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Alia’s ‘Samurai’ Superyacht Is About to Make Its International Boat Show Debut

Ready to make its international debut, alia yachts’ flagship 197-foot superyacht samurai is set to slice through water like butter., julia zaltzman, julia zaltzman's most recent stories.

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Turkish shipyard Alia Yachts ’ flagship vessel, the 197-foot superyacht Samurai, has been hiding in plain sight. The yacht may have officially launched three years ago, but its international boat-show debut is just around the corner—all 1,050 GT of it.

Styled by Dutch studio Omega Architects , the low-rise exterior profile features bold vertical windows, an elegantly arched superstructure and long aft overhangs to give it a sporty, powerful appeal.

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The high-volume 1,050 GT interior is almost entirely housed inside the hull, which means oodles of guest and cabin space.

A luxurious and spacious beach club and gym with fold-down transom door and side platform occupy part of the lower deck, alongside a tender garage with room for two custom tenders of up to 23 feet.

Direct exterior access from the main deck to the beach club via a stairway on the aft deck heightens convenience.

The water-level beach club and terrace.  Photo: Jeff Brown

So, long lazy days lounging by the water’s edge accompanied by the odd shore excursion when curiosity piques are a must.

Water’s edge beach club.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Besides the engine room, the lower deck also contains quarters for 14 crew.

Owner’s suite with huge windows.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Interior design comes from the boards of British studio Redman Whiteley Dixon  (RWD), where natural materials and neutral tones go hand-in-hand to create a sophisticated and welcoming environment akin to airy and light loft-apartment living.

Owner’s suite.  Photo: Jeff Brown

The best views on board are reserved for the full-beam, forward-facing owner’s suite with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to sea.

Master suite sitting area.  Photo: Jeff Brown

A further four guest cabins on the main deck bring the total guest tally to 12.

Main-deck saloon.  Photo: Jeff Brown

The free-flow layout is carried through to the open-plan main saloon, and formal dining is provided for in the main-deck dining room—both also benefitting from full-height windows.

Main-deck dining area.  Photo: Jeff Brown

For warm summer evenings on board, however, guests can take dinner alfresco on the generous bridge-deck dining area.

Skylounge.  Photo: Jeff Brown

A panoramic skylounge leading out to the open foredeck makes this space hugely versatile, as does the fifth guest-suite option.

Foredeck.  Photo: Jeff Brown

“We’ve been sitting on the superyacht industry’s best-kept secret for the last three years,” says Alia president Gökhan Çelik. “In terms of overall design and construction quality, Samurai demonstrates what we’re capable of, and I’m delighted we finally have this opportunity to show her off to the yachting world.”

Samurai.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Powered by twin MTU 16V 4000 M73L engines, Samurai ‘s naval architecture includes a patented Fast Displacement Hull Form (FDHF) by Dutch firm Van Oossanen, providing a top speed of 21 knots and a transatlantic range of 4,250 nm at economical speed.

Wheelhouse.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Aft-deck lounge.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Sundeck.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Sundeck’s forward hot tub.  Photo: Jeff Brown

Beach club.  Photo: Jeff Brown

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Alia Yachts 2016

Asking Price

€44,000,000

Summer Charter

From €425,000 p/w

Winter Charter

From $441,000 p/w

The Ultimate in On-The-Water Living

For those looking for a closer connection with the water while retaining all the exclusivity of a superyacht, Samurai really does have it all. Showcasing the design work of two award-winning teams, with exteriors by Omega Architects and light, contemporary interiors by Redman Whiteley Dixon, this yacht really is an icon.

CHARTER LOCATION

Summer: Mediterranean, West Mediterranean

Winter: Caribbean, Bahamas

Standout Features

This is Samurai

Huge Beach Club

Perfect for Relaxation, Gym, or Water Fun!

Portuguese Bridge

Ideal for Sundowners and Stunning Views.

Sheltered Sun Deck

Jacuzzi, Sun Pads, Lounging Area, Glass Paneling Protection.

Stylish. Spacious. Sophisticated.

