Ostrov (literally "island" in Russian) is located
in the Pskov region on the banks of the Great River. The center of
the city is located, as you might guess, on the island, which is
connected to the shores of chain bridges built in the middle of the
XIX century - the oldest surviving in Russia. There is also a
traditional Pskov church, as well as fragments of quite decent,
although in a pitiful state of urban development.
Ostrov
stands on the Great River. This is the rare case in Russia, when in
the middle of the river (between the Great One and its channel
Slobozhiha) an island was found suitable for building a fortress.
The first chronicle mention refers to the year 1341, and it seems
that before the absorption of the Pskov lands by Moscow, there was a
completely independent city here that had its own posadnik and
veche. The fortress in and on the island is built in the XIV-XVI
centuries. However, no trace of it has been preserved except for
muffled fragments of stonework and a remarkable temple made in the
best traditions of Pskov architecture.
Even after the unsuccessful Livonian War, the Ostrov remained
part of Russia. At the beginning of the 18th century, the border
shifted to the west, and the Island from the border fortress became
just a district town, but did not lose its significance: there was a
main ferry across the Great on the road that went from Petersburg to
Poland and Lithuania. Later the Petersburg-Warsaw railway, one of
the first in the Russian Empire, was built along the same route.
However, before the construction of the railway in Ostrov, chain
bridges appeared. According to legend, Nicholas I more than once
complained about the disgusting condition of the ferry and ordered
to build stationary bridges in the Ostrov, which was done in 1853,
and the emperor who arrived at the opening was satisfied with the
bridges. The inhabitants of the Ostrov are pleased with them so
far, since it is easy, convenient and beautiful to cross the river
over such bridges. Moreover, the second such attraction is not found
anywhere else in Russia.
Not only the bridges, but also some
of the pre-revolutionary buildings — the estate of Neklyudov or the
neo-gothic real school — are monuments far from the county level,
showing that at the beginning of the 20th century the Island was a
large and significant city, head and shoulders superior to some
Porkhov, not to mention Opochka or Pechorah. The decline began with
the destruction of the Great Patriotic War, and the border position
of the city in the recent period does not give him any advantages:
traffic on the former St. Petersburg-Warsaw road is now minimal. The
food industry is working in Ostrov, electric motor production is
warming up, military camps are preserved. In Soviet times, missile
units, air defense, and aircraft were deployed at the Ostrov.
Many of them still exist as separate neighborhoods (Island-2,
Island-3), located outside the city.
The central square (Klava Nazarova, in the past of
the Victims of the Revolution) is located near the Velikaya River in
the place where the chain bridge is moved across the island to the
island and from there the next bridge is on the opposite, left bank.
On the right bank of the street passes October 25, where the highest
concentration of historic buildings. Perpendicular to the river is
Karl Marx Street, leading to the postal station and bus station, and
another interesting street - Liberation - is actually outside the
center (up and to the left from the square), but also deserves
attention, since there are a Lutheran church and several other
historic buildings .
The left bank of the Great is mainly
occupied with private buildings. However, this is where the manor
Neklyudova is located - one of the most beautiful island buildings.
1 Chain Bridges. Connect the central square with the island and
the left bank of the Great. The length of each of the bridges is 94
m. This is a masterpiece of engineering of the mid-19th century —
the period when large structures were just starting to be made of
cast iron, and many technical solutions were new. The bridges were
opened in 1853 (the emperor himself came to the opening), and in
those times they were one of the largest chain bridges in the
Russian Empire. From one of them you can see a fragment of masonry
lying in the river - the last thing left of the island fortress (a
piece of the wall from which the Germans tried to build a dam during
the war).
2 Church of St. Nicholas (on the island). The classical
Pskov church built in 1542. Initially, it had a square building with
a single dome, but after only 10-15 years, a symmetrical chapel with
the same roof slope and one more dome added to it, giving the church
its modern “nested doll” look. The bell tower dates from the 19th
century. The altar of the church faces north, but no one really
knows why. According to one version, this emphasizes the
subordination of the Island to Pskov. However, it is more likely
that in the 16th century a tiny island was cramped for a fortress,
so they built where there was a place, despite the canons. The best
view of the church opens from the opposite bank, from the central
square. Inside, like many churches of Pskov, cramped and not so
interesting.
3 Trinity Cathedral, pl. Klava Nazarova. A good
monument at the junction of Baroque and Classicism (1786), whose
value is not so much in the architecture of the building as in its
remarkable location: the cathedral is located in the perspective of
several streets (October 25 and Karl Marx), and therefore visible
from many points of the city and even from the left bank of the
Great, while the church of St. Nicholas is completely hidden by
trees. Pay attention also to the details of the design, cast-iron
porch and luxurious carved doors.
4 Monument to Klava Nazarova,
pl. Klava Nazarova. Organizer and leader of the underground Komsomol
organization of the city of Ostrov. Helped the partisans, rescued
prisoners of war, almost 1.5 years successfully hiding from the
Germans. Hung on the central square December 12, 1942, the monument
was erected on May 19, 1963.
5 Church of the Women of Mironosits, st.
Osvobozhdeniya-Liberation (city cemetery). Ordinary cemetery church
(1819).
6 Kirkha St. John, st. Osvobozhdeniya-Liberation, 19.
Built in 1905 for the local Lutheran community. The national
composition of this community is unknown, but the considerable size
of the building and its impeccable Romanesque style indicate its
importance. After the revolution, the church, like the Orthodox
churches, was nationalized and belonged to various organizations, as
a result of which it lost its central tower and other design
details. The building was not handed over to believers due to their
absence (the district investigative committee is located inside),
but even the remaining part is impressive. The former Polish church
(Liberation Street, 14) on the opposite side of the street, 100
meters in the direction of the station, is in much worse condition:
there are only walls close to collapse, but the scale of the
building is also impressive.
