Ostrov
Encyclopedia
Ostrov is a town and the administrative center of Ostrovsky District
of Pskov Oblast
, Russia
, located on the Velikaya River
, 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) south of Pskov
. Population: 27,000 (1974).
Ostrov was founded as a fortress in 1342. It had been an important military outpost throughout the 15th-16th centuries. Catherine the Great incorporated it as a town in 1777.
The town possesses a Neoclassical cathedral from 1790 and a typical Pskovian church from 1543. Close at hand is a historical suspension bridge
, opened in 1853 (winter view, summer view).
The town was also home to Ostrov air base
, a major medium-range bomber base during the Cold War
.
Ostrovsky District, Pskov Oblast
Ostrovsky District, Pskov Oblast is an administrative and municipal district , one of the 24 in Pskov Oblast, Russia....
of Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Pskov Oblast borders the countries of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Belarus. It is the westernmost federal subject of contiguous Russia . Its major cities are the administrative center Pskov and Velikiye Luki . Area: 55,300 km²...
, 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 on the Velikaya River
Velikaya River
For the Velikaya river in Far East Siberia, see Velikaya River .Velikaya River is located in western Russia . It starts in highlands in the south of Pskov Oblast, flows north through the cities of Opochka, Ostrov, and Pskov into Lake Peipus, which is drained by the Narva River....
, 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) south of Pskov
Pskov
Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...
. Population: 27,000 (1974).
Ostrov was founded as a fortress in 1342. It had been an important military outpost throughout the 15th-16th centuries. Catherine the Great incorporated it as a town in 1777.
The town possesses a Neoclassical cathedral from 1790 and a typical Pskovian church from 1543. Close at hand is a historical suspension bridge
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
, opened in 1853 (winter view, summer view).
The town was also home to Ostrov air base
Ostrov (air base)
Ostrov is an air base in Pskov Oblast, Russia located 7 km southeast of Ostrov and 57 km south of Pskov. It was a nuclear bomber facility with 15 very large revetments on the east side of the airfield and about 30 small revetments on the west side. As many as 63 Tupolev Tu-16s were based here...
, a major medium-range bomber base during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.