The second largest city in the Novosibirsk region is Berdsk. It began its history back in 1716. The settlement, rebuilt in the 18th century, was of great strategic importance. In those years it was called the Berdsk fort and was founded to repel the raids of nomads.
- Berdsk appeared as a city on the map of Russia only in 1944. His story is very interesting. From a military fort, after a few decades it turned into a peaceful trading settlement of great importance. It was from here that bakery products were transported to the cities of Siberia, which were also produced here.
- In the 19th century, the city was famous for its large mill. It was maintained by V. A. Gorokhov. High-grade flour was produced here.
- In 1913, a railway was laid 8 km from the settlement, which provided points for the rapid growth and development of the city. So Berdsk became a city. Today he is called "Twice Born". The nickname was not received by chance.
- In 1954, the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station was built near the territory of the municipality, and after some time almost the entire area was flooded. The city was moved.
Today Berdsk occupies an area of 67 km2. Over 103,000 people live on its territory.
Where to go first in Berdsk
The city has a complicated and very interesting history; it begins in the 18th century with the Berdsk fort. The founding date is considered to be 1716. The past 20th century was a turning point for the settlement. In 1944, the former village of Berdskoye became a city, and in the next decade it acquired a new, close to modern appearance. Nowadays in Berdsk there are several significant places related to history and more.
Ob Sea
- Coordinates on the map: 54.765779, 82.923768.
The Novosibirsk Reservoir is the most famous artificial reservoir in the region. People affectionately, but at the same time solemnly call this object the Sea of Ob. Berdsk is not the only city located on the banks of the reservoir, but it was for Berdsk that this water body played a fatal historical role.
The Ob Sea arose during the construction of the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power station and is located exactly in the place where the historical part of the city was located. Berdsk became a kind of Soviet Atlantis, being flooded. The settlement was moved 8 kilometers from its original location, rebuilt around one of the outlying areas where the railway station was located.
Not long ago, information appeared in the media that, as the waters of the Ob Sea recede, they reveal artifacts and monuments from a hundred years ago to the eyes of townspeople and tourists. These include the burial places of local famous historical figures.
Among them, the figure of the merchant Vladimir Gorokhov, who made a great contribution to the development of the village, stands out. He was reburied in 2008. The waters also showed the grave of State Councilor Mikhail Larionov, a significant figure for the city, about whom little information has been preserved. Local historians consider the rescue of his remains an important mission.
Today the Ob Sea is an object of economic and recreational importance. It has become a favorite place for fishermen, beach lovers and outdoor gatherings along the shores of a large reservoir.
Museum of History and Local Lore
- Address: Sportivnaya street, 9.
The vicissitudes of the complex, tragic and partly even mysterious history of the settlement of Berdskoye, and subsequently the city of Berdsk, can be learned in the main city museum. It is called historical and artistic, combining under one roof exhibitions of local history and demonstration of works of art. Of the 16 thousand exhibits in the museum’s collection, the artistic part occupies approximately one and a half thousand. Museum funds are constantly replenished.
The Berd Museum was founded in the late 1960s thanks to a group of enthusiasts. In 1967, it first opened its doors to visitors, and in 1970 it received municipal status. Today the museum is not just an exhibition complex, but also a significant cultural center of the city, conducting educational and scientific work. The museum is the initiator and active participant in many projects to preserve and revive the historical heritage of the city, perpetuating the memory of famous residents of Berdsk.
Victory Park and Glory Memorial
- Address: corner of Ostrovsky and Sportivnaya streets.
There are several interesting parks in Berdsk. One of the main ones is Victory Park. Already from the title it is clear that it is dedicated to the most tragic event of Soviet history - the Great Patriotic War. By and large, the entire park was conceived as a memorial complex.
A popular place for relaxation and walking, it is also a place of memory. In the park you can see examples of military equipment. Walking alleys converge to the central object - a memorial sculptural ensemble located on a small square. The Eternal Flame burns here, next to it are the figures of four soldiers holding a tombstone with the legendary inscription “No one is forgotten, nothing is forgotten.”
The city owes the appearance of the memorial to the famous master, honored artist Alexander Chebotarev. It was he who sculpted the composition known as the “Memorial of Glory”. It was installed on Victory Day in 1972.
City Park of Culture and Recreation
- Address: corner of Sverdlov and Ostrovsky streets.
The park of culture and recreation is a traditional place for holding public events and for everyday leisure of citizens. Berdsky Park is located in the very center of the city and covers an area of just over ten hectares. It appeared on the site of a park laid out back in the 1960s. However, the official history of Berdsk’s main park began in 1980.
