typical of Siberia - so we read before our departure - should be pretty wooden houses, painted lovingly decorated with elaborate carvings of cozy shutters and in bright colors. Well, we did not really expect a 1.5 million city for all its inhabitants has in such accommodation, but we were hoping at least to a small, old city center, this romance can not imagine. A (!) Should there be such also in the city of Tomsk, we could not go unfortunately.
Novosibirsk But even in this respect, unfortunately, a total disappointment: The Soviet charm of the 5-10 story concrete apartment blocks in anheimelmdem Grey dominates not only in peripheral areas, but can also be found everywhere in the city center. Such accommodations are happy to group "block" in the middle one - in theory - is to find the green courtyard. A good idea! Could stroll but here babushkas and children play, teenagers lead a walk to first love their dogs, or older men ....
This is all done well, but unfortunately most directly on the Russian black earth, which is broken by a very small vegetation remnants. Really lucky that half a year, everything covered with fresh white snow is ...
Downtown, however, are in the recent years, new architectural gems added, demonstrating the taste of modern Russia: 15-20 storey residential and office towers, like glazed complete with turrets and / or gold adorned balconies are quite lost in busy traffic junctions. Good thing they sell by height and splendor of the surroundings, because in the immediate floor area, they are no different: here, too pure, porous concrete or bare, unplanted soil and a few crooked trash, the waste generated record obviously can not.
Unfortunately, the crisis of the anticipated completion of many ambitious construction projects, so that from the silhouette ghostly ruins of the city stand out with idle construction cranes.
But there are very different neighborhoods. Leaving the city area that is still accessible by two subway lines, close to the right and left of the main roads so-called "private sector" to. A very promising name, the West Europeans with a possibly arouses associations such as "single-family homes with front garden."
What in principle is true: Here in the shadow of the Soviet bloc visible everywhere, rows of wooden houses actually still together, but which seem to be more suitable for one person than for a whole family. In the summer, is the mixture of barking dogs, free-range children and hammering homebuilders actually a kind of romantic atmosphere. But in the fall becomes clear why most of the residential Siberians prefer drawers: there in the private sectors, usually no sewers - the wooden beam in the yard is still widespread - and the asphalting of the streets is not the place to advanced. Thus, wading through mud after a rainy furrows that even the greatest sales woman can not overcome prejudice.
Fortunately our apartment is in a centrally located, very young and - as we thought - solid brick house. Although we had already the first survey noticed cracks in the stairwell, but our future landlord assured that this would affect only the houses situated in the other wing. None the less visited shortly after we moved in a "commission", consisting of an older lady, our apartment to the request of the Lessor cracks in the bathroom tile to take on the living room wall and into the hallway ceiling note. Since then, the property manager is in a lively exchange of correspondence with various persons in the Government, at last, even the mayor made in person. It turned out that the construction of a modern, marble-clad house, mainly confronted the "Dubai's Cathedral", which was completely the Vacant lot between our house and the adjacent block fill, the foundation work was not well executed with great care, so that simply the foundation of our house fell slightly to slide. clarify
To the urgency of intervention to various commissions, the owners of other apartments in our stairwell on each floor about 3 meters high tree trunks were cut to support the structural analysis.
It helped: there is now a not further reviewable decision that "without delay" the appropriate tests and measures must be taken to secure the building. Then came the already 1. added May (Feiertag!) carried out a construction crew that is very noisy and cumbersome welding work on the landing approach of the ground floor.
Was it already? Or we will face a relocation, as the residents of the adjacent house on the other side already behind? We are excited!
Downtown, however, are in the recent years, new architectural gems added, demonstrating the taste of modern Russia: 15-20 storey residential and office towers, like glazed complete with turrets and / or gold adorned balconies are quite lost in busy traffic junctions. Good thing they sell by height and splendor of the surroundings, because in the immediate floor area, they are no different: here, too pure, porous concrete or bare, unplanted soil and a few crooked trash, the waste generated record obviously can not. 
To the urgency of intervention to various commissions, the owners of other apartments in our stairwell on each floor about 3 meters high tree trunks were cut to support the structural analysis. 
