Упражнение 3. Поставьте предложения упражнения 2. в активный залог.

Омск.  Омская область. Общие  сведения.

Тексты для дополнительного чтения

 

Vocabulary list

I

 

1. bank – берег

2. anniversary – годовщина

3. merchant – купец, купеческий

4. inhabitant – житель

5. unpaved – немощенный

6. crooked – кривой

7. pass through – проходить

8. exile – ссылка

9. welfare – материальный

10. spirit – дух

11. fate – судьба

12. eminent – замечательный

13. strive – стремиться

14. revalue – переоценить

15. energies – усилия

 

 

II

 

1. Siberian – сибирский

2. Oil Refinery – нефтеперерабатывающий завод

3. Tyre-Making plant – шинный завод

4. Synthetic Rubber plant – завод по производству синтетического каучука

5. Smoke-Black plant – сажевый завод

6. Trans-Siberian Railway – Транссибирская железная дорога

7. Drama Theatre – Драматический театр

8. Musical Theatre – Музыкальный театр

9. Puppet Theatre – Кукольный театр

10. Concert Hall – Концертный зал

11. Sports and Concert Palace – СКК

12. Omsk Folk Choir – Омский русский народный хор

13. Omsk Symphony Orchestra – Омский симфонический оркестр

14. Fine Arts Museum – Музей изобразительного искусства

15. Memorial Square – мемориал

16. Eternal Flame – Вечный огонь

 

Text I

 

Omsk is one of the oldest Russian towns. Omsk is situated on the banks of the Irtysh and Om rivers. The Siberian сity Omsk will celebrate its 300^th Anniversary in 2016. A former small merchant town has turned for the years of Soviet power into a large industrial, scientific and cultural center of West Siberia. The city today numbers about 1200000 inhabitants.

At the beginning of the 18 century a group of Russian soldiers and Cossacks under the guidance of an officer Bukhgolts founded a fortress on the left bank of the Om river. The fortress was later renamed a town of Omsk. So Omsk was founded in 1716. At the end of 19^th century the Great Trans-Siberian Railway passed through Omsk. Before the revolution Omsk was just like any other Siberian town – wooden houses, unpaved, dirty, crooked streets, no parks and gardens. Omsk was a place of exile. Decembrists and revolutionaries were exiled by the tsarist government to Omsk. A great Russian writer Dostoevsky spent 4 years in the Omsk fortress.

The city of labour produces goods in sum of more than 6 billion roubles a year. Some items are being supplied to more than 60 countries all over the world. The pride of our city is the first Oil Refinery, a giant of Siberian petrochemistry, which was put into operation in 1965. Besides the chemical enterprises of our city include Synthetic Rubber plant, the Tyre – Making plant, the Smoke – Black plant and others. Engineering, instrument making, light and building industries are developed in Omsk.

Omsk is with good reason considered a city of students, of the youth. Every the fourth of the city’s residents is studying. There are all kinds of educational institutions in Omsk. We have 14 universities, many technical schools, libraries. The A.S. Pushkin Library is the biggest of them.

The city’s history of welfare standards and culture has a particular effect on its characteristics and spirit. The lives and fates of such eminent people of the country as F. Dostoevsky and M. Vrubel,  V. Kuibyshev and D. Karbyshev, P. Dravert and V. Shebalin,              L. Martynov, S. Zaligin and other prominent figures in science and art are closely connected with Omsk.

There are a lot of varieties for leisure – theatres, museums, concert halls, exhibitions, gymnasiums, sports grounds, Palaces of Culture, discotheques and swimming pools – for townsfolk. For the believers there are cathedrals, prayers houses of various in the city. The best known theatres in Omsk are the Drama Theatre, the Musical Theatre, the Children’s Theatre and the Puppet Theatre. A fine Concert Hall, an Organ Hall, a Circus, the Sports and Concert Palace are at our disposal. The Omsk Folk Choir and the Omsk Symphony Orchestra are famous in the world. The Fine Arts Museum and other museums possess wide collections of exhibits and paintings. They are worth visiting. There is the Memorial Square with the Eternal Flame in the centre of the city, a lot of monuments, fine green parks and gardens with many beautiful flowers and different kinds of entertainments.

But at the same time Omsk is the city with its own unsolved problems. We live in the period of great changes. We strive to revalue many respects and start life afresh. Our energies are directed to creating required productive, living and spiritual conditions for the Omsk residents.

 

 

- Give English equivalents to the Russian words and word combinations.

1. старинный русский город 2. берег 3. праздновать 4. маленький купеческий город 5. житель 6. левый берег 7. проходить 8. немощёный 9. кривой 10. пыльный 11. место ссылки

12. гордость 13. считать, полагать 14. город студентов 15.материальная  и духовная культура 16. собор 17. храм 18. молитвенный дом 19. развлечения 20. переоценить

 

_______________________________________________________

 

revalue, bank, entertainment, cathedral, prayers house, celebrate, inhabitant, small merchant town, left bank, pass through, unpaved, crooked, dirty, exile, pride, consider, a city of students, welfare standards and culture

- Make up sentences.

1. The city, to number, 1200000, inhabitants, today.

2. So, 1716, in, Omsk, to found.

3. Oil Refinery, Siberian, petrochemistry, to be, a giant, of. 

4. They, to be, visiting, worth.

5. To live, we, in, of, the period, changes, great.

6. Library, Pushkin, to be, big, the, of, them.

 

 

- Answer the following questions.

 

1. What is Omsk?

2. How old is Omsk?

3. What is the population of Omsk?

4. How was it founded?

5. What are the main branches of industry in Omsk?

6. Why do we consider Omsk a city of students?

7. What theatres do you know in Omsk?

8. What places of interest are there in Omsk?

9. What problems must the inhabitants of Omsk solve?

 

 

- Make up a plan of the text.

- Give a short story about Omsk.

- Speak about the history of Omsk using the following words

And word combinations.

 

To be situated, merchant town, to turn for, center, a group, soldiers and Cossacks, guidance, Bukhgolts, to found, fortress, to be renamed, Great Trans-Siberian Railway, to pass through, to be like, wooden, unpaved, dusty, crooked, exile, Dostoevsky.

Т ext II

Omsk in a nutshell

· Founded in 1716

· Is said to be the capital of South-Western Siberia

· Situated in the southern part of the West-Sibеrian plain

· Climate is continental

· Population is 1,5 mil people

· Distance from Moscow - 2555 km.

