The 1.5-million Novosibirsk is the third largest city of Russia (after Moscow and St.Petersburg) and the chief city of Western Siberia. Born in 1893 as a future site of a railroad bridge crossing the great Siberian river Ob where the latter is crossed by the famous Trans-Siberian Railroad (built in 1890s - 1900s), it oficcialy became a town in 1903.

After its foundation in 1893 and until 1926, Novosibirsk was called Novonikolayevsk. The original name refers to Nicolas II (Nikolay II Alexandrovich Romanov), the last Emperor and Sovereign of Russia the Great. In 1926, "by the demand of the people", it was renamed to Novosibirsk. (Text provided from http://design.lbl.gov/~telnov/htmls/nsk.html)

More detailed information will be accessible later...