Editing Novosibirsk Oblast (section)

==History==
During the Middle Ages the region was populated by Siberian [[Siberian Tatars|Tatar]] tribes ([[Baraba Tatars|Baraba]] and [[Chats (subgroup)|Chat]]). Being constantly raided by [[Kalmyk people|Kalmyk]] nomads throughout the first centuries of the exploration of Siberia future Novosibirsk Oblast did not attract many Russian colonists, who preferred to settle around more northerly [[Tomsk]]. The first Russian village [[Maslyanino]] was founded in 1644. In 1716, officer Ivan Butkeyev built the Berd fortress that later became the city of [[Berdsk]], the main center of future colonization and development of the region. Like many other parts of Siberia, the Berd lands became a safe haven for political dissents, fugitive serfs and religious sects from all across Russia.

For the most parts of its history, the Novosibirsk Oblast belonged to the Tomsk administration, initially as a part of the Tomsk [[uyezd]] of the [[Tobolsk Governorate]] and later, starting with 1804, the separate [[Tomsk Governorate]]. The turning point in history of the region was the construction of the [[Trans-Siberian Railway|Trans-Siberian]] and the [[Turkestan–Siberia Railway|Turkestan–Siberian]] railways. Founded in 1893, [[Novosibirsk]], then Novonikolayevsk, became a transport hub of sub-regional importance and surpassed other major Siberian cities like [[Omsk]] and [[Tomsk]] in mere decades. In 1920, the capital of the Tomsk Governorate was moved to Novonikolayevsk, in 1921 the Novonikolayevsk Governorate was established. In 1925, most of the Siberian governorates were united as the [[Siberian Krai]] with Novosibirsk as the capital. In 1930, it was split into [[West Siberian Krai|West Siberian]] (Novosibirsk) and East Siberian ([[Irkutsk]]) krais, the former existed until 1937. The Novosibirsk Oblast was finally established on September 28, 1937. [[Kemerovo Oblast|Kemerovo]] and [[Tomsk Oblast|Tomsk]] became separate from it only in 1943–1944.