· Local time GMT + 6

· Phone code: 3812

· Big railway traffic centre

Basic info

Omsk is said to be the capital of South-Western Siberia.

The territory of Omsk region is 139,7 thousand square kilometres and is divided into 32 administrative districts.

 

Population

Population is 1,5 million people. It is a multinational city. It is inhabited by Russians, Germans, Ukrainians, Tatars, Kazakhs, Belorussians, Bashkeers, Jewry and other nations, altogether – about 80 nationalities.

Geography

Omsk region is situated in the southern part of the West-Siberian plain. On the West and North the region borders with Tyumen region, on the East – with Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions, on the South and South-Western direction – with Kazakhstan.

History of Omsk Region

Omsk was founded in 1716 as a fortress at the junction point of channels of the Irtysh and the Om rivers by Colonel Ivan Bukhgolts, this historic fact initiated developing one of the oldest cities in Siberia.

At the second part of the 18th century the fortress became the largest fortification at the East of the country. Construction of Trans - Siberian railway boosted the development of the city. Railway connected Omsk with European part of Russia.

Culture

There are 83 public libraries with book fund exceeding 7 million

pieces, 9 museums, containing over 220 000 collection items, theatres

of Omsk are also well known in Russia as well as abroad.

 

Sport

Athletes from Omsk have been taking part in national and international competitions, Olympics. Wrestler Alexander Pushnitza, swimmer Roman Sludnov and gymnast Irina Chashina are world known.

Omsk Hockey Team Avangard is the champion of the Russian Hockey Superleague in 2004, 2 times took the second place – in 1998 and 2006, and is proud to be the European Hockey Champion in 2005.

Healthcare

There are 10 000 physicians and 17000 nurses in Omsk as well as 60 hospitals and 158 dispensaries. Omsk Medical Academy trains highly skilled doctors of different specialties and is in charge of raising the level of G.Ps skills.

The distinguishing feature of our people, in this case our physicians, is that they are perfectly glad to share their knowledge and experience with students.

We have very friendly and warm relationships with leading hospitals, thus, they are constantly waiting for our students. We hope everybody can appreciate the atmosphere, which prevails in our hospitals.

There are 30 special medical centres in Omsk, such as: endocrinological, pulmonological, perinatal, microsurgery, surgery of

 lever, gastroenterology, and diagnostic centre, the largest one in Siberia.

How to get

The flight time from Moscow is 3 hours. There are 3 flights every day: 2 in the early morning and one at night.

 

 

Те xt III

Everyone who has once visited Omsk notices its openness, breadth and peculiarity. The city on the banks of the Irtysh and Om rivers is beautiful and sweeping in a Siberian manner. A beautiful site was chosen for the new fortress by the guardsman of Peter the Great I. Bukhgolts, when in spring of 1716 he and his detachment made a landing on the shore of the free Irtysh, in the place where this powerful Siberian river takes the quiet Om into its broad riverbed. According to the edict of the tsar Peter the Great and his deputy in Siberia prince Gagarin, pioneers erected here the fortification to guard the south Russian borders. Thus was founded the town, which in our days became the largest industrial and cultural centre of Siberia. No trace was left of wooden fortress - primogenitor of the town. But the ancient stone houses and the entrance fortress gates on the right bank of the river Om, where it flows into the Irtysh, still keep the voices of the remote past. Right here in the 1760s, when the wooden buildings of the first Omsk fortress became dilapidated, a new fortification was founded, this time built of stone.

In 1782 the fortress settlement was given the name of a town. Among inhabitants of this town were merchants, artisans, officials, but most people were the military. In 1812 battalions of the 24th Siberian division went to fight with Napoleon. Many of them died the death of brave on the Borodino field. The Shirvansky musketeer regiment units guarding the borders of Omsk fortress also distinguished themselves in the fights with Frenchmen. Later the heroes and participants of that war served in Omsk. At different times the post of West Siberian Governor-general was held by P.  Kaptsevich and G. Husford. During that time the town grew considerably, was decorated with gardens and sturdy stone buildings. In the 1820s Omsk was lined with buildings by the project of the famous Russian engineer V. Geste. Since that time the central architectural ensemble of the town began to take shape. One of the Omsk central buildings became the palace of Governor-general. In celebration days the tricolor flag appeared on the tower. From this tower the young town was viewed by many guests - well-known scientists, diplomats and travellers. They could see new squares, wooden houses with mezzanines and galleries, the broad Irtysh, ships, fresh green Lyuba's Grove and the fortress with mighty belfry of Voskresensky Cathedral. The military significance of Omsk determined the fates of many Russians. We are not sure if the famous horses of talented sculptor Peter Klodt could appear on the Anitchkov Bridge in Petersburg without his Omsk experiences. Because here in Omsk a gifted boy fell for horses - these proud and beautiful animals. The fame found him in the Northern capital but here in Omsk, far away from European artistic world, for the first time baron Klodt felt the desire to learn curving, modelling and studying horses. Among that lot a huge to him Cossack Nikolsky Cathedral in the garden of which the artist could have walked. "Its severe slim appearance" is very alike to its architectural brothers in Petersburg. And it's quite explicable because the Cathedral was built by the famous architect V. Stasov's drawings, who built a lot in the city on the banks of Neva. In 1894 when the railroad came to Omsk it was called the Gates of Siberia. The Great Siberian Track made the economic contacts of business men more active and easier, by connecting Omsk with Moscow, Petersburg and Far East. The representatives of famous Russian and foreign firms came to the far Siberian town. Due to this Omsk started intensive construction of imposing buildings: banks, shops, apartments and offices. In our days the work of organizations responsible for the keeping of Omsk antique memorials became animated, there appeared enthusiasts-students of local lore, whose opinion is considered by the community. The city's department of architecture lead by A. Karimov has provided the restricted areas where the erection of new buildings is strictly regulated. One of such areas are the Cossack suburb. Each house here has its unique history. On Pochtovaya street remained some ancient houses, among them No, 27 - the Khiebnikovs house where Omsk artists are working now. Durable house with a verandah facing the garden, with carved laurel branches on the front door and frieze reflected the taste of his owner the famous public figure, lawyer Arseny Khiebnikov. At the beginning of the 20-s this house was visited by the talented youth, among them was young Vissarion Shebalin, who performed many of his works in this house on Pochtovaya for the first time. In the 50-s - 60-s in the North - West of Omsk due to the construction of the first Siberian oil refinery grew the town of oil industry workers. This town appeared on the spot which since the 18th century occupied "the quiet little village of Zakhlamino, surrounded by the windmills" as wrote  I. Belov in his "Travel Notes and Impressions of Western Siberia" in the 1850s. A new city was created designed, by the indivisible architect-artistic project (the Vesniny Brothers architectural-planning workshop). The idea of the city-garden presented for the first time in 1919 by the engineer D. Werner was incarnated at the end of the 50-s, when the city was all in green and the lawns of parks and public gardens were filled with exotic flora. Many interesting buildings appeared in Omsk during last decades. Among the buildings which enriched the city's panorama we can enumerate the Trade Center, the builders of which were awarded the State prize in 1968, the Pushkin Scientific Library (architects Y. Zakharov, G. Narizyna, T. Moraz, I. Lubchich) on the Krasny Put street. Omsk architects are trying to form the complete ensembles, they attach great importance to the moulding of building's silhouette, use widely the natural factors in their creative plans. And at the same time they don't forget the antiquity and understand the necessity of its preservation. The city cherishes its past. The architects and antiquity lovers restored the Serafimo-Alexeevskaya Chapel which even now is surrounded by numerous legends. One of them tells that the Chapel was built in 1908 to memorize the birth of the Tsesarevitch Alexey. Another tells that it was built to memorize the soldiers killed in Russian war with Japan. The chapel was torn down in the 1920-s and was rebuilt brick by brick by the project and su per-vision of artist V. Desyatov. You can meet the history of Omsk not only on the streets of the city. It lives in the museums, in the inspirational works of Omsk artists, actors and history scientists. Omsk museum of local lore, history and economy is the oldest in Siberia. It was founded in 1878 by the famous Siberian scientists, explorers and public figures: M. Pevtsov, G. Potanin, N. Yadrintsev, I. SIovtsov.