With impressive volumes, open plan layout and use of glass, Samurai blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living, offering multiple options for relaxing, socialising or dining.

Striking Design

Contemporary design by Redman Whitely Dixon pairs light neutral tones with rich, bold shades of colour. Stylish, spacious and sophisticated, Samurai’s interior is artistic, chic and incredibly comfortable.

Beach Club Gym

Enjoy a workout at water level in Samurai’s impressive beach club gym, which features glass panels which can close off completely to allow full air-conditioning.

Spacious, Main Deck Accommodation

Samurai offers sumptuous accommodation for 12 guests in five light and airy main-deck suites - including a spacious 87.1m² main deck Owner’s suite with skylight - and a convertible sixth cabin on the bridge deck.

Make a Splash

What's in the Toybox

2 x Tenders 4 x Kayaks 5 x Inflatable Toys 2 x Jet Skis 5 x Stand Up Paddle Boards 3 x Inflatable Toys 3 x Seabobs 10 x Snorkeling Sets 3 x Towable Toys

Please note that the tenders and toys on board the yachts are regularly updated. Please contact Y.CO for the most up to date list.

A Water Playground

Samurai’s extensive toys list is enough to keep you occupied with something different every day. The collection of state-of-the-art toys was brand new in 2019 and includes 2 tenders, 2 jetskis, 3 seabobs, kayaks, paddleboards and a variety of inflatable and towables toys, guaranteeing on-the-water fun for all.

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Samurai: The record-breaking racer refitted as a superyacht

Once a record-breaking racing yacht, the newly refitted Samurai is now a sleek performance cruiser that honours her history without compromising on speed – or style.

“Commence lowering tables,” comes the order from the captain. “Lowering tables,” comes the response from the deckhand, and the cockpit tables are folded and stowed. This is not part of the starting sequence for typical racing yachts, especially ones that average speeds in excess of 20 knots. But then Samurai is far from typical, either in her original build or in her freshly refitted cruising incarnation.

As Mari-Cha IV , the 42.4 metre schooner’s sole purpose was to set speed and distance records over offshore courses with all sails handled manually (two teams of grinders and trimmers working 21 winches on deck). Delivered in 2003 to her former owner, Robert Miller, she accomplished her goal with such feats as breaking the transatlantic record right out of the box, making the crossing in six days, 17 hours, 52 minutes (a record that was only broken in July 2016 by Comanche ) and setting a sailing record of 525 miles in one 24-hour period.

She also won the Rolex Transatlantic Challenge, broke the Guadeloupe to Antigua record and the Hawaii Pacific Ocean record, where Mari-Cha IV sailed 2,070 miles in just over five days, smashing the old record by 32 hours. But fame is fleeting; this former superstar was sold and eventually put out to sailing’s equivalent of pasture — a slovenly backwater berth.

Mari-Cha IV was so purpose-designed by Philippe Briand , Clay Oliver and Greg Elliott that there was just one spartan cabin below for the owner. The crew – and there would be 25 aboard to race – slept hot-bunking on pipe cots wedged fore and aft of ballast tanks and huge boxes housing hydraulic rams that canted her keel up to 40 degrees either side. The shallow underbody, more like a surfboard than a sailing yacht, and the towering schooner rig made her a theme park ride capable of 40-plus knots. She was a rocketship.

Times and ideas change. Now, those in search of speed records favour foiling multihulls or trimarans. Monohull fans favour smaller boats in the super maxi class. Even though Mari-Cha IV was state-of-the-art in composite building in 2003, a comparable sloop today weighs about 20 tonnes less. When a specialist sailing yacht broker, Will Bishop, of Yachting Partners International , began sounding out potential owners who might be interested in turning the boat into an exciting cruiser, racing purists cried “heresy”. “Of course, none of them were stepping forward to rehab the boat,” he says.