On its territory there are several city monuments; for lovers of active recreation there is a dance floor and equipped places for sports; children can frolic in the play area and go on rides. There is also a restaurant and hotel complex here, which are popular among guests of Berdsk.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Berdsk is presented in the form of a French shield. Blue wavy bands intersect on a green and silver background, embodying the Ob and Berd rivers. They are bordered with silver lines. In the lower part there is a black fort with a two-tier tower and a palisade closed by gates. The structure indicates its historical significance. The authors are G.V. Kuzhelev, S.V. Morzhakov, V.N. Smirnov.
The composition is included in the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation No. 1360. Adopted by decision No. 47 of the City Council of Deputies on March 27, 2003.
Berd museums and architecture
Numerous museums where you can see interesting exhibits also tell about the past of Berdsk. There are also several examples of architecture from past years in the city.
Museum of JSC "Vega"
- Address: st. Lenina, 89/8.
Berdsk Radio Plant is one of the most famous enterprises of the Siberian industrial city. It arose during wartime, in the early 1980s it was transformed into the Vega production association, and at the beginning of the new millennium it became a limited liability company. Nowadays, the plant, famous for the production of popular household radio equipment, specializes mainly in repairs.
The museum, which has been operating since 1981, tells about the glorious times of the plant’s history. Located in one of the buildings on Lenin Street, it opened in 1981. It was opened in honor of the 35th anniversary of the enterprise through the efforts of Ivan Savinov, who was one of the first managers and worked as deputy director of the plant. The exhibition presents documents, materials and “material evidence” of industrial history and the products of the enterprise from different years.
Water tower
- Address: Vokzalnaya street.
It so happened that the main architectural monument of the city was an infrastructure object - a water tower, built at the beginning of the 20th century. It belongs to the Altai Railway and is located near the station around which New Berdsk was built. The brick building is an example of the eclectic architectural style.
Memorial Museum of Vladlen Biryukov
- Address: Kirova street, 1.
Theater and film actor Vladlen Biryukov is known to a wide audience thanks to the Soviet serial film “Eternal Call”. His complete filmography includes more than 30 works. He became an example of an all-Russian celebrity who did not want to move to the capital. His biography is closely connected with Berdsk, where the future artist spent his school years.
Here he took his first steps in art, worked at a local radio factory, in this city Vladlen Yegorovich spent the last years of his life and was buried. In 2016, the city decided to perpetuate the memory of the actor by creating a memorial museum in his house. It opened its doors on September 2, the 11th anniversary of the artist’s death.
Routes on the map of Berdsk. Transport infrastructure
If you look at a map of Berdsk from a satellite , you can see that the city is cut in all directions by roads and railways. The most famous highway M52 Chuysky Trakt runs through the entire city. There is also:
- Railway station - receives long-distance trains and electric trains connecting the center and the suburbs, located at st. Vokzalnaya 35 in the eastern part of the city;
- Marina - there is virtually no industrial and passenger traffic;
- Bus station - serves intercity flights, located opposite the railway station at st. Vokzalnaya 52B.
The length of roads in the city is approximately 200 m2. Most of them do not meet regulatory requirements.
Transportation of passengers is carried out by motor transport companies and private entrepreneurs. Municipal transport is represented by 23 routes.
The picturesque nature of Berdsk and its surroundings
The city of Berdsk itself has several interesting natural attractions, but its surroundings will also be attractive to nature lovers.
Reserve "Berdskaya Spit"
- GPS coordinates: 54.800278, 83.056944.
A corner of beautiful nature on the shores of the Ob Sea, three kilometers from the city. A place where you can breathe easily, where your soul and body can rest. Berdsk residents come here for the weekend with the whole family. Tourists should not ignore this wonderful place, recognized as a natural monument and a specially protected area.
The corresponding status of the Berdsk Spit was assigned in 2006. Here you can get up close and personal with Siberian nature, see rare plants and meet animals listed in the Red Book of the Novosibirsk Region.
Park "On the Rocks"
- Coordinates: 54.726441, 83.024454.
To relax in nature, barbecue in company and swim - for these purposes, citizens and tourists can go to the “On the Rocks” eco-park. This is a landscaped area near the waters of the Ob Sea, where there is a specially equipped beach, gazebos for relaxation, and barbecues for picnic lovers.
Here you can enjoy the beauty of the forest, walk through birch groves and pine forests, and even take a steam bath in a real Russian bathhouse. It is not necessary to limit your stay in the park to one day. Guests are given the opportunity to stay for a while, with various accommodation options available.
