December 18, 2020

Tomsk Treasures in Trouble


Tomsk Treasures in Trouble
Tomsk has a variety of wooden buildings. Image by Petr Adam Dohnálek via Wikimedia Commons

Tomsk, a city in south-central Russia, has a rich history of wooden buildings, but this architecture is  under threat of disappearing.

Tomsk has over 1,800 wooden houses. Some of its wooden architecture can be dated to the turn of the twentieth century. Similarly, much of it is in disrepair. Management of these houses was taken over by the communist government post-1917, and the houses were turned into communal apartments. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, many wooden buildings were demolished and replaced with supermarkets or high-rise offices.

There is some good news. The local government has taken some steps towards reinvigorating the city’s historic treasures. For example, it introduced the Rent for a Ruble program, which allows residents to pay only 1 ruble (about 1.3 US cents) per square meter for 49 years after restoring the building. In addition, there is an annual architecture gathering, the Tomsk Sawyer Festival, which draws in volunteers to restore the wooden buildings. Since 2017, they have restored three homes. Finally, the city has a partnership with the Department of Architecture at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, which brings professors to Tomsk to help appraise the wooden buildings and help restore them. The German experts said that many of these buildings have the potential to last another 300 years.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955