And then, from an unlikely corner – classic cars, to be precise – came an interested party with a singular vision. Her history as Mari-Cha IV needed to be preserved and honoured, he said, and the best way to do that was to show how she could be a no-compromise cruising experience. He rejected sketches that showed the yacht’s rig and deck modified, including one with a deck saloon. Respecting the original profile was paramount and that meant maintaining the twin towers of carbon fibre that carried 893 square metres of sail.

Out of sight would be desired modifications to power the winches, allowing the boat to be sailed with 10 crew, and a lifting keel to access more harbours. The big challenge would be fitting in a cruising interior, a galley, watermaker, sewage treatment and air-conditioning without wrecking Mari-Cha IV ’s performance.

The owner and Bishop began by tracking down Elliott to shepherd the numbers and hiring British firm Rhoades Young to take care of the styling and interior design. Jonathan Rhoades and Dick Young have probably designed more lightweight sailing yacht interiors than any other company. What the firm often doesn’t receive enough credit for is its contribution to exterior styling. For this project, it was key to add mod cons without destroying Mari Cha IV ’s stealthy profile.

“Truth be told, Samurai is all about ‘the experience’. No one else seemed to get it,” says Rhoades. “The owner wanted a new superyacht. What drew him to this project was the pedigree. He had tonnes of photos of Mari-Cha IV racing. He wanted a ‘blowing-[your]-socks-off experience’. What he’s done is create a completely new animal.”

Bishop agrees. “I’ve sold nine sailing yachts in two years. People want performance more than anything. Today, owners are designing boats for superyacht regatta racing. That used to be an afterthought. Mari-Cha IV was not only beautiful but she accomplished her mission; the owner felt she just couldn’t be allowed to rot.”

Max Riedl, of Cornelsen & Partner, a project management firm with an impeccable history of refits and new builds, says he was “worried about making [ Samurai ] a compromise between a racer and a cruiser and being very bad at each job”. But the owner, he says, had a vision. “He saw this as a modern Endeavour in that the original mission would be honoured.”

In modifying the boat, weight was the critical driver – and unrelenting master, says Elliott. As the one who knew the most about her original engineering, he was brought on as the numbers man and designer of a new lifting keel for Samurai . When the owner said he wanted to keep the yacht’s profile, he meant the entire profile, including the pair of 45.1 metre masts that gave Mari-Cha IV her unprecedented power.

“The weight budget was where we began. That rig,” he says, pointing skyward, “is made for a certain load, a certain righting moment. Keeping the rig and changing the keel from a deep canting foil to a lifting vertical foil gave us an equation without much room for error or interpretation.”

The team refined the plan and made more interior room by removing the hydraulic rams that forced the original keel from side to side for stability. The mezzanine-level nav station was cast aside to provide an atrium entrance to Samurai ’s saloon. Cockpit coaming was added to make a safe seating area for guests during sailing and to shelter alfresco dining when moored.

The modifications to the carbon structure were extensive owing to the complexity of incorporating the new lifting keel and the interior, so leading composite specialist Gurit was brought in to rigorously scrutinise and design the whole process. Once the plan for Samurai was organised, the refit went to bid with several yards. While Royal Huisman ’s price wasn’t the lowest, the owner chose the yard in April 2014 because of its reputation and brand pedigree.

Royal Huisman for a carbon fibre racing yacht refit? Project director Ronald van Hulst laughs at the question. “We’ve been doing a lot of bits and pieces in carbon fibre and our sister company, Rondal, is a carbon fibre expert – and not just masts. We make parts for other Dutch yards such as doors and hatches and arches.”

On deck, it’s easier to point out what isn’t original to Mari-Cha IV than what is: the cockpit tables and huge C-shaped sofas. The wheels, the masts and booms are all original, as are the winches and the steering gear. The aft pod of winches has been relocated further aft but they (and those at the base of the main mast) are the historic lot, though they are now motorised.

Samurai ’s ‘stealth fighter’ look is highlighted by her new suit of black 3Di sails from North, a perfect application of the company’s moulded sail process utilising carbon, Aramid and Dyneema fibre. Engineered to assume the perfect flying shape when hoisted, they appear to present a single, shiny, smooth surface to the air, not unlike a hard wing sail.

