Ostashkov

Coordinates: 57°09′N 33°06′E / 57.15°N 33.1°E / 57.15; 33.1

Ostashkov's Orthodox cathedral (1689) overlooking Lake Seliger

Ostashkov (Russian: Оста́шков) is a town and the administrative center of Ostashkovsky District of Tver Oblast, Russia, located 199 kilometers (124 mi) west of Tver on a peninsula at the southern shore of Lake Seliger. Population: 18,073 (2010 Census preliminary results);^[1] 20,660 (2002 Census);^[2] 27,401 (1989 Census).^[3]

The island of Klichen was first mentioned in a letter sent by Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania to the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1371. After the island was pillaged by Novgorod pirates several years later, two of Klichen's surviving inhabitants, Ostashko and Timofey, moved to the mainland, where they founded the villages Ostashkovo and Timofeevo, respectively. The former belonged to the Moscow Patriarchs, and the latter - to the Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery. In 1770, both villages were merged into the town of Ostashkov.

Ostashkov is commonly regarded as one of the finest Russian provincial towns. Its main streets were laid out in Neoclassical style after the plans of Ivan Starov (1772). Local landmarks include the Ascension Church (1689), the Trinity Cathedral (1697), the Monastery of the Sign (1673, 1730s, 1880s), and the mid-18th century Zhitnyi Cloister. There is also a fanciful column erected by people of Ostashkov in 1787 to mark a spot where a wooden fort (1587) used to stand. The town's pleasant architecture and attractive setting by the lake combine to make Ostashkov one of the most popular resorts in Western Russia.

The well-known Nilov Monastery is located on Stolbny Island, about 10 km north from Ostashkov. It was the place where the Ostashkov Special Camp of the NKVD was located and where roughly 6,300 Polish policemen and prisoners of war were kept prior to their execution in Tver. Approximately 4,300 of their comrades, held in Kozielsk were around this time executed in the Smolensk region, in what is now known as the Katyn massacre.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Twin towns/sister cities

Ostashkov is twinned with:

• Maardu, Estonia

References

1. ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2011). "Предварительные итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года (Preliminary results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2010). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/results-inform.php. Retrieved 2011-04-25. 
2. ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 
3. ^ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров. (All Union Population Census of 1989. Present population of union and autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and okrugs, krais, oblasts, districts, urban settlements, and villages serving as district administrative centers.)" (in Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года (All-Union Population Census of 1989). Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics. 1989. http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus89_reg.php. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 

External links

• Map of Lake Seliger
• History and monuments of Ostashkov
• Tourism in Ostashkov (Russian)
• Web site of Ostashkov
• Photos of Ostaskhov in 1910 and 2003