Омск / Omsk - 1884-1914

Россия на дореволюционных фотографиях Омск 1884 - 1914 Russia in pre-revolutionary photographs Omsk 1884-1914 Music: "Cinderella" by Alexey Arkipovsky The great Siberian city of Omsk was established in 1716 when a Cossack wooden fort was constructed here in order to protect the interests of the expanding Russian Empire... By 1782, Omsk was granted town status and by 1822 had become the administrative capital of Western Siberia. With the continued expansion of the Empire, the military importance of Omsk diminished. Becoming a major centre of the Siberian exile. From 1850 to 1854 Fyodor Dostoyevsky served his sentence in an Omsk katorga prison. With the coming of the Trans-Siberian railway, there fortunes of the town once more grew! Many trade companies established stores and offices in Omsk defining the character of the city centre. British, Dutch, and German consulates were established roughly at the same time in order to represent their commercial interests. The pinnacle of development for pre-revolutionary Omsk was the Siberian Exposition of Agriculture and Industry in 1910. Popularity of the World Fairs contributed to the image of Omsk as the "Chicago of Siberia".....