The city has great scientific potential. The names of academician the Honorary citizen of Omsk V. Bisyarina, academician                N. Milachshenko, corresponding member of Medical Academy           L. Poluektov, Honorable Science and Technics Workers K. Artemiev, T. AIexeyeva, D. Krinitsin, V. Mezentsev, K. Tolmachev, social anthropologist I. Tomilov are well known in Russia and abroad. Omsk is theatrical city. It has 5 state and 3 municipal theatres for 1200 thousand city dwellers. It's hard to buy tickets for many plays and today in the developing market relations when many theatres in different cities close, here in Omsk in the beginning of the nineties there opened 4 more theatres.

 

Те xt IV

In our days the work of organizations responsible for the keeping of Omsk antique memorials became animated, there appeared enthusiasts-students of local lore, whose opinion is considered by the community. The city's department of architecture lead by A. Karimov has provided the restricted areas where the erection of new buildings is strictly regulated.

One of such areas are the Cossack suburb. Each house here has its unique history. On Pochtovaya street remained some ancient houses, among them No, 27 — the Khiebnikovs house where Omsk artists are working now. Durable house with a verandah facing the garden, with carved laurel branches on the front door and frieze reflected the taste of his owner — the famous public figure, lawyer Arseny Khiebnikov. At the beginning of the 20-s this house was visited by the talented youth, among them was young Vissarion Shebalin, who performed many of his works in this house on Pochtovaya for the first time.

Next is another famous building, No. 30 on Krasnykh  Zor street, former Nikolsky avenue. Here lived our famous fellow-townsman prominent contemporary poet Leonid Martynov. We can entitle the book of his memoirs "The Aerial Frigates" the Omsk encyclopaedia of the first half of the 20th century. His love to the town was active, his interest to its history and its present was real. "This town standing on the border of Kazakhstan and Siberia, town where January frosts resemble Arctic and June heat resembles Middle Asia. This town above quiet Om has grown during last 20 years" — wrote Martynov in his book "the Fortress on Om".

Forever will remain in the history of WW II the names of its heroes. The name of Dmitry Karbyshev, our fellow-countryman, Omsk Military School graduate, man of great strength became a legend. 134 Omsk citizens were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

During this time the city 2,5 thousand kilometers away from Moscow was hosting the evacuees from Leningrad and other front-line towns and cities. Sharing bread and shelter with them. Omsk received industrial enterprises from the Ukraine, turned its cultural places into hospitals. 37 hospitals were opened and each third Omsk dweller became a blood-donor during the war.

There almost was no civil construction during the war. On the vacant lots were urgently erected shops of military plants. In those days started their activities the Baranov Motor works, the Oktyabrskaya Revolution Tank plant, Omsk Tyre plant and many others, turning Omsk into large industrial center of Siberia. The builders lived in barracks which disappeared totally only in the 70s.

In the 50-s - 60-s in the North - West of Omsk due to the construction of the first Siberian Oil Refinery grew the town of oil industry workers. This town appeared on the spot which since the 18th century occupied "the quiet little village of Zakhlamino, surrounded by the windmills" as wrote I. Belov in his "Travel Notes and Impressions of Western Siberia" in the 1850s. A new city was created designed, by the indivisible architect-artistic project (the Vesniny Brothers architectural-planning workshop).

The idea of the city-garden presented for the first time in 1919 by the engineer D. Werner was incarnated at the end of the 50-s, when the city was all in green and the lawns of parks and public gardens were filled with exotic flora. Many interesting buildings appeared in Omsk during last decades. Among the buildings which enriched the city's panorama we can enumerate the Trade Center, the builders of which were awarded the State prize in 1968, the Pushkin Scientific Library (architects Y. Zakharov, G. Narizyna, T. Moraz, I. Lubchich) on the Krasny Put street. Omsk architects are trying to form the complete ensembles, they attach great importance to the moulding of building's silhouette, use widely the natural factors in their creative plans. And at the same time they don't forget the antiquity and understand the necessity of its preservation.

The city cherishes its past. The architects and antiquity lovers restored the Serafimo-Alexeevskaya Chapel which even now is surrounded by numerous legends. One of them tells that the Chapel was built in 1908 to memorize the birth of the Tsesarevitch Alexey. Another tells that it was built to memorize the soldiers killed in Russian war with Japan. The chapel was torn down in the 1920-s and was rebuilt brick by brick by the project and supervision of artist V. Desyatov.

