Novosibirsk Guide

The city was founded in 1893, owing to the construction of the Great Trans-Siberian Railroad and in the beginning was named Novonikolaevsk, having only been renamed Novosibirsk in 1926.

Novosibirsk is the geographical center of Russia (whether you go to the west or to the east till the Russian border, the distance is the same). An advantageous location on the crossroads of the major transport routes promoted a rapid growth of the city, sometimes being called the "siberian Chicago", because of its phenomenal growth rate. Among all the big cities Novosibirsk was the most fast-growing; it reached a million population mark in less than 70 years (Chicago - in 90 years, New York - in 250, Moscow - in more than 700 years!). Nowadays it's the third largest city of Russia (after Moscow and St. Petersburg) both by population and area, and is often called: The Uncrowned capital of Siberia!

Novosibirsk is the business center of Siberia and home to the largest Siberian banks, as well as the Siberian Stock and Commodity Exchanges. It is also one of the largest industrial cities of Siberia. The main industries are: instrument making, machine building, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, processing precious materials, and production of farm machinery and chemical concentrates.

Novosibirsk is also one of the most important transport centers of the country. It is situated at the crossroads of water-, air-, auto-, and rail-ways and is the major hub of the Asian part of Russia.

Seven reasons to visit Novosibirsk:

1. Novosibirsk is the capital of Siberia, the 3rd largest Russian city, and the geographical center of Russia!
2. Novosibirsk lies at the crossroads of Russia - one of the main Transsib points - from where it is possible to go to any direction!
3. The Novosibirsk State Opera House is one of the biggest in the world and its stage is still bigger than that of the Bolshoi Theater of Moscow!
4. Novosibirsk's scientific center "Akademgorodok" is the only scientific center in the world where ALL scientific branches are present!
5. Novosibirsk Zoo is the only in the world, where the Argali and Putoransky ram are preserved.
6. The prettiest girls live here!

7. After your journey you could brag of your courage: "I've been to Siberia and have come back safe and sound!!!"

Novosibirsk in numbers:

477 km2 - Area of city territory

1,7 million - the population of Novosibirsk

4 - academies of sciences

42 - higher educational institutions

15 - radio stations

12 - television studios

More than 90 - fairs and exhibitions held in Novosibirsk annually

85 - countries connected with Novosibirsk by international business partnership

500 -flights per week from Siberia's largest air terminal

50 - international flights per week

12 - theaters

150 - restaurants and night clubs

13 - casinos

The Climate of Novosibirsk

The city is situated in the central part of Eurasia and has continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. The average temperature during the winter is -18 to -20 degrees C, during the summer +20 to +22 degrees C. Novosibirsk has the same latitude as Moscow, Copenhagen, and Hamburg, but it has much more sunny days (about 2080 additional hours annually). The weather is a welcome surprise to many visitors: winters are cold but sunny, summers are short but warm and pleasant. The late spring and the beginning of summer, with hot and sunny weather, is the most attractive period to visit Novosibirsk.