Ostashkov (russian: Оста́шков) is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
and the
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of
Ostashkovsky District
Ostashkovsky District (russian: Оста́шковский райо́н) is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (raion), one of the thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Dem ...
in
Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast (russian: Тверска́я о́бласть, ''Tverskaya oblast'', ), from 1935 to 1990 known as Kalinin Oblast (), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. It was named after Mikhai ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, on a peninsula at the southern shore of
Lake Seliger
Seliger ( rus, Селиге́р, p=sʲɪlʲɪˈgʲɛr) is a lake in Ostashkovsky District of Tver Oblast and, in the extreme northern part, in Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast of Russia, in the northwest of the Valdai Hills, a part of the Vo ...
, west of
Tver
Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population:
Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...
, the administrative center of the
oblast
An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom of ...
. Population:
History
Early developments
The island of Klichen was first mentioned in a letter sent by Grand Duke
Algirdas
Algirdas ( be, Альгерд, Alhierd, uk, Ольгерд, Ольґерд, Olherd, Olgerd, pl, Olgierd; – May 1377) was the Grand Duke of Lithuania. He ruled the Lithuanians and Ruthenians from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his bro ...
of
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
to the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
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
Timofeyevo, respectively. The former belonged to the
Moscow Patriarchs, and the latter—to the
Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery
Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery (Иосифо-Волоколамский монастырь, Волоцкий Успенский Иосифов монастырь in Russian) is a monastery for men, located 17 km northeast of Volokolamsk, Moscow ...
. 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
Ivan Yegorovich Starov (russian: Ива́н Его́рович Старо́в) (23 February 1745 – 17 April 1808) was a Russian architect from Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg who devised the master plans for Yaroslavl, Voronezh, Pskov, Dn ...
(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 Zhitny 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.
![Ostashkov candle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Ostashkov_candle.jpg)
The well-known Nilov Monastery is on
Stolobny Island
Stolobny Island is an island on Lake Seliger in the Tver Oblast of Russia, about north of the town of Ostashkov.
Nilov Monastery
The island is the home of Nilov Monastery, which was founded by Saint Nilus in 1594, and previously welcomed up to ...
, about north from Ostashkov. It was the place where the ''Ostashkov Special Camp'' of the
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
was and where roughly 6,300 Polish policemen and
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
were kept before they were executed in
Tver
Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population:
Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...
. Approximately 4,300 of their comrades, held in
Kozelsk
Kozelsk (russian: Козе́льск) is a town and the administrative center of Kozelsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Zhizdra River (Oka's tributary), southwest of Kaluga, the administrative center of the oblast. Populatio ...
, were around this time executed in
Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city of ...
, in what is now known as the
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, "Katyń crime"; russian: link=yes, Катынская резня ''Katynskaya reznya'', "Katyn massacre", or russian: link=no, Катынский расстрел, ''Katynsky rasstrel'', "Katyn execution" was a series of m ...
.
In 1772, Ostashkov was granted town status, and
Ostashkovsky Uyezd Ostashkovsky Uyezd (''Осташковский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Tver Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Ostashkov.
Demographics ...
of
Novgorod Governorate
Novgorod Governorate (Pre-reformed rus, Новгоро́дская губе́рнія, r=Novgorodskaya guberniya, p=ˈnofɡərətskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə, t=Government of Novgorod), was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Ru ...
was established, with the seat in Ostashkov. In 1775,
Tver Viceroyalty
Tver Viceroyalty (russian: link=no, Тверское наместничество, ''Tverskoye namestnichestvo'') was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1775 until 1796. Its seat was in Tver. In 1796, it was tran ...
was formed from the lands which previously belonged to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
and Novgorod Governorates, and the area was transferred to Tver Viceroyalty, which in 1796 was transformed to
Tver Governorate
Tver Governorate (russian: Тверская губерния, ''Tverskaya guberniya'') was an administrative division (a ''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, Russian SFSR, which existed from 1796 ...
.
On 1 October 1929, governorates and uyezds were abolished, and Ostashkovsky District with the administrative center in Ostashkov was established. It belonged to
Velikiye Luki Okrug Veliky, or similar, may refer to:
*Veliky (rural locality) (''Velikaya'', ''Velikoye''), name of several rural localities in Russia
*Veliky (surname)
*Velikaya, a river in Pskov Oblast, Russia
*Velikaya (Chukotka), a river in Chukotka, Russia
See ...
of
Western Oblast
Western Oblast (russian: Западная область, ''Zapadnaya oblast'') was an ''oblast'' (a first-level administrative and municipal unit) of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1929 to 1937. Its seat was in the city ...
.
On August 1, 1930, the okrugs were abolished, and the districts were subordinated directly to the oblast. On January 29, 1935
Kalinin Oblast
Tver Oblast (russian: Тверска́я о́бласть, ''Tverskaya oblast'', ), from 1935 to 1990 known as Kalinin Oblast (), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. It was named after Mikhai ...
was established, and Ostashkovsky District was transferred to Kalinin Oblast.
