Ostashkov
Encyclopedia
Ostashkov is a town and the administrative center of Ostashkovsky District
of Tver Oblast
, Russia
, located 199 kilometres (123.7 mi) west of Tver
on a peninsula at the southern shore of Lake Seliger
. Population:
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
.
Ostashkovsky District
Ostashkovsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the 36 in Tver Oblast, Russia....
of Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was named Kalinin Oblast after Mikhail Kalinin. Population: Tver Oblast is an area of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located 199 kilometres (123.7 mi) west of Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
on a peninsula at the southern shore of Lake Seliger
Lake Seliger
Seliger is a lake in Tver Oblast and, in the extreme northern part, Novgorod Oblast of Russia, in the northwest of the Valdai Hills, a part of the Volga basin. Absolute height: 205 m, area 212 km², average depth 5.8 m....
. Population:
The island of Klichen was first mentioned in a letter sent by Grand Duke Algirdas
Algirdas
Algirdas was a monarch of medieval Lithuania. Algirdas ruled the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377, which chiefly meant monarch of Lithuanians and Ruthenians...
of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
to the Patriarch of Constantinople
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
in 1371. After the island was pillaged by Novgorod pirates
Ushkuiniks
The ushkuiniks were medieval Novgorodian pirates who led the Viking-like life of fighting, killing, and robbery. Their name derives from "ushkui", a type of flat-bottom medieval Finnish ship Uisko , which could be easily transported over portages between the rivers.Although the Novgorodians took...
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
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
style after the plans of Ivan Starov
Ivan Starov
Ivan Yegorovich Starov was a Russian architect from St. Petersburg who devised the master plans for Yaroslavl, Voronezh, Pskov, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, and many other towns in Russia and Ukraine...
(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
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
was located and where roughly 6,300 Polish policemen and prisoners of war were kept prior to their execution in Tver
Tver
Tver is a city and the administrative center of Tver Oblast, Russia. Population: 403,726 ; 408,903 ;...
. 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
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
.
