Novosibirsk is rightfully considered the capital of Siberia and is the third largest city in Russia after Moscow and St. Petersburg. Until the 20s of the 20th century, Novosibirsk was located in 2 time zones at once: residents of the left bank of the Ob “laged behind” the right bank by exactly 1 hour.
The distance from the capital of Russia to Novosibirsk is 3345 kilometers. The fastest way to find yourself in this city is by air from Moscow. It only takes 4 hours. You can also get to the city by land transport, but it takes about two days.
In Novosibirsk, as in any metropolis, there are many nice monuments and interesting places where you can have a good time and expand your horizons. We will tell you about some of them now.
In the central area of the city there is a monument to the first traffic light (on the map),
which locals sometimes call “City” or “Monument to the first traffic cop”. The first traffic light in the city appeared in 1940. Its bronze “brother” is life-size. Next to the traffic light there is a nameless guard who vigilantly monitors road safety, saluting everyone passing by.
The Ascension Cathedral was once a small wooden church. During numerous reconstructions, it turned into a luxurious stone cathedral (on the map),
in which you can hear the singing of the bishop’s, youth and children’s choirs and see many shrines and stunningly beautiful iconostasis.
One of the favorite places for city residents to relax and take leisurely walks is the dendrological park, spread over 130 hectares (on the map). More than 350 plant species are represented here. Many of them were brought from Asia and North America.
The Railway Bridge is one of the main historical monuments of Novosibirsk. The bridge across the Ob was founded on July 20, 1893 (on the map),
and this date became the city’s birthday. It was one of the most important innovative projects of the time, but after a century of operation the structure was dismantled. Now there is one span of the bridge installed on the embankment, which serves as a museum exhibit.
The Novosibirsk Zoo is one of the largest in Russia (on the map). The territory of 60 hectares is home to over 10,000 representatives of the animal world, which belong to 662 species, including endangered ones. For example, the Caucasian leopard lives here, which is practically not found in other zoos in the world. Of particular interest is the Tropical World pavilion with huge aquariums.
If it’s gloomy outside but you want some warmth, you should take a look at the Museum of Happiness (on the map). It is located in a house – an architectural monument, and occupies only one room on the second floor, accessed by a spiral staircase. Despite its miniature size, the museum stores more than 1,000 exhibits that you can hold and carefully examine from all sides. Naturally, the first exhibit was an ancient horseshoe – a symbol of good luck. Her age is 100 years. There is one belief associated with this museum. Its essence is that if you make a wish under an open museum umbrella embroidered with 300 buttons, then it will definitely come true.
Novosibirsk has its own “star path”, which you will not find in other cities of Russia – Alley of Bards (on the map). In 2005, a monument to Vladimir Vysotsky was erected, and at the same time the idea of creating such an Alley arose. A year later, the “stars” of Okudzhava, Vizbor, and Galich were founded here. This became a good tradition, and since then, a new bard star “lights up” every year in Novosibirsk.
In the capital of Siberia there is another unique museum – the Museum of the Sun, which is located in the country-famous Academgorodok (on the map). Here, without exception, all the exhibits are dedicated to the sun, and there are more than two thousand of them – images of the sun, amulets, talismans, archaeological finds collected from all over the world. Most of the exhibits are the private collection of the museum founder Valery Lipenkov.
Novosibirsk is famous for its planetarium (on the map). More precisely, there are two of them: Big and Small. Both are equipped with the most modern technology, and the excursions are exciting and educational not only for those interested in astronomy.
By and large, the Novosibirsk planetarium is a single complex consisting of several buildings and structures designed for observing the starry sky. For example, in the Foucault Tower there is a pendulum of the same name, named after the scientist from France who proved and demonstrated to the scientific world the daily rotation of our planet. You can see this wonderful device with your own eyes. In addition to the tower, an astrophysical center, two observatories with powerful modern telescopes, and a scientific and technical museum are available for visiting. The planetarium is open every day except Monday. The entrance ticket costs 200 rubles.
When traveling around Novosibirsk, you should definitely take a metro ride across the bridge over the Ob. Its length is slightly more than 2 kilometers; this is the longest bridge of its kind in the world (on the map).
The city has its own chocolate factory. Sets of Novosibirsk candies will be a wonderful gift for loved ones. Pine nuts, pillows with cedar shavings, and various products made from this wood are also chosen as souvenirs: Novosibirsk cedars are famous for their special “living” energy and healing properties.
The journey through Russia continues:
What to see in Chelyabinsk
Cultural enlightenment in Ural: the city of Ekaterinburg