In February 1963, during the abortive administrative reform by
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
,
Kirovsky and
Penovsky District
Penovsky District (russian: Пе́новский райо́н) is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (raion), one of the thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Ostashkovsky ...
s were merged into Ostashkovsky District.
Second World War
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Ostashkov was not occupied by German troops but until 1943 stayed in the immediate vicinity of the front lines.
Soviet flotilla on the
lake Seliger
Seliger ( rus, Селиге́р, p=sʲɪlʲɪˈgʲɛr) is a lake in Ostashkovsky District of Tver Oblast and, in the extreme northern part, in Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast of Russia, in the northwest of the Valdai Hills, a part of the Vo ...
was involved in evacuation of
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and
Kalinin industrial equipment, military supplies, wounded and refugees.
In the period 1939 to 1941, during the first years of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the monastery at
Stolobny Island
Stolobny Island is an island on Lake Seliger in the Tver Oblast of Russia, about north of the town of Ostashkov.
Nilov Monastery
The island is the home of Nilov Monastery, which was founded by Saint Nilus in 1594, and previously welcomed up to ...
, about 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Ostashkov, was a
prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war.
There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. P ...
of the Russian secret service
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
, which held approximately 7,000 Poles who had been taken captive by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
as a result of the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
, long_name = Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H27337, Moskau, Stalin und Ribbentrop im Kreml.jpg
, image_width = 200
, caption = Stalin and Ribbentrop shaking ...
. Between April 3 and April 19, 1940, 6,311
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
officers from the POW camp were
executed by shooting
Execution by shooting is a method of capital punishment in which a person is shot to death by one or more firearms. It is the most common method of execution worldwide, used in about 70 countries, with execution by firing squad being one particula ...
as part of the
Katyn massacre
The Katyn massacre, "Katyń crime"; russian: link=yes, Катынская резня ''Katynskaya reznya'', "Katyn massacre", or russian: link=no, Катынский расстрел, ''Katynsky rasstrel'', "Katyn execution" was a series of m ...
, and buried near
Mednoye.
On 25 September 1941 the frontline approached the town, and local authorities were ordered to evacuate all the industrial equipment from Ostashkov to
Bely Gorodok
Bely Gorodok (russian: Бе́лый Городо́к) is an urban-type settlement in Kimrsky District of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located on the right bank of the Volga River, at the confluence of the Khotcha River. Population:
History
Bely Go ...
. Only flotilla which were still involved in evacuation of the town were left.
The barges and ships were under constant bombings by
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
. On 7 October 1941 Colonel Belov ordered to evacuate flotilla and workshops towards
Kalinin but after front near
Rzhev
Rzhev ( rus, Ржев, p=ˈrʐɛf) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Staritsa (town), Tver Oblast, Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It ...
collapsed, the flotilla returned from
Selizharovo
Selizharovo (russian: Селижа́рово) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Selizharovsky District of Tver Oblast, Russia situated at the confluence of the Selizharovka and Volga Rivers. Populatio ...
to Lake Seliger and stationed on the Krapivnya river. After the Germans entered the village of Selizharovo, all the barges were dispersed along the river and covered by trees and bushes. Crews were ready to destroy their barges with explosives.
However Germans failed to capture Ostashkov and the front line was stabilized. Due to German occupation of Kalinin the only way to supply the troops near Ostashkov was Lake Seliger waterway. Soviet lake flotilla command faced German bombardments in harsh winter conditions when the barges were blocked by ice. During spring 1942 flotilla faced the threat to be crushed by ice and washed away by the floods. However all the barges survived the spring and became ready to the 1942 navigation. As the northern lake shore was occupied, all the northern waterways were under shelling by German artillery. The new waterways across the Khrestnoye, Seremo and Glubokoye lakes, which were not considered navigable earlier, were used for evacuation of the wounded and shipping the military supplies. During the German air raids steamers and barges were hiding near the islands. Wooden shores also served as a shelter for the ships.
Ostashkov workshop which remained in the town, repaired the damaged ships. As the Ostashkov tannery was evacuated to
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
the only industries remaining in the town were: workshop, power plant, mechanized bakery and mill. All of them were mined in case of capture by Germans. The power plant was operated by several workers and it was often bombed by Luftwaffe. It also lacked fuel and power plant workers had to disassemble the wooden buildings inside the power plant territory and use them as a fuel.
There were 63 hospitals in the city. All of them were powered from the local power plant. Some of them were bombed by German aviation. All the evacuated factory buildings were used as a military warehouses. Food and military supplies were transported to the front lines by barges and narrow gauge railway.
The frontline was in a swampy and wooded area. Both sides built many trenches, pillboxes and infrastructure. In summer 1942 most of the Ostashkov area was liberated from German occupation and the frontline was moved far away from the town.
In January 1943 most of the evacuated industries were returned into the town. Fish factory, woodworking plant, mechanized bakery, power plant, printing house, tannery and ship repairing workshops functioned in Ostashkov.
Post-war period
On January 12, 1965, Selizharovsky District (which occupied the same area as Kirovsky District), and on December 27, 1973, Penovsky District were re-established. In 1990, Kalinin Oblast was renamed Tver Oblast.