You can meet the history of Omsk not only on the streets of the city. It lives in the museums, in the inspirational works of Omsk artists, actors and history scientists.

Omsk museum of local lore, history and economy is the oldest in Siberia. It was founded in 1878 by the famous Siberian scientists, explorers and public figures: M. Pevtsov, G. Potanin, N. Yadrintsev,    I. SIovtsov.

In 1923 the museum was granted with the best building of the city, the former palace of governor-general, and in the middle of eighties the museum moved to a new building, built by the special project in Lenin street. The museum depositories are filled with more than 250.000 unique items telling about the history of the land, about its nature, its culture.

Each visit to the museum is a joy of knowing your past, modern life of your native city, a joy of meeting professionals, a joy of joining to the tense spiritual activity of enthusiasts.

In 1924 the Vrubel Museum of Fine Arts was established as the art department of the museum of local lore, history and economy. Its collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and works of arts and crafts. The pride of the museum collection make canvases by Russian artists I. Repin, V. Serov, I. Shishkin, V. Surikov, I. Levitan. Spectators are always attracted by the Russian avant-garde collection: N. Goncharova, M. Larionov, V. Kandinsky, A. Yavlensky, members of "Jack of Diamonds". Omsk museum is the only museum in Siberia which owns works by great painter M. Vrubel — who was born in Omsk.

The former general-governor palace is very beautiful but too small for the huge museum collection and that's why the new building — the former trade house built in 1914 by the architect A. Kryachkov and restored by the Omsk specialists — was granted for that collection. Recently museum moved to that new building. There is enough space now to exhibit icons, Siberian tumuli gold, Faberge jewelry, glass and ceramics items which for many long years were kept in its depositaries.

Five years ago in Omsk appeared the memorial museum of the Peoples Artist of Russia Kondraty Belov. It is placed in the old wooden house and is the bright example of the city's care for its talented sons — for carpenters who built this house, for its former owner F. Stumpf. This house became the memorial of wooden architecture. It's filled with warm atmosphere of cosiness. The artist's atelier is in one of the rooms on the second floor. From the pictures look faces of kinfolk and friends of Kondraty Belov. You can see here his palette, his easel with unfinished work of the master. On the rag we can see his hat, coat, walking stick... These things create the feeling of artist's presence here, next to you. In the evenings the museum turns into musical- poetical drawing-room. The Dostoevsky Literature Museum is also one of the city's memorial museums. Until recently it was the department of the Museum of Local Lore, History and Economy but now it's the independent scientific- literature center. Here you are absorbed into another world, into years when Fyodor Dostoevsky was the Omsk convict, when worked P. Dravert and Anton Sorokin, when there appeared Vsevolod Ivanov's first works, when Leonid Martynov wrote his books, when in the 60-s Leonid Ivanov astonished everyone with his knowledge of rural life, when Timofey Belozerov wrote his fine children's poems.

Omsk artists show their love to the city in their own picturesque way. We can easily recognize the brush of our popular artists K. Belov, K. Chshekotov, V. Volkov, T. Kozlov, P. Mukhin and try to understand the canvases by N. Brukhanov, N. Tretyakov, we always admire landscapes by V. Kukuytsev, A. Sapozhnikov, I. Sevokhin,                  R. Cherepanov, graphics by Zheliostov, A. Chermoshentsev, talented works by Kichigin and others. Though their works are different they all invite us to pay more attention to our native city, show us its beauty.

A. Lieberov is the real singer of Siberian nature. His pastels are so deep and so lyrical, you can't take you eyes off of them. Many today's artists are his apprentices. Alexey Lieberov organized the artistic-graphic faculty of the Pedagogical University, opened the Lieberov centre.

Omsk dwellers and guests of Omsk are invited by exhibition halls of the Omsk Artists' Union, here you can also buy the pictures you like. More than 100 artists are members of the Union. But not all of them are able to find their own spectators. According to this in 1991 by the City Administration was opened the municipal museum "Art of Omsk".

The idea of Russia artistic culture development through all possible assistance of provincial artistic life, its special artistic aura was taken as a principle. The author of this idea art critic V. Tchirkov has been studying the artistic "local spirit" for many years and showed the unique city feature consisting of the powerful level of young artists that didn't have until recently the output to a wide audience of spectators.

Best works by S. AIexandrov, M. Gerasimov, S. Tyrkov, A. Titov, N. Molodtsov, G. Dashkova, T. Koltyukhina, applied artist                  V. Novokshonov and others were collected. (Over 2000 exhibits in total.)

The city has great scientific potential. The names of academician the Honorary citizen of Omsk V. Bisyarina, academician                     N. Milachshenko, corresponding member of Medical Academy           L. Poluektov, Honorable Science and Technics Workers K. Artemiev, T. AIexeeva, D. Krinitsin, V. Mezentsev, K. Tolmachev, social anthropologist I. Tomilov are well known in Russia and abroad.

Omsk is theatrical city. It has 5 state and 3 municipal theatres for 1200 thousand city dwellers. It's hard to buy tickets for many plays and today in the developing market relations when many theatres in different cities close, here in Omsk in the beginning of the nineties there opened 4 more theatres.

Theatricality of the city was formed by many generations of enthusiasts. We can find its sources in the fair show-booths and in the private theatre which appeared in the Omsk fortress by the order of the Siberian Corps commander lieutenant-general I. Springer in 1764 "to polish young people". In winter 1764 - 65 there were staged first plays and in the middle of the 19th century amateur plays were staged in Siberian Military School, there also were performances in Omsk jail. Historians say that F. Dostoyevsky took part in staging the play "Violet and Miroshka".

Today the leading city theatre — the Academic Drama Theatre occupies the premises built in 1904-1905 with the money gathered from the city dwellers. The building was reconstructed many times and is an architectural monument now.

During different years Omsk Drama gave to Russia Vladimir Torsky, Vazlav Dvorzhetsky, Vladimir Rautbart, Spartak Mishurin, Mikhail Ulyanov. In recent years on its stage were shone the talents of People's artists Aleksey Teplov, Sergey Filippov, Nozhery Tchonishvily, Alexander Shchegolev, Boris Kashihn. The theatre's "hours of triumph" was the time when its artistic leaders were Yakov Kirzhner, Arthur Khaikin, and later Gennady Trostenetsky. Exactly at that time the theatre discovered new authors, new plays, twice became the State prize winner, was awarded the title of academic and Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

It's difficult to buy tickets to Omsk Drama. Not long ago the theatre opened a chamber stage, named after the People's artist of Russia, State prizes winner Tatyana Ozhigova.

