Ostrov (russian: О́стров, lit. ''island'') 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 is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

Ostrovsky District Ostrovsky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia: *Ostrovsky District, Kostroma Oblast, an administrative and municipal district of Kostroma Oblast *Ostrovsky District, Pskov Oblast, an administrative and ...

in Pskov Oblast,

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-eig ...

, located on the

Velikaya River The Velikaya () is a river in Novosokolnichesky, Pustoshkinsky, Sebezhsky, Opochetsky, Pushkinogorsky, Ostrovsky, Palkinsky, and Pskovsky Districts of Pskov Oblast, as well as in the city of Pskov in Russia. It is a major tributary of La ...

, south of Pskov, 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 Kingdo ...

. Population: 27,000 (1974).

Etymology

The name of the town, which means "island" in Russian, originates from the island on the Velikaya, on which the Ostrov fortress was originally built.

History

It was founded as a fortress in the end of the 13th century and first mentioned in 1342. It had been an important military outpost throughout the 15th-16th centuries. The only time it was conquered was in 1501, by the Livonian Order after the Battle of the Siritsa River. In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, it was included into Ingermanland Governorate (known since 1710 as

Saint Petersburg Governorate Saint Petersburg Governorate (russian: Санкт-Петербу́ргская губе́рния, ''Sankt-Peterburgskaya guberniya''), or Government of Saint Petersburg, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia ...

). Ostrov is specifically mentioned as one of the towns making the governorate.Указ об учреждении губерний и о росписании к ним городов
In 1727, separate

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 split off and in 1772, Pskov Governorate (which between 1777 and 1796 existed as

Pskov Viceroyalty Pskov Viceroyalty (russian: Псковское наме́стничество) was an administrative division (a '' namestnichestvo'') of the Russian Empire, which existed in 1777–1796. The seat of the Viceroyalty was located in Pskov. Both the ...

) was established. Catherine the Great incorporated it as a town in 1777. Ostrov town in Russia pre 1917

On August 1, 1927, the uyezds and governorates were abolished and Ostrovsky District, with the

in Ostrov, was established as a part of Pskov Okrug of

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, although it was not until 194 ...

.''Administrative-Territorial Structure of Pskov Oblast'', pp. 11–14 It included parts of former Ostrovsky, Opochetsky, and Pskovsky Uyezds. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were also abolished and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. Between March 22, 1935 and September 19, 1940, Ostrovsky District was a part of the restored Pskov Okrug of Leningrad Oblast, one of the okrugs abutting the state boundaries of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Between July 6, 1941 and July 21, 1944, Ostrov was occupied by German troops. An underground resistance group was active in Ostrov during the war. On August 23, 1944, the district was transferred to newly established Pskov Oblast.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Ostrov serves as the

, to which it is directly subordinated.Law #833-oz stipulates that the borders of the administrative districts are identical to the borders of the municipal districts. The Law #420-oz, which describes the borders and the composition of the municipal districts, lists the town of Ostrov as a part of Ostrovsky District. As a municipal division, the

of Ostrov is incorporated within Ostrovsky Municipal District as Ostrov Urban Settlement.Law #420-oz

Economy

Industry

The economy of Ostrov is based on food, electronic, and textile industries (5.4%).

Transportation

A railway from St. Petersburg via Pskov to Pytalovo and further to

Rēzekne Rēzekne (, ; German: ''Rositten'') is a state city in the Rēzekne River valley in Latgale region of eastern Latvia. It is called ''The Heart of Latgale'' (Latvian ''Latgales sirds'', Latgalian ''Latgolys sirds''). Built on seven hills, Rēzekn ...

in Latvia passes Ostrov. In Latvia, it provides access to Riga and

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

(via Daugavpils). As of 2012, there was passenger traffic on the railway. The M20 Highway, which connects St. Petersburg and

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest c ...

via Pskov, passes Ostrov as well. Ostrov is the northern terminus of the

European route E262 European route E 262 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Kaunas, Lithuania and ends in Ostrov, Pskov Oblast, Russia. The section in Lithuania from Kaunas to the Latvia border, near Zarasai is named after A6 hig ...

, which proceeds to Kaunas via Rēzekne and Daugavpils. There are also road connections from Ostrov northwest to

Pechory Pechory (russian: Печо́ры; Estonian and Seto: ') is a town and the administrative centre of Pechorsky District in the Pskov Oblast, Russia. Its population in the 2010 Census was 11,195, having fallen from 13,056 recorded in ...

via Palkino, northeast to

Porkhov Porkhov (russian: По́рхов) is a town and the administrative center of Porkhovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Shelon River, east of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History The fortres ...

, and southeast to Novorzhev, as well as local roads.

Military

The town was home to Ostrov air base, a major medium-range bomber base during the Cold War.

Culture and recreation

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
. Ostrov hosts the Ostrov District Museum, the only museum in the district.

References

Notes

Sources

* * *Архивный отдел Псковского облисполкома. Государственный архив Псковской области. "Административно-территориальное деление Псковской области (1917–1988 гг.). Справочник". (''Administrative-Territorial Structure of Pskov Oblast (1917–1988). Reference.'') Книга I. Лениздат, 1988.

External links

The murder of the Jews of Ostrov
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 opposing ...

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

website. {{Authority control Cities and towns in Pskov Oblast Ostrovsky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Russia