Berdskaya forest dacha
- Coordinates: 54.765000, 83.025000.
One of the most famous nature reserves in the Novosibirsk region occupies an area of more than 141 hectares. The landscape reserve was created with the aim of preserving forests, plant and animal populations. The attraction has both environmental, scientific and educational significance.
Excursions for tourists are held here and the daily research work of Siberian scientists takes place. Any economic activity is prohibited on the territory. The pristine nature is what makes such monuments so valuable. Visitors to the Berdsk forest dacha will be able to see rare beautiful birds, mammals and reptiles, and rare plants listed in the Red Book.
Nature
Berdsk is located in the west of the vast Novosibirsk region. These places are famous for their taiga and mixed forests. In addition to pine trees - the most common trees in the vicinity of Berdsk - there are spruce, birch, cedar, aspen and larches here. The fauna is represented by 80 species of mammals and more than 360 species of birds. Here in the forest area you can see:
- badgers;
- brown bears;
- beavers;
- kings;
- hamsters;
- moose;
- gophers and other representatives of the Siberian fauna.
Temples of Berdsk that are worth visiting
Orthodoxy has remained an integral part of Russian culture in all eras. Even in young, newly rebuilt and restored cities, temples traditionally appear on the list of attractions of interest to tourists.
Transfiguration Cathedral
- Address: st. Maxim Gorky, 44.
The majestic cathedral solemnly rises on Gorky Street in Berdsk - this is the main city temple. An elegant church building with multi-colored domes appeared already in the post-Soviet era. Its construction began in 1992.
The architect was Novosibirsk master Pyotr Chernobrovtsev. In 1998, the church’s belfry was replenished with nine bells, which were delivered here from Kamensk-Uralsk. It belongs to the Novosibirsk and Berd diocese and has the status of a cathedral.
Church of the Presentation of the Lord
- Address: Lazo street, 17.
A wooden temple with a green roof topped with golden onion domes - this is how the cathedral looks today, whose history began simultaneously with the settlement. The Church of the Presentation of the Lord was rebuilt in the Berdsk fort, exactly in 1716, from which the city’s chronology is based.
The Soviet authorities closed the temple and then completely destroyed it. The remains of the church building were swallowed up by the waters of the Novosibirsk reservoir. Since the late 1980s, a revival of religious life began. The parish was restored in 1989, and already in the new century, in 2005, the appearance of the city was complemented by a temple, the successor of the ancient prison church.
Church of the Epiphany
- Address: Borovaya st., 111.
A beautiful temple on Borovaya Street in Berdsk looks like a carved tower. This is a completely new building. Its construction was timed to coincide with the city's tercentenary. Construction began in 2014, the first stone was laid by Metropolitan Tikhon of Novosibirsk. He also consecrated the temple, where services have been regularly held since September 1, 2022.
Wellness holiday
The proximity of a pine forest helped transform Berdsk into a major health center in Siberia. Seven modern sanatoriums are open for patients here:
- "Dawn";
- "Siberian";
- "Crown";
- "Sail";
- "Pearl";
- "Azure";
- "Forest Tale".
"Siberian"
Each sanatorium has special wellness programs for guests. Vacationers play table tennis, basketball, billiards, badminton or volleyball. Classes are held in the spacious gym throughout the calendar year. In winter, vacationers enjoy skiing in the picturesque surroundings.
Berd sculptures, monuments, memorials
Like other cities in Russia, Berdsk has several significant sculptural compositions and monuments, where photographs are most often taken.
Sculpture "Big Ear"
- Address: Gorky Square.
The fairy-tale character, the hero of the famous cartoon, is depicted on one of the sculptures decorating the city park of the city of Berdsk. The unusual monument traditionally attracts the attention of guests, which is why it is among the most famous in the city. Big Ukh is the work of local master Alexey Agrikolyansky, whom Berdsk residents call “an extraordinary sculptor.” The monument was erected in 2010.
Monument to Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya
- Address: 12, Microdistrict.
The sculptural embodiment of the legendary partisan, heroine of the Great Patriotic War, can be seen in the city of Berdsk near school No. 11. The initiator of its installation was teacher Pyotr Kuznetsov. He expressed this idea in 1965, when he was the director of the educational institution. In 1975, the idea was brought to life. The foundation of the monument contains a handful of soil from the site of Kosmodemyanskaya’s death, delivered from Petrishchevo to Berdsk by school students.
Military Brotherhood Memorial
- Address: microdistrict A.
