TOBOLSK

Those who are following our travels on the map will be surprised to see that we have jumped back eastward for a final sally into Siberia! We arrived on the overnight train from Ekaterinburg and our first stop – once we had managed to leave our rucksacks in the lockers at the mosquito-infested station – was a refreshing breakfast in the Sibirsk hotel!

Tobolsk is a peaceful little town beside the broad river Irtysh. It was the original capital of Siberia (when no one knew for sure how far Siberia extended) and consists (like Gaul) of three distinct parts: the ancient Kremlin on the high ground, based on the fort originally built in 1587;
the "old town" which is sinking peacefully into the marshes along the river bank beneath the Kremlin; and the rather uninteresting new town, basically soviet era, on high ground to the east.

The Kremlin contains two recently restored churches, one with old paintings on the ceiling, and a museum – our old friends from Irkutsk, the Decembrists, also feature prominently here, forming an intellectual local society and promoting an institute for training lady teachers. There is also a bell tower built to house a bell tolled in Moscow to start a rebellion in the late 16th century. The revolution failed, and tsar Boris Godunov had the bell flogged and its tongue removed, prior to exiling it to Siberia! No doubt the perpetrators were treated in similar fashion, or worse.

The old town consists mainly of rather decrepit typical wooden houses, a number of churches, some restored, a little mosque and a few houses of solid material. The biggest and best served as "home" (prison) to the imperial family from November 1917 to April 1918, prior to their final removal to Ekaterinburg. They were reasonably treated here, and the tsar's study has been "recreated" as a little museum. There is also a pile of logs in the garden as he used to chop and saw as his only way of getting exercise. It is all rather touching.

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Los que estan siguiendo nuestro viaje en el mapa se sorprenderan de ver que hemos partido nuevamente hacia el este – una ultima visita en Siberia! Llegamos a Tobolsk en el tren de noche desde Ekaterinburg y depues de dejar las mochilas en la estacion (un desafio!) fuimos a tomar desayuno en el hotel Sibir!

Tobolsk es una pequena ciudad pacible al borde del ancho rio Irtysh. Fue el capital original de Siberia (cuando no se sabia a ciencia cierta hasta donde se extendia Siberia) y consiste (como Gallia) de tres partes distintas: el antiguo Kremlin en un cerro, basado en la fuerte originalmente construida en 1587; la "ciudad antigua" que se esta desmorronando tranquilamente en los pantanos al lado del rio, y debajo del Kremlin; y la ciudad nueva, no muy interesante, de la epoca sovietica.

El Kremlin contiene dos iglesias restauradas, una con pinturas antiguas en el techo; y un museo – nuestros amigos de Irkutsk, los Decembristas, tambien estuvieron aqui, formando una sociedad intelectual y promoviendo un colegio para la formacion de institutrices. Tambien existe una torre construida para una campana que se toco en Moscu para llamar a una revolucion a fines del siglo 16. La revolucion fracaso, y el tsar Boris Godunov mando a castigar la campana a latigazos, se le saco la lengua y se mando exiliada a Siberia! Sin duda los rebeldes sufrieron un destino parecido - o peor.

La ciudad antigua consiste principalmente de casas tipicas de troncos, algunas iglesias, una pequena mezquita y algunas casas de material. La mas grande sirvio de casa (carcel) a la familia imperial entre Noviembre 1917 y Abril 1918, antes de que la mandaron a Ekaterinburg. Los trataban bastante bien, y el escritorio del tsar ha sido "re-creado" como museo. En el jardin hay un monton de trncos, ya que su unica manera de tomar ejercicio era de cortar lena.