One doesn’t see too many old buildings and architecture in Novosibirsk as in other Siberian cities, like Tuymen, Tobolsk, Omsk or Irkutsk; from the beginning, Novosibirsk was built to serve as an administrative and political capital of Eastern Russia.
Nonetheless, the capital of Siberia is an interesting modern city that has a lot to offer.
The city’s heart is the Krasny Prospekt, the central avenue that made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world without any turns. Its length is 6,947-meters.
It seems like city planners used the vastness of Siberia with wisdom and not only built in Novosibirsk the longest street in the world, but also one of the biggest railway stations in Russia, the Novosibirsk Central Railway Station.
The huge feline is a scary-looking beast: it’s bigger than either of its parents, has a stocky build of a lion and a tiger-like striped pattern. Ligers exist only in captivity, as the natural habitats of lions and tigers don’t overlap.
The beautiful Opera and Ballet Theater in central Novosibirsk is a thing to be admired. Built in the 1940s, the Opera and Ballet Theater, dubbed as the “Coliseum of Siberia,” has received a number of accolades overseas. Interestingly, the theater in Novosibirsk is larger than the famous Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. That’s right, Moscow, deal with it.
But I think it’s neither the size of the building, its modern equipment, nor the beauty that makes the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater prominent, but the musicians and ballet dancers who work there. Having won international and Russian opera and ballet competitions, members of the theater’s repertory company are the true masters of their craft and hold highest honorary titles in culture and arts.
A city legend says there is a network of complex underground tunnels below the theater. According to the legend, at one point Joseph Stalin himself ordered to build a protective bunker for himself under the main theater in Novosibirsk.
For those willing to get to know Siberia, Novosibirsk would be a great place to start. The city has a world-class international airport and one can also be reached via the Tran-Siberian Railway. It’s worth mentioning that Novosibirsk is the main transportation hub for tourists willing to travel to the wild beauties of the Altai Mountains.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.
