Istra () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and the

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

of Istrinsky District in

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located on the Istra River, west of

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, on the Moscow–

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

railway. Population: It was previously known as ''Voskresenskoye'', ''Voskresensk'' (until 1930).

History

Known since the 16th century as the village of Voskresenskoye, it was acquired by Patriarch Nikon to serve the needs of the neighbouring Voskresensky (Resurrection) Monastery. By 1781, the village had grown into the town of Voskresensk and become the seat of an uyezd. In 1930, the town was renamed Istra (after the river which flows through it) in order to avoid the old name's religious connotations. As a result of short-term occupation during the Great Patriotic War (from November 25 to December 11, 1941), the town was severely damaged. After the war, Istra became a center of research in the area of electrical power engineering.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Istra serves as the

of Istrinsky District.Resolution #123-PG As an administrative division, it is, together with two rural localities, incorporated within Istrinsky District as the

Town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Istra. As a municipal division, the Town of Istra is incorporated within Istrinsky Municipal District as Istra Urban Settlement.Law #86/2005-OZ

Science

There is a large high voltage research center near Istra at .

Education

There are 4 secondary schools in Istra: #1 after A. P. Chekhov, founded in 1908 #2 after N.K. Krupskaya, reconstructed in 2008 #3 after M.Y. Lermontov #4 Liceum Other educational institutions in Istra: - Musical School - School of Arts - Pedagogical College.

Architecture

New Jerusalem Monastery, also known as the Voskresensky Monastery, is located in Istra.

Notable people

Famous Russian short-story writer and playwright

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

used to work in Istra and its outskirts, while his brother Ivan Chekhov was a teacher at a local school. Soviet geographer Alexander Kruber was born in Istra.

Twin towns – sister cities

Istra is twinned with: * Bad Orb, Germany * Bečej, Serbia * Dyurtyuli, Russia *

Łobez Łobez (; ) is a town on the river Rega (river), Rega in northwestern Poland, within the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łobez County, and has a population of 10,066 (2019). The name The name Łobez comes from the Old Polis ...

, Poland * Loreto, Italy * Petrich, Bulgaria * Pinsk, Belarus * Rakovník, Czech Republic

References

Sources

* *

External links

Official website of Istra

Istra Business Directory

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Moscow Oblast Populated places established in 1781 Zvenigorodsky Uyezd (Moscow Governorate) Naukograds