Tomsk

Tomsk, city and administrative centre of Tomsk oblast (region), central Russia, on the Tom River above its confluence with the Ob. Founded as a fort in 1604 to protect the river crossing, the city developed as a regional administrative centre. Once a focus for a wide area of Siberia, Tomsk has now largely been displaced by Novosibirsk, where the Trans-Siberian Railroad crosses the Ob; Tomsk lies on a branch line. The city is a major...