Novosibirsk Reservoir

Welcome, travelers, to the shores of the Novosibirsk Reservoir, colloquially and affectionately known to the locals as the Ob Sea. As you stand on this embankment, looking out over the vast, shimmering expanse of water, you are…

Let us turn our attention to the mechanics of this massive geographical transformation. The taming of the Ob River was a project of staggering ambition, reflecting the core ethos of the mid 20th century Soviet Union: the absolute…

While we marvel at the engineering triumph of the reservoir, we must also acknowledge the profound human cost of its creation. The vast expanse of water before you is a liquid tomb for dozens of settlements, rich agricultural…

Further along the eastern shore of the reservoir lies a place of immense global significance, a unique settlement that blends high level intellectual pursuit with the raw beauty of the Siberian wilderness: Academgorodok.…

Stepping away from the immediate shoreline, let us examine the rich, enveloping environment of the Siberian taiga that borders the reservoir. The creation of the Ob Sea fundamentally altered the local ecology, drowning the river…

To fully appreciate the magnitude of Novosibirsk and its need for this massive reservoir, we must understand the city's explosive transformation during the darkest hours of the 20th century. During the Second World War, as the…

Our exploration of the reservoir must conclude with an examination of its most dramatic transformation: the onset of the Siberian winter. The climate here is characterized by extreme variation. …

As our journey along the shores of the Novosibirsk Reservoir comes to an end, take a final moment to absorb the immense scale of what lies before you. This artificial sea is a landscape of profound contradictions. …