Since the middle of the eighties, when borders have been opened theatre actively invites foreign producers and often tours abroad. The theatre was invited to the World Theatre Festival, performed in Geneva, Warsaw and Poznan, in Remscheid, got into close creative contacts with the Milwaukee (USA) repertoire theatre. There are international conferences and symposia at the theatre. But the main thing is that the theatre is beloved by Omsk dwellers.

The former Operetta Theatre received the status of Musical Theatre at the end of 1981 together with a new building erected in the center of the city by the project of Moscow architectural workshop.

The modern outward appearance, spacious foyers with pictures by the leading city painters, large but cozy auditorium, stage equipped with up-to-date sound and light devices create the special theatrical atmosphere.

But the essence is not in the building, it's in the best creative traditions, in the cast. There are about fifty soloists- vocalists in the cast and a perfect orchestra at the theatre, conducted by the chief conductor, Honoured Art Worker of Russia, Udmurtia State prize winner E. Rozen. The ballet troupe created by the cares and endeavors of the Honoured Art Worker of Russia, honorary citizen of Omsk V. Tulupova was filled to great extent by young graduates of specialized schools. The ballet is now lead by the experienced master S. Kolesnik. The theatre's chorus is multitudinous and harmonious thanks to creative cares of the chief choirmaster T. Bobrova.

Having stable creative group, the theatre collected extensive repertoire of different genres. It includes the classic opera plays, ballets, operettas.

It's hard to find among the inhabitants of Omsk the person to whom the Theatre of Children and Youth is not familiar. Not so long ago it was called the Theatre of Young Spectators and its removal to the new building was a big event in the cultural life of youth.

During last 10 years this theatre is headed by the artistic leader   V. Rubanov, who was awarded the title of Honoured Art Worker of Russia Federation recently. He has formed the troupe of really creative persons sharing the same views. Among them are Honoured Artist of Russia V. Kiseleva, Honoured Culture Worker I. Abramov, leading actors S. OIenberg, A. Goncharuk and many others.

It's always animated and merrily at the Theatre of puppet, actor and mask "Harlequin". It's the theatre for the smallest children, and they unlike adults don't suppress their emotions and respond to everything happening on stage very spontaneous. Because there are fairy-tale's heroes from "Teremok", "Little Red Riding Hood", "One Inch Maid", "Three Little Pigs", who play, live, struggle with evil and children want to help them very much.

"Harlequin's" plays are known to both children and adults. Some time ago the theatre staged for them "Mess-Mend", and together with the musical theatre presented them with opera buffo "The Blue Beard".

The theatre owes its indubitable success to the leading actors- puppeteers, Honoured Artists of Russia Emira and Edward Urakovs, actors Valery and Nina Isaevs, G. VIasov, N. Kuznetsova, chief producer B. Salmachev, production designer O. Verevkina.

Four years ago enthusiasts who couldn't imagine their lives without a theatre, headed by S. Rudzinsky — young and with no doubt talented producer, staged their first performance although they didn't have neither permanent place of their own, nor necessary means. But their enthusiasm and professional skills were highly estimated by the community and spectators and the troupe became the federal Fifth Theatre.

The municipal theatre of drama and comedy the Gallery is young and talented. It was born due to the love to the theatre of a group of actors, unquestionable organizing talent of its artistic leader V.Vitko and cares of the City Administration. The theatre's orientation to the staging of home plays creates the definite image, forms the spectators' interest. The Gallery is always full and critics confirm that "...it smells like Russian spirit". Based on N. Leskov's work the musical play "Left-hander" was on for some seasons. Very popular is fair-show based on the D. Averkin's play "Frol Skobeev", filled with joy and popular humor; psychologically deep stage research by F. Dostoevsky "Village Stepantchikovo". The play "Uncle Vanya" is full of mild Chekhov lyricism.

Its fifth anniversary season the theatre celebrated with the plays by Sukhovo-Kobylin "the Marriage of Kretchinsky" and "the Marriage of Belugin" by A. Ostrovsky.

The name of Lyubov losifovna Yermolaeva is well known to Omsk theatre-lovers. Over 30 years she was in charge of people's theatres of Agricultural University and the Maluntsev palace of culture. Studiousness, ability to get people "infected" with theatre, amazing responsiveness to the creative search — all that helped former amateurs to become professional actors, poets, pressmen and simply people enamoured of theatre.

Only its first anniversary has celebrated in the 280th anniversary of the city the experimental Lyceum Theatre. It's unique. It's headed by the Honored Artist of Russia V. Reshetnikov. All directors- pedagogues are highly professional persons and the actors are the school children and pupils of Lyceums, learning theatrical secrets. They are taught the basis of stage movements, speech, history and theory of theatre. During last year they staged 4 new productions — one for each age group. They were shown at best city stages and each meeting with spectators was a success.

The city is distinguished by its musicality. The city musical environment is formed by children art schools, the Shebalin Musical College, the Omsk State Philharmonic Society with its wonderful symphony orchestra and the State Russian Peoples Chorus, created in the fifties by E. V. Kalugina — connoisseur and collector of folk song.

The musical enquiries of citizens were fully satisfied when in the beginning of nineties new city troupes were created. Among those were municipal brass band, Russian chamber orchestra "Lad", Russian folk dance ensemble "Irtysh" and the very young "Credo".

The special social-cultural milieu in the city is created by holidays. Most of them were born in Omsk and became traditional. The most bright and light feeling of life give the children's festival- concerts  "The Glass Shoe", the annual city holiday "All Colors of the Rainbow".

And how wonderful are winter holidays with the bright sun and strong Siberian frost! They include the New Year holiday with obligatory merry ice sledges and fortresses, with troika rides and Siberian fun competitions, Shroventide with its fairs, skomorokhs and traditional pancakes.

The City Day is of a special interest. It's held in the beginning of August. All city parks of culture and rest with their carnival and concert programs take part in this holiday. And finally the general fireworks prepared by special scenario finish the holiday.

