[12] It is an important transport node, serving as a train station for the Trans-Siberian Railway and as a staging post for the Irtysh River.

The main route passed from Tobolsk, down the Irtysh, then up the Ob, then along the Ket portage to the Yenisei, and on to the border with China.

However, above the mouth of the Ob, trade caravans were attacked by free detachments of Kalmyks (Oirats) and Kirghiz-Kaisaks, which their rulers could not cope with.

In his report to the tsar on May 22, 1714, Gagarin substantiated the need to build fortresses along the Irtysh to ensure communication and safety of the expedition going to the city of Yarkand for the golden sand.

The tsar believed in the governor and signed a decree organizing an expedition under the command of a former captain of the Guards, Army Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Bukholts, about the construction of fortresses along the Irtysh above Yamyshev.

[13][14][15] On January 2, 1716, Matvey Petrovich Gagarin took up his governor's duties and actively took up the construction of fortresses in Siberia including those on Lake Kosogol, and the Yenisei and Irtysh rivers.

Between January 8-10, 1716, the prince met with the king and made him an offer as a golden collection from the ancient burial mounds plundered along the Ishim and Irtysh.

At the meeting, Gagarin reported to Peter about his plans for the development of Siberia and received the tsar's permission, presumably as the highest resolution.

On January 27, 1716, Peter I left for Europe, where he stayed until October 1717 and ceased receiving timely and reliable information from Siberia.

Gagarin assessed the situation and gave instructions to Lieutenant Colonel Buholz and the Tara commandant to build a fortress at the mouth of the Om and sent recruits to reinforce them.

[20] In 1822, Omsk became an administrative capital of Western Siberia and later in 1882 the center of the vast Steppes region (today the northern part of Kazakhstan) and Akmolinsk Oblast acquiring several churches and cathedrals of various denominations, mosques, a synagogue, the governor-general's mansion, and a military academy.

The "Provisional All-Russian Government" was established in Omsk in 1918, headed by the Arctic explorer and decorated war hero Admiral Kolchak.

[citation needed] Omsk became a prime target for the Red Army, which viewed it as a major focus of their Siberian campaign and eventually forced Kolchak and his government to abandon the city and retreat along the Trans-Siberian eastward to Irkutsk.

Contingency plans were made to transfer the provisional Soviet capital to Omsk in the event of a German victory during the Battle of Moscow (October 1941 to January 1942).

[24] At the end of the war, Omsk remained a major industrial center, subsequently becoming a leader in Soviet military production.

Gazprom Neft, the parent company, is the largest employer in the city, wielding its tax rates as leverage in negotiations with municipal and regional authorities.

Most of the city's large businesses, which had been state-owned, were fought over by members of the former party elite, the emerging nouveau riche, and fast-growing criminal syndicates.

The resulting conflict developed into two points of view, which served as the impetus for some improvements to the city's infrastructure and cultural life.

River-port facilities handle both passengers and freight, giving the city access to navigating the extensive waterways of the Irtysh and Ob River.

The waterways connect Omsk with the coal and mineral-mining towns further up the river in Kazakhstan, as well as with the oil, natural gas and lumber operations of northern Siberia.

Omsk is served by the Tsentralny Airport, which offers access to domestic and international (primarily, German and Kazakh) destinations, making the city an important aviation hub for Siberia and the Russian Far East.

Omsk has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) characterized by dramatic seasonal shifts in weather: winters are long, dry, windy and very cold, and summers are short but sunny and warm, sometimes hot.

[12] As of the 2021 Census, the ethnic composition of Omsk was:[30] The architectural centerpiece of the city is an ensemble of buildings along Lyubinsky Avenue/Lenina Street, anchored by the former Gostiny Dvor, and flanked by two chapels.

The largest and most opulent church in the city is the Dormition Cathedral, a five-domed edifice in the Russian Revival style, consecrated in 1896, demolished by the Soviets, and restored in the first decade of the 21st century.

It is known for a mineral spring (+37 degrees) on its territory alleged to have healing properties, which was consecrated on September 14, 1993, by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow.

[38] The heads of several newspapers and one television company issued a joint statement accusing the governor of violating the "media law" and the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.

Here are all the laurels and applause to the head of the region.At […] the event, a trend was clearly outlined, a fashionable tone set by the former governor Leonid Polezhayev - the separation of the city and the region.

[48][49] The representative body of local self-government is the Omsk City Council, elected for five years and consisting of forty deputies.

[51] Vladimir Valentinovich Korbut, a member of the United Russia party, has been the chairman of the Omsk City Council since 27 September 2017.

Municipal public transportation comprises large networks of buses and trolleys along with trams, although the latter has deteriorated severely since the collapse of the USSR.