Tobolsk

Tobolsk (?????????; Tatar: Tub?l) is a historic capital of Siberia, now an ordinary town in Tyumen Oblast of Russia. It is located at the confluence of rivers Tobol and Irtysh. In 2001, the population was about 95,000.

History

Tobolsk was founded by Yermak's Cossacks in 1585-86 during the first Russian advance into Siberia near the ruins of Siberia Khanate's capital Qashliq. It became the seat of the Viceroy of Siberia and prospered on the trade with China and Bukhara. It was there that the first school, theatre, and newspaper in Siberia were established. Daniel Defoe made his Robinson Crusoe stay in Tobolsk from September 1703 to June 1704.

Related Topics:
Yermak - Cossacks - 1585 - Siberia - Siberia Khanate - Qashliq - China - Bukhara - Theatre - Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe - 1703 - 1704

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With administrative divisions of the territory, Tobolsk remained the seat of the Governor-General of Western Siberia until it was moved to Omsk in 1820-30s. Bowing to the city's authority, many Siberian towns had their original arms display the Tobolsk insignia. This included Omsk, Tyumen and Tomsk; Omsk honors the legacy to this day.

Related Topics:
Omsk - Tyumen - Tomsk

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Until the 1917 Russian Revolution, the city served as the capital of the Tobolsk guberniya. Dmitri Mendeleev and Vasily Perov are the most famous natives of the city. Some of the Decembrists were exiled and lived there too. The city's importance declined, when the Trans-Siberian Railway bypassed it in the 1890s.

Related Topics:
1917 - Russian Revolution - Guberniya - Dmitri Mendeleev - Vasily Perov - Decembrist - Trans-Siberian Railway

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In August 1917, after the February Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family were brought here to live in relative luxury in the former house of the Governor-General. In April 1918, after the White Army approached the city, the entire royal family was shot in Yekaterinburg, thus ending the imperial Romanov dynasty.

Related Topics:
February Revolution - Nicholas II of Russia - White Army - Yekaterinburg - Romanov

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Economy of modern Tobolsk centers on a major oil refinery. Some traditional crafts, such as bone-carving, are also preserved.

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