The Soul of Russia that's the name of a holiday born in 1992 on the City Administration's initiative. It's the holiday of Russian original national culture revival. This holiday includes creative meetings, scientific conferences on problems of revival and development of national cultures, festive gatherings in the streets and many concerts held by professionals and amateurs. The holiday of folklore song and dance which became international now is the organic part of it.

 

Те xt V

Omsk Region is located in the southern part of the West Siberian Plain midway along the Irtysh River. Its surface is a rolling plain with elevations of 100-140 m; ridged uplands (crests) are typical of the southern half of the region, while broad expanses of swamp are characteristic of the north. There are also many lake basins and sinks. The region has a moderately cold continental climate with long, severe winters and short summers. The average January temperature is about -20°C, and the average July temperature is +20°C.

E Еmblem

The region extends 450-500 km from north to south, which leads to considerable variation in climatic conditions. Whereas the northern part of the region receives annual precipitation of 400-500 mm and is considered relatively moist, the arid southern part receives 300 mm or less. Other indicators change accordingly: average annual temperature varies from -1.1°C in the north to +0.4°C in the south; the frost-free period, from 90-100 days in the north to 115-120 days in the south, and the vegetation period, from 153 to 162 days.

Flag

All rivers belong to the basin of the Irtysh River, which flows through the region for more than 1000 km. The water content of the Irtysh at the city of Omsk based on average long-term discharge rates is equal to 865 m³/s. Its largest tributaries within the region are the Om and Tara rivers. The river network is sparse in the south and fairly dense in the north; the rivers are mainly snow-fed and have a pronounced spring runoff. Lakes in the south are mostly saline, while those in the north are generally fresh.

The predominant soils are black earths (chernozems), which cover 23.6% of the region (3.3 million hectares), followed by boggy (21%), alkali and brackish (15.6%), podzolic (13.3%), degraded alkali (7.3%), meadow (5.8%), gray forest (5.7%), and sod-podzolic soils (3.6%). Chernozems are the most developed soils.

Most of the region's vegetation is characteristic of the steppe and forest steppe zones, except for the north, which is in the taiga forest subzone. Forests cover more than one-quarter of Omsk Region, with the predominant species being pine, cedar, spruce, fir, birch, and aspen. In the southern part of the forest zone, mixed forest gives way to a belt of deciduous birch and aspen forests, which gradually changes southwards to the "parkland" of the forest steppe zone. The most valuable game and fur animals of the forest zone are squirrels, Siberian weasel, ermine, fox, roe deer, moose, wolf, and bear. The fox, varying hare, and steppe polecat are typical inhabitants of the forest steppe, while the red-cheeked ground squirrel lives on the steppe. Large numbers of ducks and geese are summer residents of the lakes and old riverbeds. Black grouse, gray partridge, and wood grouse are encountered in the forest steppe and forest zones.

HISTORY

In historic times, many different peoples migrated through the central Irtysh region where forest and steppe cultures mingled. The native Ugrian population (the ancestors of the modern Hungarians) assimilated with the Huns in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. during the Great Migration. In the Middle Ages, the southern territory of Western Siberia was part of various nomad empires from the Western Turkic Kaganat to the Siberian Khanate and was the birthplace of the Siberian Tatar culture. The region was fairly densely populated during this period, as evidenced by hundreds of archeological and historical monuments, e.g., the burial mounds (kurgans) in Ust-Ishim, Tebenda, Aitkulovo, and other places.

The historical fortunes of many Eurasian peoples-Indo-Europeans,

Samodians, Finno-Ugrians, Mongolians, and Turks-were linked with the territory of present-day Omsk Region.

The southern forest steppe zone was suitable for farming and cattle herding; it was also a migration route for various tribes, and many trade routes passed through it. The north was attractive for its forests and furs. Mongols, Jungars, Kalmyks, Magyars, Mansis, Khantys, Kimaks, Teleuts, Shors, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Nogais, and Turkmen are only some of the nations who lived in the Irtysh region in the pre-Russian period.

The history of Russian settlement and development of the Irtysh region is connected above all with the legendary Cossack leader (hetman) Ermak Timofeevich (late 16th century), although Russian traders from the Pre-Urals had visited the Siberian Khanate as early as the 15th century. A raid by a small detachment of Ermak's Cossacks on the lands of Khan Kuchum in 1581 began the "Sunward" movement, a process of Russian colonization of Siberia unprecedented in its rapidity.

After defeating Kuchum, Ermak made a number of campaigns to southern Siberia between 1582 and 1585. During that time (1584-1585), he reached the boundaries of present-day Omsk Region and the towns of Tebenda and Tashetkana, whose residents voluntarily acknowledged his authority. The southernmost point reached by Ermak's forces was the small town of Ust-Shish. In 1594, a few years after Ermak's death at the mouth of the Bagai River, troops of Prince Andrei Eletsky founded the city of Tara, which became an outpost of Russian colonization of Western Siberia in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Settlement of the region by Russian farmers and Cossacks began in the north and during the 17th century did not go beyond the boundary between forest and steppe. There were frequent battles between Russians and nomads. Jungar forces besieged Tara in 1635, but the townspeople beat off the attack and saved the city.

In spring 1716, after returning from a campaign to the upper Irtysh, a Cossack detachment of Colonel Ivan Bukhgolts (an associate of Peter the Great and a participant in the battle of Poltava) founded Omsk fortress at the mouth of the Om River with the consent of Tobolsk Governor M. Gagarin. The fortress became the main outpost of the southern boundaries of the Russian Empire in the 18th century. During that time, Omsk functioned as a fortress and was the principal base of the Presno-Gorkovskaya line of outposts (named after the lakes) and a sturdy defender of the developing agricultural settlements against Jungar expansion. The Tara revolt of 1722-an antifeudal uprising of Cossacks and Old Believers brutally suppressed by a military expedition from Tobolsk-was an important event in the history of 18th-century Siberia.

POPULATION

About 2 100 000 people live in Omsk Region, 65% of them (about 1 400 000 people) in urban areas. The city of Omsk has a population of 1 080 000 people.

Ethnic composition: Russians, 81.0%; Germans, 6.0%; Ukrainians, 4.9%; Tatars, 2.2%. Employment by economic sector (as a % of total employment): industry, 25.5% (29.9% in the Russian Federation); agriculture 18.9% (12.8%); trade, 9.8% (9.1%); culture, 12.9% (13.6%); management, 2.0% (2.3%).