The transition from a carbon tube to a yacht with a master and four guest cabins naturally increased the displacement of Samurai , and her difference from lightship to fully loaded is a modest additional eight tonnes. “Where you put the weight is just as important as the amount,” says Elliott, and getting the “yacht look” without massive weight was a puzzle that involved everyone. “I gave them the bottom line of how much weight they could add to the boat and it was up to them to allocate it,” he says.

Royal Huisman weighed the whole structure monthly as a check on the material weights coming on or off the boat. Flexiteek (850.5kg) set into the deck and cockpit provides the non-skid finish, while entertainment electronics account for two tonnes. Samurai ’s captain Alec Rhys, a veteran of Whitbread Round the World Races, came up with a way to save 249.5kg in the galley by creating a half-pipe and roller system for managing the cooktop and oven instead of using a standard gimballed stove.

Likewise, the crew created a clever anchor management system that weighs next to nothing (49.9kg versus 598.7kg for a powered anchor deployment system) and disappears for racing. Samurai ’s carbon hull is skimfilled and painted with a custom silver paint rather than fully faired. It saves weight but, more importantly, the owner didn’t want to hide that the “boat had a past”.

While Samurai will do some racing, her mission is primarily family cruising. The owner’s brief to the designers was as unusual as the concept itself. “I asked them for Samurai temple meets Portofino beach house,” the owner explains as we punch upwind on a 30-mile race course without so much as a drop of spray spoiling the conversation. “Notice I said Samurai temple, not palace.”

The interior is calm and uncluttered and much larger than you might expect, but Samurai is far from a stripped-out racing machine. Within the weight budget, there is room for both cosiness and flair, which is reflected in the silk wall panels, an ancient Japanese warrior’s armour and a 16th century Edo period sword.

“If a man does not have history, he does not have a future,” says the owner. “We adore history. Look at the place that Japan held in the world during that time. They were the fiercest feudal culture and yet, at the same time, supremely disciplined and creative. The history of the Samurai is clear – he had to be the best at every moment and live by an unbreakable code of honour.”

Rhoades Young and Royal Huisman collaborated on the Samurai ’s new general arrangement; a largely symmetrical layout that Rhoades says is really the only one possible. “On a boat you have so many levels and shapes and intrusions… symmetry and order make people comfortable and feel at home.”

In Samurai ’s saloon, the fan-shaped panels of 2D curved glass in the superstructure create a strong design element repeated with a floor covering that looks like tatami but is actually a synthetic fibre that is softer under foot and beautifully bound in waterproof leather borders. Port and starboard L-shaped sofas serve for lounging or dining with multifunctional tables made by overall fit-out contractor Greenline Yacht Interiors .

Managing director Gianluca Ascheri adds: “Building the interiors of Samurai was a tremendous challenge, and extremely complicated, considering such dramatic engineering requirements. There were no compromises; we had to achieve an interior with specific luxurious levels and characteristics, yet extremely light, strong and tough. All this within a net space that was not enough to contain it, and that therefore required special custom methods of construction to reduce the thicknesses and dimensions.”

With virtually no tween-deck space to work with, the designers had to be clever with the lighting plan for Samurai . “We obviously had no space for can lights in the overhead,” says Rhoades. “We relied on ambient lighting spilling out of reveals and secret places and used dark corners to create shadow and thus blur the edges of rooms to make them seem larger.”

Rhoades Young undertook its own weight studies to create a balance between spaces requiring durability and sound dampening and those where more delicate materials could be used. Lighting choices and how the electrical supply was distributed were factors. “What do the black boxes weigh and how many cables must you run?” asks Rhoades. “If you choose the right equipment and smart cable runs, you will offset the weight of a piece of furniture. Everything was on a spreadsheet, including the screws and glue.”

Of course, Samurai is a superyacht with Baccarat crystal, Jasper china, Christofle silver and the odd Philippe Starck candelabra. “We really went round and round about the china, then I asked them what they had allowed as luggage weight per person. They told me 80 kilos. I said we will tell everyone to pack light. If we reduce that to 60 kilos per person, there is room for my 200 kilograms of crockery,” the designer says.

