided into four city districts: Kirovsky, Leninsky, Oktyabrsky, and Sovetsky.

Tomsk has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) barely escaping a subarctic classification. The annual average temperature is +1.2 °C (34.2 °F). Winters are severe and lengthy, and the lowest recorded temperature was −55 °C (−67 °F) in January 1931. However, the average temperature in January is between −21 °C (−6 °F) and −13 °C (9 °F). The average temperature in July is +18.8 °C (65.8 °F). The total annual rainfall is 587 millimeters (23.1 in). In 2006, Tomsk experienced what might have been its first recorded winds of hurricane force, which toppled trees and damaged houses.^[18]

Tomsk is governed by a mayor and a 33-member Duma. The current mayor, appointed in 2013, is Ivan Klyayn,^[21] a member of The United Russia party.

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 (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 Rightist Forces/Yabloko coalition
• 7.77% — 2 seats — Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
• 14.67% — Against all candidates

Double mandates

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

In 2020, supporters of Alexei Navalny won at least 16 seats in Tomsk's 37-seat city council while the pro-Putin United Russia party secured no more than 11 seats.^[22]

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Tomsk has the oldest electrical grid in Siberia. There are three power stations in the city:

1. TEC-1 (launched on January 1, 1896)
2. GRES-2 (launched on May 28, 1945)
3. TEC-3 (launched on October 29, 1988)

Tomsk consumes more electric energy than it produces. The bulk of the city's electric and thermal energy is produced by the GRES-2 (281 MWt) and TEC-3 (140 MWt) powerplants, belonging to Tomskenergo Inc. Tomsk supplements its energy needs with electricity generated at Seversk.

A large number of educational institutions in the city have contributed to making Tomsk a major center for Russia's IT industry. Tomsk was one of the first cities in Russia to gain access to the Internet, which became available in the early 1990s owing to grants received by universities and scientific cooperation. Tomsk has a number of prominent institutions of higher education, including:

• Tomsk Polytechnic University, founded in 1896 and opened in 1900, the oldest technical university in Siberia.^[23]
• Tomsk State University, the oldest university in Siberia (founded in 1878, opened in 1888).^[23]
• Siberian State Medical University, founded in 1930.^[23]
• Tomsk State Pedagogical University^[23]
• Tomsk State University of Architecture and Construction^[23]
• Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics^[23]
• Tomsk Economics and Law University
• Tomsk Institute of Business
• Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, Siberian Branch of RAS
• Institute of Petroleum Chemistry, Siberian Branch of RAS^[23]
• Institute for Monitoring Climatic and Ecological Systems, Siberian Branch of RAS^[23]
• Republican Scientific-Technical Center at ISPMS SB RAS^[23]
• Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Siberian Branch of RAS^[23]
• High Current Electronics Institute, Siberian Branch of RAS^[23]
• Institute of Strength Physics and Materials Science SB RAS^[23]
• Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture and Peat^[23]
• Tomsk National Research Medical Center, Siberian Branch of RAS^[23]

• northern branch of the M53 federal road;
• road R 398 to Kolpashevo;
• road R 400 to Mariinsk;
• Northern latitude highway Perm—Surgut—Tomsk (under construction).

Tomsk is a small railway center that is situated on the Tayga—Bely Yar line (Tomsk branch) of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The main line of the Trans-Siberian railway, built in 1896, passes 50 km (31 mi) south of Tomsk and bypasses Tomsk. Access from Tomsk to the Trans-Siberian railway is available via the town of Tayga. A regional rail line links Tomsk with Tayga.

The Tomsk Railway existed as an independent entity until 1961. At the present time, the Tomsk line belongs to the West-Siberian Railway, branch of Russian Railways Corp. Trains link Tomsk to Anapa, Asino, Barnaul, Bely Yar, Moscow, Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk, Sochi, and Tayga.

The majority of inner-city and suburban transportation is provided by marshrutkas (routed taxis) and minibuses (mostly manufactured by PAZ, and serving about forty routes).

Additionally, the city has eleven proper bus routes, eight trolleybus lines (built in 1967), and five tram lines (constructed in 1949). Private taxis are also readily available.

• 
  Asia AM928
• 
  Mudan MD6106
• 
  LiAZ-5256
• 
  PAZ-3205
• 
  Tram KTM-19 (71-619KT)
• 
  Tram KTM-5M3 (71-605)
• 
  Tomsk trolley
• 
  Trolleybuses Trolza
• 
  AKSM-321 low-floor trolleybus
• 
  Bogashevo Airport
• 
  Tomsk-1 railway station
• 
  Tomsk River Port

The city is served by Bogashevo Airport, which offers both domestic and international flights.^[24] Located 20 kilometers from the city center, the airport was renovated in 2013.^[24] The airport is home to offices for S7 Airlines, Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, Turukhan Airlines, NordStar Airlines, RusLine, Red Wings Airlines, ALROSA, and UTair Aviation.^[24]

There is a commercial and passenger port on the Tom River.

Tomsk has many local cultural institutions including several drama theaters, as well as a children's theater and a puppet theater. Major concert venues in the city include the Conservatory Concert hall and the Tomsk Palace of Sport. The city also boasts cultural centers dedicated to German, Polish and Tatar languages and culture.

