Novosibirsk

Novosibirsk is the biggest city in Russia's Novosibirsk Oblast and serves as the regional administrative centre. With a population of 1,612,833 as of the 2018 census, it is the third-most populous city in Russia (after Moscow and Saint Petersburg), as well as the most populated city in Siberia and Asian Russia. It is located on the banks of the Ob River in the southwestern portion of the country.

The city of Novosibirsk was formed in 1893 at the crossing location of the Ob River on the future Trans-Siberian Railway, where the Novosibirsk Rail Bridge was eventually built. The city, which was once known as Novonikolayevsk, expanded quickly and became a significant transportation, commercial, and industrial centre. In the aftermath of the Russian Civil War, the city was devastated, but it rebuilt during the early Soviet era and was given its current name in 1926. Novosibirsk grew into one of the most important industrial cities in Siberia under the leadership of Joseph Stalin during the Soviet era. Following the onset of World War II, the city became home to a large number of enterprises that had been transferred from Soviet Europe.

Numerous Russian enterprises have their headquarters in Novosibirsk, as well as the neo-Byzantine Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the internationally acclaimed Novosibirsk Zoo. It is serviced by Tolmachevo Airport, which is the busiest airport in Siberia with over a million passengers each year.