So, at the end of the process, was there a penalty to be paid for the ancient armour or the bone china? Apparently not. According to its captain, the boat is “still a weapon to sail”. On the yacht’s delivery from the Med to the British Virgin Islands for her first regatta, the crew – all serious racing sailors – pushed Samurai hard to make their rendezvous with the owner.

As sailors are inclined, they kept track of each helmsman’s top speed recorded during his or her watch. The winner of the first Atlantic crossing was Xanthe Bowater, the youngest crew member, who is also an Olympic class windsurfer. She topped the chart by surfing Samurai to 36 knots, just five knots off Mari-Cha IV ’s best.

“I knew what I wanted to achieve, and this great team found a way to work for the final objective,” says Samurai ’s owner as we return to port. “The only thing they didn’t anticipate was the speed at which we sail.”

First published in the August 2016 edition of Boat International

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NOT FOR CHARTER *

This Yacht is not for Charter*

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SAMURAI yacht NOT for charter*

24.06m  /  78'11 | azimut | 2015.

Owner & Guests

Cabin Configuration

• Previous Yacht

Special Features:

• Interior design from Carlo Galeazzi
• Cruising speed of 27 knots
• Sleeps 8 overnight
• Shallow draft and fast speeds for reef exploration

The 24.06m/78'11" motor yacht 'Samurai' was built by Azimut in Italy. Her interior is styled by Italian designer design house Carlo Galeazzi and she was completed in 2015. This luxury vessel's exterior design is the work of Stefano Righini.

Guest Accommodation

Samurai has been designed to comfortably accommodate up to 8 guests in 4 suites comprising one VIP cabin. She is also capable of carrying up to 2 crew onboard to ensure a relaxed luxury yacht experience.

Range & Performance

Built with a GRP hull and GRP superstructure, with teak decks, she has impressive speed and great efficiency thanks to her planing hull. Powered by 3 x diesel Volvo Penta (IPS-1200) 900hp engines, she comfortably cruises at 27 knots, reaches a maximum speed of 32 knots with a range of up to 300 nautical miles from her 4,000 litre fuel tanks at 20 knots. Her low draft of 1.64m/5'5" makes her primed for accessing shallow areas and cruising close to the shorelines. Her water tanks store around 1,100 Litres of fresh water.

*Charter Samurai Motor Yacht

Motor yacht Samurai is currently not believed to be available for private Charter. To view similar yachts for charter , or contact your Yacht Charter Broker for information about renting a luxury charter yacht.

Samurai Yacht Owner, Captain or marketing company

'Yacht Charter Fleet' is a free information service, if your yacht is available for charter please contact us with details and photos and we will update our records.

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Specification

M/Y Samurai

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Maker of bayesian yacht blames crew for ‘indescribable, unreasonable errors’ in doomed vessel’s sinking.

The CEO of the company that built the $40 million yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily this week has blamed the crew for the tragedy — saying they had 16 minutes and could have easily saved the seven who died.

“The boat suffered a series of indescribable, unreasonable errors,” Giovanni Costantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, told Reuters of the Bayesian sinking Monday, killing seven of the 22 onboard.

“The impossible happened on that boat … but it went down because it took on water. From where, the investigators will tell,” he said.

Blaming the crew for the “incredible mistake” of not being prepared for the storm, he said: “This is the mistake that cries out for vengeance.”

Costantino, whose company includes Perini Navi, the Italian high-end yacht maker that built the 183-foot superyacht in 2008, staunchly defended its construction — saying it had survived far more extreme storms during 22 years of trouble-free navigation.

Instead, he expressed horror that the crew was unable to save the seven who died — including the Bayesian’s owner, British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah.

He said the crew had a 16-minute window before the craft sank — plenty of time to get everyone to safety.

“The torture lasted 16 minutes,” he told the Financial Times.