One of the city's prominent theaters was destroyed in an act of terrorism in 1905. The Korolevsky Theater (built in 1884–85) was being used by a group of communist revolutionaries when the theater was attacked and set on fire by members of the Black Hundred, a hard-line nationalist organization. Those who escaped the flames were gunned down by Black Hundred members waiting outside the theater. Estimates put the number of casualties between 200 and 1000.^{[citation needed]}

There are a number of museums in Tomsk devoted to various subjects, most notably art, local history and wood carving. There is also a Museum of Oppression, housed in a former KGB dungeon. Tomsk State University has a number of small museums with exhibits on archaeology, paleontology, zoology, as well as a herbarium and a botanical garden

As in many other cities in the former Soviet Union, the revolutionary government destroyed a number of old churches in the city including two that had existed since the 17th century. However, Tomsk managed to save some of its churches by transforming them into machine shops, warehouses, archives, and even residential buildings. Since the end of the communist era some of the churches have been renovated and returned to their congregations.

Tomsk is well known for its intricate "gingerbread" decoration of traditional wooden houses in the area. However, the number of old homes in this style is decreasing due to redevelopment or some of them catching fire, as the structures have little to no fire protection.

Trud (Labor) Stadium, in central Tomsk was the base for matches with the FC Tom Tomsk, the city's professional football club, before dissolving in 2022. The team's 2004 promotion to the Russian Premier League gave local fans a chance to see some of the nation's best teams play at the city's own stadium.

Tomsk has many local media outlets including the TV2 (Tomsk) [ru] television station, shut down by the authorities and turned into an internet TV medium,^[25] the radio stations Radio Siberia and Echo of Moscow in Tomsk along with several newspapers (Tomskaya Nedelya, Krasnoye Znamya and Vechernii Tomsk).

In April 2006 Tomsk received international media attention as the venue of a major summit on economic cooperation, held in the city between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Tomsk is the only non-capital member of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21.

Tomsk is twinned with:

• Monroe, Michigan, United States
• Toledo, Ohio, United States
• Tbilisi, Georgia
• Novorossiysk, Russia
• Smolensk, Russia
• Ulsan, South Korea

• Akademgorodok in Tomsk
• Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, Tomsk

• Государственная Дума Томской области. Закон №271-ОЗ от 22 декабря 2009 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Томской области», в ред. Закона №153-ОЗ от 17 ноября 2014 г. «Об упразднении отдельных административно-территориальных единиц Томской области и о внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Томской области в связи с упразднением отдельных административно-территориальных единиц Томской области». Вступил в силу по истечении 10 дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Томские новости", №51, 24 декабря 2009 г. (State Duma of Tomsk Oblast. Law #271-OZ of December 22, 2009 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Tomsk Oblast, as amended by the Law #153-OZ of November 17, 2014 On Abolishing Several Administrative-Territorial Units in Tomsk Oblast and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of Tomsk Oblast Due to the Abolition of Several Administrative-Territorial Units in Tomsk Oblast. Effective as of the day which is 10 days after the day of the official publication.).
• Государственная Дума Томской области. Закон №238-ОЗ от 12 ноября 2004 г. «О наделении муниципального образования "Город Томск" статусом городского округа», в ред. Закона №76-ОЗ от 19 июня 2014 г. «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Томской области в части уточнения статуса населённых пунктов, входящих в состав городских, сельских поселений». Вступил в силу по истечении 20 дней со дня официального опубликования (6 декабря 2004 г.). Опубликован: "Красное знамя", №154, 16 ноября 2004 г. (State Duma of Tomsk Oblast. Law #238-OZ of November 12, 2004 On Granting Urban Okrug Status to the Municipal Formation of the "City of Tomsk", as amended by the Law #76-OZ of June 19, 2014 On Amending Parts of Various Legislative Acts of Tomsk Oblast Dealing with the Clarification of the Status of Inhabited Localities Within Urban, Rural Settlements. Effective as of upon passing of 20 days from the day of the official publication (December 6, 2004).).
• Государственная Дума Томской области. Закон №241-ОЗ от 12 ноября 2004 г. «О наделении статусом муниципального района, сельского поселения и установлении границ муниципальных образований на территории Томского района», в ред. Закона №76-ОЗ от 19 июня 2014 г. «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Томской области в части уточнения статуса населённых пунктов, входящих в состав городских, сельских поселений». Вступил в силу по истечении 20 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Томские ведомости", №47, 18 ноября 2004 г. (State Duma of Tomsk Oblast. Law #241-OZ of November 12, 2004 On Granting the Status of a Municipal District, Rural Settlement to and on Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations on the Territory of Tomsky District, as amended by the Law #76-OZ of June 19, 2014 On Amending Parts of Various Legislative Acts of Tomsk Oblast Dealing with the Clarification of the Status of Inhabited Localities Within Urban, Rural Settlements. Effective as of after 20 days from the day of the official publication have passed.).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tomsk.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tomsk.

• Kropotkin, Peter Alexeivitch (1888). "Tomsk(1.)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (9th ed.). pp. 437–439.
• Tomsk: Cultural treasure in the taiga
• Pictures for the 400th anniversary of Tomsk (in Russian)
• The Pictures of Tomsk on Flickr.com
• Tomsk live webcams (in Russian)
• Pictures of Tomsk Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine (in French)