Discover Tomsk: Wooden Architecture and City History

• The historic districts preserve wooden houses dating from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century.
• The Memorial Museum of the History of Political Repression is located in the basement of the building at 44 Lenina Avenue, which housed a prison from 1923 to 1944.
• The former fire tower on Voskresenskaya Hill is now a city viewpoint with an exhibition on the history of firefighting.
• The Siberian Botanical Garden’s protected park is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except on public holidays and during announced closures for maintenance.

The historic districts preserve extensive collections of wooden houses dating from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. On walks through the old streets, you can see wooden architecture shaped by Siberian traditions. One specific example is the House with Dragons at 68 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, which is listed as a wooden-architecture landmark.

The Spasskaya Tower offers another perspective on the city’s architectural history: an exact replica of the 17th-century tower was built for the city’s 400th anniversary. The replica and the surviving wooden houses point to different aspects of the city’s past—here, a historic tower; there, the architecture of entire districts. Each can be explored as a distinct focus when discovering Tomsk.

The Memorial Museum of the History of Political Repression is in the basement of the building at 44 Lenina Avenue. From 1923 to 1944, it housed the prison of the Tomsk City Department of the OGPU-NKVD. The grounds beside the prison once served as its yard; today, they are home to the Square of Remembrance. The museum and square form a single memorial complex in Tomsk.

The permanent exhibition occupies four former prison cells. Its sections include «Chronika repressiy na Tomskoy zemle», «Bolshoy terror», «Rasstrelnyy krest», «Belostokskaya tragediya», «ChSIRy», «Ikh tragicheskie sudby», «Sudba svyashchennika», «Kolpashevskiy yar», «GULAG i spetspereselentsy Narymskogo kraya» and «Podzemnyy rasstrelnyy koridor». This section features the sculptural composition «Ukhodyashchiy v nebytiye».

The former fire tower also connects the city’s history with a present-day visitor attraction. A wooden fire tower was built above the police administration building in 1860. Today, it serves as a city viewpoint and houses an exhibition on the history of firefighting. From the platform, you can look out over central city districts and major Tomsk landmarks. The Museum of the History of Tomsk also regularly organizes walking tours; for specific planning, it is a good idea to check the latest schedule.

The educational tourist route «Lagerny Garden. A Place with a History» runs along the southwestern edge of Tomsk in the city’s «Lagernyy sad» park zone and is designated as a year-round route. It is a separate point of reference for visitors who want to include a park route as well as the historic city districts.

The Siberian Botanical Garden’s protected park has set visiting hours: daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except on public holidays and during announced closures for maintenance. Check the official visitor rules before your visit. This schedule can then be factored into your day without conflating it with the separate educational tourist route in «Lagernyy sad».

The wider destination of Tomsky District offers other landscape attractions. The 35-meter-high «Everest» observation tower overlooks a bog-and-taiga landscape. «Zvezdnyy klyuch» is a water-related natural monument on the right bank of the Tugoyakovka River, within the «Larinskiy» landscape reserve and near the village of Baturino. The natural monument is also known as «Tugoyakovskiy travertinovyy kaskad».

A report published in 2024 names the ecological routes «Talovskiye chashi» and «Zvezdnyy klyuch» among the destinations tourists choose in Tomsky District. It also mentions the «Zemlyanichnaya ferma» as a rural tourism destination and the Semiluzhensky Cossack Ostrog. The report also describes a hiking trail from the Mezh eninovka–Basandayka road to the «Talovskiye chashi» state natural monument. These regional examples add to the picture of Tomsk, whose main focuses here are wooden architecture, city history, and routes within the city.

Discover more destinations: Kaftanchikovo, Semiluzhki, Rodionovo, Svetlyy and Barabinka.

What wooden architecture can you see in Tomsk?

The historic districts preserve wooden houses dating from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. One named example is the House with Dragons at 68 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street.

Where is the Memorial Museum of the History of Political Repression?

The museum is in the basement of the building at 44 Lenina Avenue. From 1923 to 1944, it housed the prison of the Tomsk City Department of the OGPU-NKVD.

When is the Siberian Botanical Garden’s protected park open?

The protected park is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except on public holidays and during announced closures for maintenance. Check the official visitor rules before your visit.

For the wider travel overview: Tomsk Oblast.

Useful information for planning your trip:

Tomsk: Wooden Architecture, University, and Trip Planning, Chekhov Monument in Tomsk: Embankment and City History, Things to See in Tomsk: Wooden Houses and Monuments.