Istra (russian: И́стра) 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 o ...

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 is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of Istrinsky District in

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally " under Moscow"), is a federal subject of R ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, located on the

Istra River Istra () is a river in Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally " und ...

, west of

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 ...

, on the Moscow–

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...

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 Nikon ( ru , Ни́кон, Old Russian: ''Нїконъ''), born Nikita Minin (''Никита Минин''; 7 May 1605 – 17 August 1681) was the seventh Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' of the Russian Orthodox Church, serving officially fro ...

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 An uezd (also spelled uyezd; rus, уе́зд, p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context ( uk, повіт), or Kreis in Baltic-German context, was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Russian Empire, and the ea ...

. 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 The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), an ...

(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 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 o ...

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 .

Architecture

New Jerusalem Monastery The Resurrection Monastery (russian: Воскресенский монастырь, ''Voskresensky Monastery'') or New Jerusalem Monastery (russian: Новоиерусалимский монастырь, ''Novoiyerusalimsky Monastery'') is a major ...

, 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 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

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 Bad Orb (; "Thermae on the Orb River") is a spa town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis district of Hesse, Germany. It is situated east of Hanau between the forested hills of the Spessart. Bad Orb has a population of over 10,000. Its economy is dominat ...

, Germany *

Bečej Bečej ( sr-cyrl, Бечеј, ; hu, Óbecse, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 23,895, while the municipality has 37,351 inhabitants. I ...

, Serbia *

Dyurtyuli Dyurtyuli (russian: Дюртюли; ba, Дүртөйлө, ''Dürtöylö'') is a town in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Belaya River northwest of Ufa. Population: Etymology In the Tatar and Bashkir lang ...

, Russia *

Łobez Łobez (german: Labes) is a town on the 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 Polish ...

, Poland * Loreto, Italy *

Petrich Petrich ( bg, Петрич ) is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria, located in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the foot of the Belasica Mountains in the Strumeshnitsa Valley. According to the 2021 census, the town has 26,778 ...

, Bulgaria *

Pinsk Pinsk ( be, Пі́нск; russian: Пи́нск ; Polish: Pińsk; ) is a city located in the Brest Region of Belarus, in the Polesia region, at the confluence of the Pina River and the Pripyat River. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk ...

, Belarus *

Rakovník Rakovník (, german: Rakonitz) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Administrative parts Rakovník ...

, Czech Republic

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.

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