NATURAL RESOURCES

Mineral resources include clay, sand, and deposits of marl and peat in northern districts. Omsk Region has abundant water resources. There are more than 2000 rivers and streams with a total length of 8000 km and nearly 16 000 lakes, including 245 salt lakes. The largest lake is Lake Saltaim. Bogs cover more than 3.5 million hectares, or more than 25% of the region's total area.

As the region is located within the forest, forest steppe, and steppe zones, it has a variety of soils. Soil characteristics in the forest zone change from north to south. Gray forest, peat bog, and valley soils predominate in the northern part, but change to chernozems and meadow chernozems to the south. Chernozems are widespread in the steppe zone, but alkaline and saline soils are also encountered. More than 25% of the region's agricultural land is exposed to wind and water erosion.

Forests are one of the region's most important resources. The forest cover varies from mixed coniferous and softwood forests in the forest zone to forest steppe parkland consisting of birch and aspen groves between open expanses of meadow and steppe vegetation. An almost complete absence of trees and fewer varieties of herbaceous plants compared to the forest steppe characterize the steppe zone. More than 80 species of medicinal herbs grow in the region.

Omsk Region has a wide variety of wildlife, including more than 3000 invertebrate species, about 250 bird species, 20 fish species, and 5 amphibian species. Nature reserves and other protected natural sites occupy 7.5% of the region's total area.

ECONOMY

The building material, power, oil refining, light, food, forest, woodworking, chemical, petrochemical, and engineering industries comprise Omsk Region's industrial base. Three of these sectors, namely, the oil refining, petrochemical, and engineering industries, together with agriculture, are important for both the region and for Russia. Most engineering industry production is oriented towards the defense complex. Companies in the engineering sector manufacture AN-74 airplanes; cultivator tractors; TV-7-117 aircraft engines; new communication facilities; medical, agricultural, and oil and gas equipment; compressor motors for refrigerators and freezing rooms; cryogenic, navigational, and hydraulic equipment; car tires; and many other products.

Some of the largest defense industry companies are the Polet Production Association (PO Polet), Transport Engineering Plant Production Association (PO Zavod transportnogo mashinostroeniya), OAO Siberian Cryogenic Equipment (Sibkriotekhnika), Omsk Baranov Engine-Building Production Association (OMP im. P.I. Baranova), Siberian Devices and Systems Production Association (PO Sibirskie pribory i sistemy), OAO Relero, Irtysh Production Association (PO Irtysh), OAO Omsk Hydraulic Drive (Omskgidroprivod), and OAO Omsk Assembly Plant (Omsky agregatny zavod). The latest developments of research institutes and design bureaus are used to manufacture equipment. Companies in various sectors, including the electrical and electronics industries, instrument making, aircraft manufacture, and agricultural and chemical engineering, are concentrated in Omsk. PO Omsknefteorgsintez (oil refining), Omsk Synthetic Rubber Plant (Omsky zavod sinteticheskogo kauchuka; chemicals and petrochemicals), Omsk Tire Plant Production Association (PO Omskshina), Omsk Plastic Factory (Omsky zavod plastmass), and various food industry companies are also located here. Omsk is one of Russia's five largest industrial centers in terms of output.

The region's natural resource potential and its location on transportation routes have influenced the development of the above-mentioned industries. Fertile soils and climatic conditions favorable for agriculture have led to region-wide development of many agricultural sectors and companies of the food industry, and to some extent light industry, that process raw agricultural products. The dairy, butter- and cheesemaking, meat, and meat canning sectors predominate the food industry. The presence of the Main Siberian rail line in the southern part of the region has influenced the formation of heavy industry, e.g., engineering, oil refining, and petrochemicals.

The forest and woodworking industries of Omsk Region are based on regional resources and requirements. Logging is mainly concentrated in the forest zone and does not exceed 2 million m³ of whole timber per year. Nearly 90% of woodworking industry production, consisting of lumber, chipboard, and furniture, is located in Omsk and its suburbs and the remainder in Tara, Ust-Ishim, Muromtsev, and Ekaterininsky.

The building material industry is oriented towards the production of reinforced concrete structures for industrial construction and large-panel house building, wall and roofing materials, and asphalt. Nearly 90% of the main facilities are located in Omsk. Construction of private housing using up-to-date technologies is going on under the organized regional programs "Housing" and "Your Own House," and comfortable housing is being built in cooperation with Canadian specialists under the joint Toronto-Omsk project.

Agriculture is one of Omsk Region's leading sectors. There are four distinct agricultural zones within the region: steppe, southern forest steppe, northern forest steppe, and northern. Nearly 7 million hectares of fertile land are available for use, including more than 4 million hectares for cropland, about 1 million hectares for hayfields, and slightly less than that for pasture; about 115 000 hectares of land are irrigated.

Grain growing is the main form of plant cultivation in Omsk Region. Most of the grain crop consists of hard and durum wheat. Grain yields are sufficient to meet the region's requirements, but vegetable supplies satisfy only 50% of demand.

The nearly 400 agricultural enterprises in the region include joint-stock companies, partnerships, and state and collective farms. In addition, there is a farming sector consisting of 7500 private farms that were set up in the course of agricultural reform. They hold 7% of the lands and 9% of the cropland in the region.

Farm owners in the region realized from historical experience that it was possible to grow sunflowers and other oilseed crops in Siberia, so there was no need to import them from southern European Russia. Today, between 70 000 and 75 000 hectares are sown in these crops, which is five to six times more than in the past few years. New, high-performance technologies for multipurpose utilization of milk and secondary raw materials are being introduced, and new industries and lines of business are developing. Beekeeping is widespread, and its products are sold in Omsk and other regions.

Livestock faming plays a leading role in the region's agriculture. Its products not only meet the requirements of the population of Omsk Region, but also provide a surplus for export to neighboring regions. Omsk Region has risen from sixth to second place in per capita milk production and from twelfth to third place in per capita beef and poultry production. However, maintaining these positions requires the production of 1-1.1 million tons of milk, 240 000-250 000 tons of beef and poultry, and 520-530 million eggs. The use of new preincubation technologies has allowed the Politeks Company to increase output of standard-weight chickens by an average of 3-5%, to great economic effect. Livestock farming also includes farm holdings having five or more cows and selling 4 to 5 tons of milk and 2 to 3 tons of meat live weight for processing. These farms have a number of unresolved problems, such as poor financing, technical assistance, and low market prices. In order to help these farms (which include collective farms), the regional administration intends to provide support, give low-interest loans and leases, and grant subsidies and compensation.

