In 1716, a small wooden fort was constructed on the place of the present Omsk. Its only purpose was to protect the eastern borders of the Russian Empire along the Irtysh and the Ishim rivers. At the end of the 18th century, a brick fortress was built on the right bank of the Om River.Later, during the 19th century, the importance of Omsk as a military frontier diminished and the growth of the town was not significant. In the middle of the 19th century, the famous Russian writer F.M. Dostoevsky was exiled to Omsk.In 1890, with the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the town began to grow quickly and received the official status of the capital of Western Siberia and Steppe (present Kazakhstan). In 1910, the Siberian Exposition of Agriculture and Industry was held in Omsk. After the exposition, Omsk received a nickname “Siberian Chicago”.After the establishment of Soviet power, Novosibirsk was chosen to be the capital of Western Siberia. Omsk lost a lot of its administrative, educational and other functions. During and after the Second World War, the growth of the city continued, when several large industries were evacuated to Omsk from the western parts of the Soviet Union.
