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.[10]
History
It was founded as a fortress in the end of the 13th century and first mentioned in 1342.[10] It had been an important military outpost throughout the 15th-16th centuries.[10] In 1501 it was conquered by the Livonian Order after the Battle of the Siritsa River.[10] In 1582 it was captured by Polish forces of Jan Zamoyski.[11]
On August 1, 1927, the uyezds and governorates were abolished and Ostrovsky District, with the administrative center in Ostrov, was established as a part of Pskov Okrug of Leningrad Oblast.[14] It included parts of former Ostrovsky, Opochetsky, and Pskovsky Uyezds.[15] On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were also abolished and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast.[14] Between March 22, 1935 and September 19, 1940, Ostrovsky District was a part of the restored Pskov Okrug of Leningrad Oblast,[14] one of the okrugs abutting the state boundaries of the Soviet Union. Between July 6, 1941 and July 21, 1944, Ostrov was occupied by German troops.[10] An underground resistance group was active in Ostrov during the war. On August 23, 1944, the district was transferred to newly established Pskov Oblast.[14]
The M20 Highway, which connects St. Petersburg and Vitebsk via Pskov, passes Ostrov as well. Ostrov is the northern terminus of the European route E262, which proceeds to Kaunas via Rēzekne and Daugavpils. There are also road connections from Ostrov northwest to Pechory via Palkino, northeast to Porkhov, 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. In addition, a unit of the Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN) included a main base in the town, a nearby fixed field site for training, and three operational missile launch areas 10–30 km away. This military unit also supported reserve officer training of students of several institutes, including Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.[17]
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, summer view).
^ abcdLaw #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.
^Федеральная служба государственной статистики. Федеральное агентство по технологическому регулированию и метрологии. №ОК 033-2013 1 января 2014 г. «Общероссийский классификатор территорий муниципальных образований. Код 58 633». (Federal State Statistics Service. Federal Agency on Technological Regulation and Metrology. #OK 033-2013 January 1, 2014 Russian Classification of Territories of Municipal Formations. Code 58 633. ).
^"Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
^Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
^ abcdefЭнциклопедия Города России. Moscow: Большая Российская Энциклопедия. 2003. p. 338. ISBN5-7107-7399-9.
^Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VII (in Polish). Warszawa. 1886. p. 704.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Экономика (in Russian). Портал муниципальных образований Псковской области. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
^Gruntman, Mike (2022). My fifteen years at IKI, the Space Research Institute : position-sensitive detectors and energetic neutral atoms behind the Iron Curtain. Interstellar Trail Press. ISBN9798985668704.
Псковское областное Собрание депутатов. Закон №833-оз от 5 февраля 2009 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Псковской области». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Псковская правда", №20, 10 февраля 2009 г. (Pskov Oblast Council of Deputies. Law #833-oz of February 5, 2009 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Pskov Oblast. Effective as of the official publication date.).
Псковское областное Собрание депутатов. Закон №420-оз от 28 февраля 2005 г. «Об установлении границ и статусе вновь образуемых муниципальных образований на территории Псковской области», в ред. Закона №1542-ОЗ от 5 июня 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Псковской области "Об установлении границ и статусе вновь образуемых муниципальных образований на территории Псковской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Псковская правда", №41–43, №44–46, №49–51, 4 марта 2005 г., 5 марта 2005 г., 11 марта 2005 г. (Pskov Oblast Council of Deputies. Law #420-oz of February 28, 2005 On Establishing the Borders and the Status of the Newly Formed Municipal Formations on the Territory of Pskov Oblast, as amended by the Law #1542-OZ of June 5, 2015 On Amending the Law of Pskov Oblast "On Establishing the Borders and the Status of the Newly Formed Municipal Formations on the Territory of Pskov Oblast". Effective as of the official publication date.).
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.