 

 

AUTHORITIES

In accordance with the Charter of Omsk Region, the Governor is the region's highest official, who heads the Administration on the basis of undivided authority. Any citizen of the Russian Federation who is at least 30 years old may be elected to this post. Citizens of the Russian Federation residing in Omsk Region elect the Governor for a five-year term by secret ballot on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage.

In accordance with the Charter (Fundamental Law) of Omsk Region, the Legislative Assembly headed by the Chairman is the region's highest and only standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly consists of 30 deputies elected for a five-year term by citizens of the Russian Federation residing in Omsk Region on the basis of universal, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot.

CULTURAL HISTORY OF OMSK

The culture of Omsk land began developing long before our time. The Huns, Avars, Ugrians, Turks, and Mongols who once lived here have all left their mark on it. Cossack culture began forming after the fall of the Siberian Khanate in the late 16th century.

As late as 1924, Omsk Province had only 6 reading rooms and 39 cultural clubs. Today, however, Omsk Region is Siberia's largest industrial and cultural center, with 1311 clubs and cultural facilities and nearly 1000 libraries. Since Omsk Region was formed in 1934, many new buildings have been constructed, including a theater for children and youth, a musical theater, a circus, a concert hall, the Irtysh sports and concert complex, and the Green Island (Zeleny ostrov) cultural and sports complex. Seven important cultural facilities have been opened, among them the Pushkin State Regional Science Library, Omsk Region's main general-purpose library.

People of many nationalities who are maintaining and developing their national traditions and cultures live side by side in the region. Omsk Region has more than 970 public political and national cultural organizations, the largest being the Russian cultural center, the Tatar-Bashkir cultural center, the Kazakh branch of the Kazakh-Tili international association, the Prosvita Ukrainian cultural center, the Soglasie and Wiedergeburt German cultural associations, the Shalom Jewish cultural association, the association of Russia Latvians, the Ingermanland Finnish cultural center, and the Luis Armenian cultural center.

Many talented people have lived in Omsk land. They were directors, artists, poets, writers, singers, and composers who created masterpieces of world culture. Among them were painter Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (1856-1910), poet Pavel Nikolaevich Vasilev (1910-1937), scientist and poet Petr Lyudvikovich Dravert (1879-1945), Soviet military commander and professor Dmitry Mikhailovich Karbyshev (1880-1945), and explorer of Central Asia Mikhail Vasilevich Pevtsov (1843-1902). A whole new group of modern talents has appeared in our time as well, from performing artists to painters and composers and many others. Folklore and dance ensembles, women's chamber choirs, and authors' talent clubs operate in the city of Omsk.

The region's 32 state museums have more than 240 000 unique exhibits, and 60 private museums have 100 000 exhibits. The Vrubel Regional Museum of Fine Arts in Omsk is one of the largest in Siberia and in Russia. Its collection includes more than 10 000 priceless works by Russian, Soviet, and foreign artists. Among its exhibits are a splendid collection of porcelain and paintings by Repin, Kramsky, Surikov, Levitan, Vasnetsov, Vrubel, and Rerikh. The Regional Historical Museum founded in 1878 presents a broad picture of the culture and daily lives of the people of Siberia from Russian settlers and Siberian Tatars to Kazakh cattle herders.

Omsk has long been recognized as the theater capital of Siberia, and many of its actors have performed on Russia's best stages. The region has seven professional state theaters: the Galerka Drama and Comedy Theater, an Academic Drama Theater, a Musical Theater, a Theater for Children and Youth, a Puppet Theater, the Fifth State Drama Theater and the L. Ermolaeva Studio Drama Theater. The Academic Drama Theater was founded in 1947 and since then has won a reputation as one of Russia's best theaters. The Puppet Theater was opened in 1936 and in 1992 was renamed the Harlequin (Arlekin) State Puppet, Actor and Mask Theater. The best known amateur group in Omsk is the Lyceum (Litsei) Municipal Theater.

Architecture embodies the ideas of famous architects and artists in stone. The streets, houses, and squares of Omsk Region, as well as books, will acquaint you with its rich history and culture from the time of Peter the Great and wooden fortified towns to modern buildings. Today, there are 1727 historical and architectural monuments in Omsk Region. One of them is the architectural ensemble known as Lyubinsky Avenue (Prospekt) located on Lenin Street (ul. Lenina) in Omsk. The buildings date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are unique for their size, style, and importance to the city's development. The large buildings of the Moscow Merchant Row (1904) and the Rossiya Hotel with its restaurant (1906) were built on the west side of Lyubinsky Prospekt. A movie theater, the trading houses of the Ovsyannikov brothers and A. Ganshin and Sons, and V. Morozov's store appeared later. Despite different architectural styles ranging from classicism to modern, the buildings form a single whole with a surprising unity and preserve the silhouette of old pre-Revolutionary Omsk. After Lyubinsky Prospekt was completed, the foreign press spoke of Omsk as the "Chicago of Siberia".

Nikolsky Cathedral (1840) is a unique 19th-century structure where Ermak's banner is preserved. The original wooden Tobolsk Gate on Tukhachevsky Embankment (nab. Tukhachevskogo) was rebuilt out of brick in 1792. One of the finest 18th-century architectural monuments in Omsk is the Lutheran Church built for foreign Protestants. Spassky Cathedral in the city of Tara is a monument of late 18th-century church architecture and the only religious building in Omsk constructed in the Siberian Baroque style. The Military Assembly building at Partisan Street (ul. Partizanskaya) 12 in Omsk is the last important building of the second Omsk fortress. One of the oldest remaining buildings in the fortress is the Guardhouse at ul. Partizanskaya 14; it is one the finest examples of the baroque style in Siberia.

Another unique architectural monument is a group of four buildings dating from the1910s at the intersection of ul. Lenina and ul. Libkhenkhta. These are the Trading House of the firm Vogau and Co. the building of the Salamander Society the building of the Tver Manufactory, and the building of the Triangle Association. Each individual building is unique in itself, and together they form an urban neoclassical architectural ensemble united by a single style that is rare in Siberia. The Palace of the Governor-General of Western Siberia (1862) at ul. Lenina 23 is called a palace because of its size and splendor.

Official portal of Omsk Region:

http://www.omskportal.ru/