Nowadays the town is popular among tourists from Moscow and Saint Petersburg as a nearby resort near the Seliger lake. Educational forum held since 2005 at the lake shore near Ostashkov.
The lake is also attracts thousands of campers from all over the nearby cities. Ostashkov itself also attracts tourists because it contains a lot of cultural heritage monuments. Since September 30, 2018 Russian Railways established regular train connection with steam locomotive in addition to regular diesel powered trains.
Such move of promoting local tourism by using old steam locomotive and old time - styled traincars, was first of its kind in Russia, and soon was followed by another tourism sites in Russia(such as
Ruskeala
Ruskeala (russian: Рускеала; ) is a rural locality (a settlement) under the administrative jurisdiction of the town of republic significance of Sortavala in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. Within the framework of municipal divisions ...
in
Karelia
Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...
).
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Ostashkov serves as the
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of
Ostashkovsky District
Ostashkovsky District (russian: Оста́шковский райо́н) is an administrative and municipalLaw #4-ZO district (raion), one of the thirty-six in Tver Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Dem ...
.
As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Ostashkovsky District as Ostashkov
Urban Settlement
An Urban settlement is a concentrated settlement that is part of an urban area. It is an area with high density of human-created structures.
*Municipal urban settlement, a type of subdivision such as Cape town in Western Cape
*Urban settlement, ...
.
[Law #34-ZO stipulates that the borders of the settlements (administrative-territorial divisions) are identical to the borders of the urban and rural settlements (municipal divisions), and that the borders of the administrative districts are identical to the borders of the municipal districts. Law #40-ZO, which describes the borders and the composition of the municipal formations in Ostashkovsky Municipal District, lists the town of Ostashkov as a part and the administrative center of Ostashkov Urban Settlement of that district.] As a
municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban settlement status and is a part of Ostashkovsky Municipal District.
[Law #40-ZO]
Economy
Industry
The main industrial enterprise in Ostashkovsky District is Ostashkov Leather Factory. Additionally, enterprises of timber, textile, and food industries are present.
Transportation
![Building of the railway station in the city Ostashkov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Building_of_the_railway_station_in_the_city_Ostashkov.JPG)
The railway connecting
Bologoye Bologoye () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
;Urban localities
*Bologoye, Tver Oblast, a town in Bologovsky District of Tver Oblast
;Rural localities
* Bologoye, Omsk Oblast, a '' selo'' in Rozovsky Rural Okrug of Russko-P ...
with
Velikiye Luki
Velikiye Luki ( rus, Вели́кие Лу́ки, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪjə ˈlukʲɪ; lit. ''great meanders''. Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-П ...
runs through Ostashkov. There are daily suburb trains to Bologoye and Velikiye Luki (except for Monday and Wednesday).
There is also regular(on Saturday)
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
train connection with
Bologoe(station located on the Moscow - Saint Petersburg railway).
Such move of promoting local tourism by using old steam locomotive and old time - styled train cars, with ticket price equal to ordinary suburb train, was first of its kind in Russia.
There are also suburb trains going to Kuvshinovo twice a week (on Monday and Friday).
There are infrequent trains to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
and
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, mostly during summer touristic season.
Ostashkov is connected by road with
Torzhok
Torzhok (russian: Торжо́к) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Tvertsa River along the federal highway M10 and a branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway division of the Russian Railways. The town is famous for its folk craft of g ...
via
Kuvshinovo. This roadhas access to
M10 highway, connecting Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Ostashkov is further connected with
Staritsa Staritsa (russian: Старица) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.
Modern localities
;Urban localities
*Staritsa (town), Tver Oblast, a town in Staritsky District of Tver Oblast
;Rural localities
* Staritsa, Astrakhan Oblas ...
via
Selizharovo
Selizharovo (russian: Селижа́рово) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Selizharovsky District of Tver Oblast, Russia situated at the confluence of the Selizharovka and Volga Rivers. Populatio ...
, with
Andreapol
Andreapol (russian: Андреа́поль) is a town and the administrative center of Andreapolsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Valdai Hills on the left bank in the upper course of the Western Dvina. Population: 12,000 (19 ...
via
Peno, and with
Demyansk
Demyansk (russian: Демя́нск) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Demyansky District of Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located along the Yavon River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Demyanskoye Urban Se ...
and
Maryovo. There are also local roads, with bus traffic originating from Ostashkov.
Culture and recreation
Ostashkov contains 125 cultural heritage monuments of federal significance and additionally 118 objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. Essentially, the whole center of Ostashkov consists of listed buildings.
Ostashkovsky District Museum was founded in 1889 and is in Ostashkov. It has displays on local history and ethnography.
Twin towns and sister cities
Ostashkov is
twinned with:
*
Maardu
Maardu (german: Maart) is a town and a municipality in Harju County, Estonia. It is part of Tallinn metropolitan area. The town covers an area of 22.76 km² and has a population of 16,170 (as of 1 January 2021).
The Port of Muuga, the l ...
,
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Unofficial website of OstashkovMap of Lake Seliger
*Towns.ru
Photos of Ostashkov in 1910 and 2003
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Tver Oblast
Ostashkovsky Uyezd