ХХVI межрегиональный фестиваль «Зодчество в Сибири»

Abstract

Now, the twenty-five-year anniversary of the “ZVS” Festival is behind us, and, having stepped into a new phase of its life, the Festival finally came to the westernmost regional centre of the Siberian Federal District – the city of Omsk.

The meeting with the city began with a revelation: it turned out that Robert Rozhdestvensky’s song “Childhood City” is dedicated to Omsk; it was here that the poet spent his childhood. “…A city where it’s warm” went beyond the metaphor and greeted us with 35‑degree heat, which certainly didn’t hinder our walks around the beautiful historical centre unspoiled by the intrusion of high‑rise buildings. The leisurely walks were facilitated by the tradition of turning the main part of the main avenue into a pedestrian zone (the constantly used historical and popular name of the avenue is Lyubinsky, even though the official name is Lenin Street).

Here is another revelation and, at the same time, a progressive phenomenon: one of the embankments of the city, which emerged at the confluence of the Om and the Irtysh rivers, is named after our colleague, architect Albert Karimov. Throughout the entire territory of the historical center, the city demonstrates a respectful attitude towards all layers of architectural history. I can’t help but note the excellent condition of a Soviet modernist landmark that was awarded the State Prize in the 1980s – the shopping centre designed by the Leningrad architect Yuri Zemtsov. The careful treatment of cultural heritage sites undoubtedly played an important role in Omsk being chosen as the Cultural Capital of Russia in 2026.

The Omsk Festival was warm, atmospheric, and meaningful, leaving the participants and the residents with the best impressions. We would like to draw the attention of our readers to the results of the review competitions and the chronicle of the Festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia 2026”.