“It went down, not in one minute as some scientists have said. It went down in 16 minutes. You can see it from the charts, from the AIS [Automatic Identification System] tracking chart,” he said.

Additionally, doors and hatches should have been closed, and the keel should have been lowered to increase stability, among other safety measures, Costantino said.

Had correct procedures been followed, all passengers would have gone back to sleep after one hour, “and the next morning they would have happily resumed their wonderful cruise,” he added.

“The captain should have prepared the boat and put it in a state of alert and of safety.”

“Ask yourself — why were none of the Porticello fishermen out that night? A fisherman checks the conditions and a ship doesn’t? The disturbance was completely readable on all the weather maps. It was impossible not to know,” he said.

What to know after a tornado sank the yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily:

• A superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily after a tornado hit the area early Monday, killing seven passengers.
• British tech tycoon Mike Lynch was identified as one of the bodies pulled from the wreckage. His teenage daughter, Hannah, was the final one to be recovered.
• Lynch — known as “Britain’s Bill Gates” — had invited guests from Clifford Chance, a legal firm that represented him, and Invoke Capital, his own company, on the voyage,  according to the Telegraph . 
• Security camera footage shot from 650 feet from where the  Bayesian sank Monday  shows it disappearing.
• A rare and unexpected “black swan” weather event may have led to the  Bayesian’s speedy demise , maritime experts say.

Bayesian had 22 people on board — 12 passengers and 10 crew — when it capsized and sank during a storm while anchored off the coast of northern Sicily.

Of those on board, 15 people — including Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares — were rescued after escaping onto a lifeboat. 

Rescue divers located Lynch’s teen daughter Friday, the final missing person, the Italian coast guard said.   

The bodies of the other dead passengers, including Lynch and New York attorney Christopher Morvillo, were recovered Wednesday and Thursday from inside the hull of the sunken yacht. Those on board were there to help Lynch celebrate his recent acquittal in a major US fraud trial. 

Meanwhile, Italian authorities launched a manslaughter investigation into what downed the $40 million yacht after it was struck by an intense storm early Monday, local media reported.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Termini Imerese had started making inquiries and was looking at a slew of offenses — including “shipwreck and multiple counts of culpable homicide against an unknown person,” sources told Palermo Today.

With Post wires

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Tomsk: Cultural treasure of central Siberia

Tomsk. Church of the Resurrection on Resurrection Hill. East view. September 24, 1999

At the beginning of the 20th century the Russian chemist and photographer Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky developed a complex process for vivid color photography. His vision of photography as a form of education and enlightenment was demonstrated with special clarity through his images of architectural monuments in the historic sites throughout the Russian heartland.

In June 1912, Prokudin-Gorsky ventured into Western Siberia as part of a commission to document the Kama-Tobolsk Waterway, a link between the European and Asian sides of the Ural Mountains. The town of  Tyumen  served as his starting point for productive journeys that included Shadrinsk (current population 68,000), established in 1662 on the Iset River. By the time of Prokudin-Gorsky’s visit, the town already had several enterprises, including a ceramics factory, and a population of some 15,000. 

Prokudin-Gorsky’s photographs of Shadrinsk include the rapid construction of pine log buildings for a railroad station complex – part of a secondary rail line built in 1911-1913. The partially completed buildings show an efficient use of standardized design, with measured log stacks in the foreground. Tall, spindly pine trees complete the picture.

Shadrinsk. Construction of standardized log buildings for a railroad station complex. Summer 1912

In a broader context, these photographs reflect the expansion of Russia’s rail system from Yekaterinburg to the Far East. Although Prokudin-Gorsky did not reach Tomsk (in central Siberia), I visited there in the late Summer of 1999 and saw the extensive use of log structures in an urban environment.

Tomsk beginnings

Tomsk. Church of Kazan Icon of the Virgin at Virgin-St. Aleksy Monastery, south view. Built in 1776-89; bell tower added in 1806. September 26, 1999

Archeological evidence suggests that Tomsk Region, part of the vast Ob River basin in central Siberia, has been settled for at least four millennia.

