Tobolsk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tobolsk (English) Тобо́льск (Russian)
-  Town  -
Tobolsk Kremlin
Coat of arms	Flag
Town Day	Last Sunday of June
Administrative status (as of December 2014)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Tyumen Oblast
Administratively subordinated to	Town of Tobolsk
Municipal status (as of October 2014)
Urban okrug	Tobolsk Urban Okrug
Head	Peter Vagin
Representative body	Town Duma
Statistics
Area (October 2014)	221.98 km2 (85.71 sq mi)
Time zone	YEKT (UTC+06:00)
Founded	June 14, 1587
Town status since	1590
Postal code(s)	626111, 626147, 626148, 626150–626153, 626155–626159
Dialing code(s)	+7 3456
Official website: http://tobolsk.admtyumen.ru

Tobolsk (Russian: Тобо́льск) is a historic town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is located where the Tobol and Irtysh rivers meet. Tobolsk was founded in 1590. It is the second-oldest Russian settlement east of the Ural Mountains in Asian Russia. For a long time, it was the main capital of the Siberia region. Today, about 100,352 people live there.

History of Tobolsk

Early Beginnings and Conquest

The town of Tobolsk was built where an older Tatar town called Bitsik-Tura once stood. In 1580, a group of Cossacks led by Yermak Timofeyevich began to take control of Siberia for Tsardom of Russia. After many attacks from the Tatars, Yermak planned to conquer the capital city of the Khanate of Sibir, called Qashliq.

The Cossacks took Qashliq on October 26, 1582. The Tatar ruler, Kuchum, had to retreat. But Kuchum gathered his forces again. He launched a surprise attack on August 6, 1584, and Yermak was killed. Qashliq changed hands between the Tatars and Cossacks several times. It was finally abandoned in 1588. Kuchum was defeated for good by the Cossacks in 1598. This ended the Khanate of Sibir. Russia then had control over western Siberia.

Founding and Growth of Tobolsk

Tobolsk was founded in 1587 by Cossacks led by Daniil Grigor'yevich Chulkov. It was built near the destroyed city of Qashliq. Tobolsk quickly became the main center for Russia's expansion into Siberia. Other towns like Beryozovo (1593) and Mangazeya (1600-01) were built to the north. These helped bring the Nenets under Russian rule. To the east, Surgut (1594) and Tara (1594) were built. They protected Tobolsk and helped control the local Tatars.

Tobolsk was the second Russian town founded in Siberia, after Tyumen. It was named after the Tobol River. Its location where the Tobol and Irtysh rivers meet was very important. This made it a key spot for river trade routes. Tobolsk grew quickly because of trade with China to the east and Bukhara to the south.

Tobolsk as a Capital City

In 1708, Tobolsk became the capital of the new Siberia Governorate. It was a very important city. The first school, theater, and newspaper in Siberia were all started here. During the Great Northern War, many Swedish soldiers were captured. After the Battle of Poltava in 1709, they were sent to Tobolsk as prisoners of war. These Swedes made up about 25% of the city's population. They were well-liked by the locals because they helped the city grow. One building in the Tobolsk Kremlin was even named the Swedish Chamber in their honor. Many Swedes stayed in Tobolsk even after the war ended.

Around 1719, Russia started making changes to its administration. This caused Tobolsk to lose some of its political power. The huge Siberia Governorate was slowly divided into smaller areas. By 1782, the Siberia Governorate was gone. Tobolsk became the capital of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty. In 1796, it became the capital of Tobolsk Governorate. It remained an important administrative center. However, in the 1820s or 1830s, the main administrative office for Western Siberia moved to Omsk. Many towns in Western Siberia, including Omsk, Tyumen, and Tomsk, used to show the Tobolsk symbol on their coats of arms. Omsk still does this today.

After the Decembrist Revolt in 1825, some of the Decembrists (people who wanted to change the government) were sent to Siberia. Some of them settled in Tobolsk. In the 1890s, Tobolsk became less important. This happened because the Trans-Siberian Railway was built. It went between Tyumen and Omsk, but it bypassed Tobolsk to the south.

In the early 1900s, Tobolsk was known as the home province of Grigori Rasputin. He was a faith-healer who had a lot of influence with the Russian Imperial family. The city is close to his birthplace, Pokrovskoye. Tobolsk was also famous for its candy companies. These were run by immigrants from Karelia.