In many Russian cities, monuments and memorial complexes are appearing in honor of veterans of modern wars; they remind of the heroes of Afghanistan, Chechnya and other local military conflicts. In Berdsk, such an object appeared in the anniversary year of 2016 for the city and is called the “Memorial of Military Brotherhood.”
This is a monument in honor of all Berdsk residents who performed military service and died in the line of duty. It is dedicated, among other things, to the 67th Special Forces Brigade, which was located in the city of Berdsk for some time until it was disbanded. The memorial project was developed by the architect N.I. Vinnikov.
Monument to shuttle entrepreneurs
- Address: Pervomaiskaya, 7.
Shuttles are a product of the economic reality of Russia in the 1990s. Small entrepreneurs-traders independently purchased and sold goods from different countries. Small businesses started with these people in post-Soviet times. The image of the era is captured in one of the monuments of Berdsk.
Two iron sculptures depict a man and a woman with huge trunk bags - integral attributes of the shuttle. The sculptural composition was cast in Barnaul. It appeared on Lelyukha Street in Berdsk in 2015.
Monument "Construction trowel"
- Address: Granitnaya street.
Berdsk is a city reborn by the efforts of builders. An unusual monument in the shape of a trowel is dedicated to representatives of this most important profession. An important construction tool stands on a long pedestal in the Belokamenny microdistrict.
Officially, this city object is dedicated to those who built this part of the city, but residents and tourists perceive it as a tribute to the memory of everyone who had a hand in the revival and creation of the appearance of modern Berdsk. The Trowel was installed on the day of the professional holiday of builders in 2012.
Sculpture "Oak of Fidelity"
- Address: City Park.
Every city has a place where young couples traditionally come on their wedding day. In Berdsk, the Mecca for newlyweds has become the Park of Culture and Recreation, among the sculptures and art objects of which there is the “Oak of Fidelity”.
Newly-made spouses hang locks on it, symbolizing a strong marriage. This tradition appeared in the city recently, since the tree itself is still very young. The Fidelity Oak was installed in 2015, when the park celebrated its 35th anniversary.
Mass grave of partisans
- Address: Sverdlova street.
An inconspicuous granite stele in a city park with two staircases along the edges. This monument recalls a tragic period of history - the Civil War, in which representatives of the Russian people fought against each other. The monument is dedicated to the partisans who fought on the side of the Reds and died for Soviet power. They rest here in a mass grave dated 1919.
Cultural recreation and entertainment in Berdsk
There are also places in Berdsk for cultural, spiritual, recreation, as well as for active leisure, which is an integral part of every person’s life.
Cinema "Orion"
- Address: Ostrovsky street, 69.
The Orion cinema has been operating in Berdsk for half a century. It was built back in 1969, a year later the cinema hall received spectators for the first time. Over its history, it has become one of the symbols of the city and its cultural landmark. Today it is a modern, comfortable two-screen cinema with a bar and a poster rich in world premieres. Orion is located in the heart of the city’s cultural life - in the Park of Culture and Recreation.
House of Culture "Rodina"
- Address: 48B, Microdistrict.
The building, typical of the Soviet era, with columns and a triangular roof looks solemn and formal. The very appearance of the 1958 building hints that the city’s cultural center is located here.
The cultural center still remains the main concert venue of Berdsk: creative evenings, festivals, theater and circus performances, and performances by celebrities who visited Berdsk on tour are held here. Dance and vocal groups operate on a permanent basis at the House of Culture. There is a circus studio and its own brass band.
Ice Sports Palace "Berdsk"
- Address: Borovaya st., 103A.
In the city of Berdsk, which is not rich in entertainment, the ice arena has become an important object. Sports clubs operate here and city residents spend their leisure time. The ice hosts mass skating and winter sports competitions. The auditorium seats 900 people. The sports complex was opened in 2007.
Situated close to Novosibirsk, a million-population city, Berdsk remains largely dependent on its “big neighbor.” Such cities often fall out of sight of tourists. But in vain, because even having lost a significant part of their historical heritage, they prove that many interesting things can be found in the small settlements of our country. The history of Berdsk itself, shown through its sights, cannot leave anyone indifferent.
Main streets of Berdsk
Large streets on the map of Berdsk are immediately noticeable. The city has an unusual arc layout, so there are a lot of crossroads and intersections. But it will be difficult to get lost. The main streets are:
- st. Lenin . Length 4.2 km.
- st. Ostrovsky . Length approximately 3 km.
- st. Krasnoarmeyskaya . The length is about 1.2 km.
- st. Sverdlova . Length 1.3 km.
Walking along the main streets of the city will tell tourists the history of Berdsk like no other.