Epiphany Cathedral, southeast view. Built in 1777-84; expanded in 19th century; severely deformed in Soviet period for use as factory. This historic photograph shows the process of restoration, completed in 2002. September 25, 1999

By the time detachments of Russian Cossacks arrived in 1598, the native inhabitants included the Khants and Siberian Tatars, who, in 1603, accepted the authority of Tsar Boris Godunov.

In 1604, a fort was founded on the banks of the River Tom (a tributary of the Ob) and, throughout the 17th century, the Tomsk settlement served as a bulwark against the Kalmyk and Kirghiz steppe tribes.  

Church of the Resurrection on Resurrection Hill, north view. Built in 1789-1807; excellent example of "Siberian Baroque" architecture. September 26, 1999

With the expansion of Russian control to the south during the 18th century, the military significance of Tomsk was replaced by trade and transportation, centered on caravans of tea from China.

Former Stock Exchange Building, begun in 1825. September 25, 1999

The expansion of the Moscow Road through Siberia in the middle of the 18th century provided further stimulus for growth that was reflected in the construction of large brick churches, such as the Epiphany Cathedral (first completed in 1784) and the Church of the Resurrection (1789), a masterpiece of Siberian baroque architecture.             

Alexander Vtorov & Sons Building, Lenin Prospect 111. Built in 1903-05 as a department store & hotel; a major example of Art Nouveau architecture in Siberia. September 24, 1999

During the 1830s, the development of gold mines in the territory greatly increased the town's significance as a center of mining operations and administration. Tomsk Region also continued to serve as a place of political exile, as it had in the 17th and 18th centuries.             

‘Diverted’ opportunities

N. S. Zaslavsky "Fashionable Store," Lenin Prospect 105. Built in 1898-99; example of "Brick Style" commercial architecture. September 24, 1999

During the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway at the end of the 19th century, Tomsk missed a second golden opportunity when the Ministry of Transportation decided to place the railroad crossing over the Ob’ River to the south. There are conflicting explanations for this decision, which slighted Tomsk, but created the town of Novonikolaevsk, subsequently to become the major Siberian metropolis of Novosibirsk.

Former building of the Flour Exchange, Lenin Square 14. Built in 1906-08; an example of Art Nouveau architecture. September 25, 1999

Tomsk settled for a branch line constructed in 1896 through the small junction of Taiga (80 kilometers south of the city) and that spur enabled Tomsk to remain a center of trade and agricultural development in central Siberia.             

Commercial building of A. V. Shvetsov, steamboat magnate. Built in 1882 in the "Pseudo-Russian" style (based on late medieval Russian architecture). September 25, 1999

The impressive scale of its commercial and residential architecture illustrates the diversity of Siberian culture at the turn of the 20th century. The Vtorov firm built one of Siberia’s largest department stores, which still graces Tomsk’s central district. Tomsk also became one of Siberia's preeminent educational centers, the location of Siberia's first university, founded in 1878. Among Russian institutions of higher learning, Tomsk State University is distinguished not only by its academic luster but also by its attractive, spacious campus.             

Main Building of Tomsk University. Built in 1885 in a late Neoclassical style. September 27, 1999

It should be emphasized that Tomsk accepted religious faiths in addition to Russian Orthodoxy. By 1910, the city had a Catholic Church of the Holy Rosary (now restored for use), two mosques (both of which have been restored), a Lutheran church (rebuilt), an Old Believer Orthodox church and a large synagogue that is among the most beautiful in Russia. The dome over its entrance has now been reconstructed.

Catholic Church of the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin. Consecrated in 1833 for the community of Polish exiles. Bell tower added in 1856. September 26, 1999

Architectural heritage

In 1911, the city’s northern area gained the neo-Byzantine Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, the only church to remain open for most of the Soviet era. Some of the churches were built of wood, such as the Old Believer Church of the Dormition, completed in 1913 and lovingly maintained today by the parish. I was particularly honored to be asked to photograph Metropolitan Alimpy (Gusev; 1929-2003), who was visiting Tomsk at the same time.             

