Tobolsk Kremlin, Stone fortress complex in Tobolsk, Russia

Tobolsk Kremlin is the only stone kremlin in Siberia, built in the 17th and 18th centuries on a hill above the Tobol and Irtysh rivers. Its white stone walls with a dark pitched roof enclose the five-domed St. Sophia-Assumption Cathedral, the Trading Arcades (1702–1706) and the Order Chamber (1699–1704). A tall cylindrical tower with a conical roof stands at the wall's end.

Tobolsk, founded in 1587, became the capital of Siberia in the 17th century. The stone kremlin was built between 1683 and the end of the 18th century: the St. Sophia-Assumption Cathedral was erected in 1683–1686 by masons from Moscow and Veliky Ustyug, and Semyon Remezov later designed the Departmental Palace (1699–1704) and the Trading Arcades (1702–1706). In 1708 Knyaz M. Gagarin became the first governor of the Siberian province and continued construction until his execution in 1718.

The Sofia-Uspensky Cathedral inside shows Russian architecture that developed east of the Urals and was the first stone church in Siberia. Visitors can see the interior spaces today and understand how people here expressed their religious traditions.

The kremlin stands on Trinity Cape, about 60 metres above the Tobol, and its gates and walls are reached on foot from the upper town. The Dmitrievsky Gate tower and the 1799 multi-tier bell tower, the city's tallest building, mark the entrances. Restoration from the 1970s rebuilt the walls and towers, so the perimeter is walkable today.

During the Great Northern War, Swedish prisoners of war helped build several buildings in the fortress. Their labor left marks on this remote Siberian structure, showing the international connections of that era.