2. My native town.

I live in Tyumen. Tyumen is the oldest Siberian town. It was founded in 1586 at the site of Tatar settlement called Chingi-Tura. The wooden fortress was situated on the high bank of the Tura river. Soon Tyumen became the town of merchants. All houses of the ancient Tyumen were made of wood, that’s why the fires happened very often. The first stone houses were built in Tyumen only at the end of the 18^th century. Now Tyumen is a modern beautiful city with broad green streets and high buildings.

At the present Tyumen is the capital of Tyumen region, which is the biggest region in Russia. It is rich in natural resources , such as oil, natural gas, wood and others.

Tyumen is one of the cultural and industrial centres of West Siberia. There are many institutes, universities, colleges and schools. Every citizen of Tyumen can get any kind of higher education without leaving Tyumen. The main higher educational institutions are the Tyumen State University, the Tyumen State University of Oil and Gas , the International Institute of Economics and Law and the Institute of Arts and Culture.

There is also a number of plants and factories in Tyumen. Their production is well known all over Russia.

3. Tyumen state institute of arts and culture

Tyumen State Institute of Arts and Culture (TSIAC) was founded on the basis of the branch of Chelyabinsk Institute of Culture, which had been working in Tyumen since 1983, in 1991 in accord with the Act of RSFSR Minister Council.

TSIAC admitted its first students to the three faculties: leisure organizing and creative activity, music-pedagogical and librarian ones specializing accordingly in economics and management in socio-cultural sphere; conducting; instrumental performance; musical education; library study.

In January, 2001 the Institute celebrated its tenth anniversary.

Today TSIAC is the only Higher Educational Establishment in the region training highly qualified specialists for cultural and art organizations, cultural and leisure centres, libraries, music and artistic schools, professional creative companies, mass media and State bodies in the sphere of Culture. The Institute supports and develops scientific and methodological work, creative and concert activities.

By January 1^st, 2002 there were 1700 students on the whole studying at the Institute. 94 teachers including 9 Professors, 45 senior lecturers and candidates of Science, 13 Honoured instructors, work within its 20 sub-faculties. TSIAC teaching staff includes Kapeko M.A. - the Institute rector, Correspondent Member of the Siberian Department of the International Academy of Higher School Science, Honoured teacher of Higher School of Russian Federation, Professor; Selivanov F.A. – the member of the Academy of Social Sciences, Honoured Scientist of Russian Federation, PhD, Professor; Zaharova L.N. – PhD, Professor, Honoured Teacher of Higher and Professional Education and many other highly qualified specialists.

All-Russian Scientific and Methodological Conferences are regularly held in the Institute.

There is the Post-Graduate Study department at the Institute working in two directions: “Ontology and Theory of Knowledge” and “Theory and History of Culture”.

TSIAC is famous for its creative groups of various genres: Academic Choir leading by Petrova V.V., Honoured Conductor, Professor; choreographic ensemble of folk dance “Zori Tyumeni” (“Dawns of Tyumen”) leading by the Honoured teachers of Culture of RF and Professors Artser V.A. and Artser G.V.; the Champion of Russia, final participant of the European Championship, Bronze Leader of the World Championship in the Formation group – the ensemble of sport dance “Vera” leading by Sheregova V.A., Honoured teacher, and many others.

Within the period of its working, about 2000 highly qualified specialists have graduated from TSIAC.