View of Tobolsk in 1913

The Soviet Era

In March 1917, the February Revolution led to Tsar Nicholas II giving up his throne. This ended the Russian Empire. In August, the new government sent the imperial family to Tobolsk. They lived in the former house of the Governor-General. Three months later, the October Revolution happened. The Bolsheviks quickly took power in Tobolsk.

In the spring of 1918, the White Army approached the city. The Bolsheviks then moved the imperial family west to Yekaterinburg. The imperial family and some of their helpers sadly passed away there in July 1918.

After the Bolsheviks won the Russian Civil War, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was formed. In 1920, Tobolsk Governorate was abolished. This ended Tobolsk's 218 years as a provincial capital. The city became the administrative center of its own county, Tobolsky District. From 1921 to 1922, Tobolsk saw large anti-Bolshevik peasant uprisings. These were led by peasants connected to the Green Army. Over the next few decades, Tobolsk was part of different regions. Finally, on August 14, 1944, it became part of Tyumen Oblast.

In 1982, there was an explosion in Tobolsk. Some sources say it was caused by sabotage. Others say it was due to improper installation. On July 10, 1987, Tobolsk was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honour. This was a special award from the Soviet government.

Recent History

On November 4, 1996, Tobolsk became an independent city. It was separated from Tobolsky District. This gave it the status of a town.

In 2013, a large factory called Tobolsk-Polymer opened. It produces polypropylene, which is a type of plastic. This was part of a plan to build a big petrochemical complex in the city. Tobolsk has also become a popular place for tourism in Siberia. People visit for its history, beautiful architecture, and natural scenery. It is also an important center for the Russian Orthodox Church. It is the seat of the Tobolsk Diocese, which was the first Orthodox diocese in Siberia.

Economy

The economy of Tobolsk today focuses on a large oil refinery and the petrochemical industry. This means they process oil and make chemicals from it. Some traditional crafts, like bone-carving, are also still practiced. The main factory and biggest employer in the region is Sibur holding.

The town is connected to other cities in Tyumen Oblast and other parts of Russia. You can travel by trains, buses, and since September 24, 2021, by air.

Climate

Tobolsk has a climate with cold winters and mild summers. In January, the average temperatures are very cold, from about -21.9°C to -13.1°C. In July, the summers are mild, with average temperatures from about +13.4°C to +23.9°C. It rains a moderate amount, with more rain in the summer months.

People of Tobolsk

Ethnic Groups

In 2010, the people living in Tobolsk were mostly:

• Russians – 76.4%
• Tatars – 16.8%
• Ukrainians – 1.9%
• Azerbaijanis – 0.8%
• Others – 4.1%

Famous People from Tobolsk

Many notable people have connections to Tobolsk, including:

• Alexander Alyabyev, a composer
• Dmitri Mendeleev, a famous chemist who created the periodic table
• Vasily Perov, a painter
• Nikolai Nikitin, a designer
• Semyon Remezov, a geographer
• Pyotr Pavlovich Yershov, a writer
• John of Tobolsk, a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church

Main Sights to See

Tobolsk is special because it is the only town in Siberia with a stone kremlin. A kremlin is like a city-fortress. The Tobolsk Kremlin was built around the late 1600s and early 1700s. Its white walls and towers, along with its churches and palaces, look amazing on the high river bank. In 1870, it was declared a national historical and architectural treasure.

Important buildings in the kremlin include:

• The Cathedral of St. Sophia (built 1683–1686)
• A merchant courtyard (built 1703–1705)
• An episcopal palace (built 1773–1775), which is now a local museum
• The Swedish Chamber (built 1713–1716), which has six beautiful baroque halls.

The town also has some beautiful baroque and Neoclassical churches from the 1700s and 1800s. You can also see a granite monument to Yermak Timofeyevich, designed by Alexander Brullov in 1839. Around Tobolsk, there are many ancient burial mounds called kurgans and old pagan shrines. Some of these are from as far back as 1000 BCE.

The Governor's Mansion was built in 1790. It is a historical monument protected by the Russian government. It was built in the classicism style and was one of the first stone buildings in the city. This mansion is famous for housing the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. They were sent there after he gave up his throne. The family was later moved to Yekaterinburg and sadly passed away there.

Twin Towns

Tobolsk is twinned with:

• Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States

See also

In Spanish: Tobolsk para niños