Choral Synagogue, Rosa Luxemburg Street 38. Built in 1902 to replace a wooden synagogue built in 1850. View before restoration of dome above main entrance. September 25, 1999

The most distinctive part of the city’s architectural heritage is displayed in its neighborhoods of elaborately decorated wooden houses, structures of solid logs often covered with plank siding.

Cathedral of Sts. Peter & Paul, southeast view. Built in 1909-11 in Neo-Byzantine style. September 24, 1999

It is no exaggeration to say that the "lacework" of Tomsk's wooden architectural ornament – particularly the window surrounds, or nalichniki – is unrivaled in Russia for its lavish detail and the extent of its preservation. Many of these extraordinary wooden houses were built for merchants who lived in the Tatar Quarter.  

Old Believer Church of the Dormition, southwest view. Wooden structure built in 1909-13 for the Old Believer Orthodox community in Tomsk region. September 27, 1999

The Tatar Quarter also contains the renovated White Mosque and a cultural center, located in a mansion built at the beginning of the 20th century for Karym Khamitov, a Tatar financial magnate.  Other ethnic groups include Russian  Germans, composed of settlers who moved to the area beginning in the 19th century. One of them was Viktor Kress, the governor of Tomsk Region in 1991-2012. 

Old Believer Church of the Dormition. Historic photograph of Metropolitan Alimpy (Gusev), spiritual leader of Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church. Photograph taken with the blessing of the prelate, who is standing in front of icon screen. September 27, 1999

Decline & rebirth

The many positive trends in the region’s development during the early 20th century were crushed by the savage fighting of the Civil War between 1918-1921. After that conflict, Tomsk entered a decline that was reversed by the evacuation to the city of industrial and research facilities during World War II.

Wooden house, Belinsky Street 19. Excellent example of "Carpenter Gothic" style. September 24, 1999

This momentum, reinforced by strong institutions of higher education in Tomsk, continued after the war with the development of nuclear research installations for both military and energy purposes.             

Wooden house built by architect Andrey Kryachkov. Fine example of Art Nouveau architecture in wood. September 26, 1999

With over a half a million inhabitants and a regional population of almost a million, Tomsk remains a leading Siberian center for administration, education, industry and energy resources.

Wooden house & courtyard gate, Tatar Street 46. One of many distinctive wooden houses built in the district of Tatar merchants. September 26, 1999

Protecting the environment has been a major concern, particularly in an area of stunning natural beauty. 

White Mosque, built in Tatar District in 1912-16. September 26, 1999

At the same time, dedication to the city’s historical environment – including its houses of worship – has succeeded in preserving an architectural legacy that represents a Russian national treasure.

House of merchant Karym Khamitov, built in Tatar District in 1894. Under conversion into cultural center for Tatar community of Tomsk region. September 25, 1999

Indeed, a walk through the historic neighborhoods of Tomsk reminds just how much Russian culture belongs to the forest.  

Ornamental wooden gate leading to courtyard of house on Solyanoi Lane 18. September 26, 1999

In the early 20th century, Russian photographer Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky developed a complex process for color photography. Between 1903 and 1916, he traveled through the Russian Empire and took over 2,000 photographs with the process, which involved three exposures on a glass plate. In August 1918, he left Russia and ultimately resettled in France, where he was reunited with a large part of his collection of glass negatives, as well as 13 albums of contact prints. After his death in Paris in 1944, his heirs sold the collection to the Library of Congress. In the early 21st century, the Library digitized the Prokudin-Gorsky Collection and made it freely available to the global public. A few Russian websites now have versions of the collection. In 1986, architectural historian and photographer William Brumfield organized the first exhibit of Prokudin-Gorsky photographs at the Library of Congress. Over a period of work in Russia beginning in 1970, Brumfield has photographed most of the sites visited by Prokudin-Gorsky. This series of articles juxtaposes Prokudin-Gorsky’s views of architectural monuments with photographs taken by Brumfield decades later.

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