7 Post Yamskaya station, st. Karl
Marx, 9 (on the way to the bus station). One of the surviving postal
stations, built in 1840 according to a standard design for the St.
Petersburg – Kiev road: a one-story house with large, rounded up
windows. A curious memorial plaque dedicated to Pushkin and
reporting that the Island "was the last city on the poet's tragic
path in 1837."
8 Manor Neklyudova-Valuev, st. Schkolnaya, 30
(left bank of the Great, from the chain bridges along the coast to
the right). The construction of this manor island is due to the
influential noble family of the Valuyevs. Only the main house, built
in 1764, survived - possibly with the participation of Rastrelli.
This version is not confirmed by anything, but it is absolutely
impossible to believe that such a building appeared without the
participation of metropolitan architects. Perestroika XIX-XX
centuries. made most of the house quite ordinary, but the surviving
side facade strikes no less than chain bridges: there are few such
perfect examples of classicism in Russia.
9 Simansky Spaso-Kazan
Convent, st. Malaya Pionerskaya (left bank of the Great, from the
chain bridges to the left). The monastery has a rather unusual
history. It originated on the site of the Simansky estate (where its
name comes from) - a noble family from which Patriarch Alexy I
descended. ) in 1896 bequeathed to create a monastery on the estate,
which was done. Despite the connection of the monastery with the
patriarch officially recognized by the Soviet authorities, after the
war the monastery lay in ruins, but now it has been fully restored
and looks especially beautiful on a clear day when viewed from
Victory Park. The Church of the Savior can be considered
conditionally preserved, the wooden church of John of Kronstadt was
built from scratch. In the monastery is the museum of Alexy I,
which, however, never lived here.
City building is not very well preserved, but still preserved.
The most interesting is the street on October 25 between the chain
bridges and the road bridge across the Great. Here you will see the
building of a real school (31 October street, 31) 10 - a
three-storey neo-gothic mansion of almost metropolitan type,
colorful stone barns 11 on the bank of the river (one of them was
altered into the Ostrov-Park Hotel, but it is clearly visible from
the river , what this building was in the past life), as well as an
artifact of the Soviet era - a monument to Pavlik Morozov 12 in
front of the correctional school (ul. 25 Octobrya, 51), which in
itself is symbolic. In other parts of the city, pre-revolutionary
houses are preserved in single copies, their full list is here.
Monument to Lenin, Victory Park. Lenin holds his hand so that
quite often put empty bottles on it.
1 Military History Museum , Karl Liebknecht str., 7a. ☎ +7 (81152)
2-19-50. Tue-Fri 9:00 – 18:00, Sat–Sun 9:00 – 17:00. An interesting
military museum, which was created by local enthusiasts engaged in
search work. A couple of small halls are literally littered with
objects, weapons, and equipment found in the vicinity of the Island.
They also tell about the history of the Ostrovsky underground. There is
an installation of rifle barrels in front of the museum, and in the park
opposite there is more modern equipment provided, apparently, by one of
the local military units: the Su-25 aircraft (according to legend, the
former vice-president of the USSR, Major General A.V. Rutskoy, flew it)
and heavy transport equipment.
2 Museum of Local Lore (on the island
opposite the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker). It contains
remarkable exhibits: from archaeological artifacts dating back more than
3 thousand years BC (research by the expedition of L.E. Krasnorechyev)
to a collection of samovars and a wooden baby stroller. The views of the
streets and the life of the Island can be seen in the engravings of the
local artist V.N. Bespalov, and the museum also presents samples of
local flora and fauna. It is planned to create virtual tours.
By train
Passenger traffic ceased in 2015,
after which the old train station finally turned into a monument of
architecture.
1 Element Wikidannaya Railway Station, st.
Liberation, 84. The building of the station (1860) has survived
since the construction of the Petersburg-Warsaw railway. Located 3
km from the city center, can be reached on foot, although the road
there is boring and unpleasant. There are city buses number 1, 2, 5.
By bus
The island is the first major stop of buses traveling
from Pskov in a southerly direction: there are both intra-regional
routes (Opochka, Velikie Luki, Nevel, Sebezh) and passing buses from
St. Petersburg. Departures to Pskov every 30-60 minutes, travel time
is 1 hour. The journey from the Pushkin Mountains takes just over an
hour, so it’s easy to explore the island on the way to the Pushkin
reserve.
In Izborsk, Pechora or Porkhov - only with a
transfer in Pskov.
Direct communication with Latvia - buses
on Rezekne (2 times a week), Vilnius-Kaunas via Rezekne (2 times a
week) and Novgorod — Riga (also 2 times a week) via Gulbene, Balvi.
2 Bus station, st. Suburban, 7. ☎ +7 (81152) 3-27-58. Open: 24
hour. Located on the northern border of the city, 2 km from the
center. After making this journey on foot, you will see the old post
station, but you can also neglect it, after passing a couple of
stops by city buses No. 4, 5. The building of the bus station is new
and clean, there are indoor plants and many metal chairs inside.
There is a cafe (8:00 - 20:00) with a couple of tables, salads, as
well as a rich assortment of pastries and pastries. Tea from plastic
cups, brewed coffee is missing.
By car
The island stands at the fork in the M20 and the A116
road leaving for Latvia. From Pskov 50 km, from Opochka 77 km, from
the Pushkin Mountains 58 km. From Porkhov 90 km mostly unpaved road
of average quality. If you are coming from Latvia, then Ostrov will
be the first Russian city on your way (Pytalovo is located away from
the road), 115 km from Rezekne.
Four city bus
routes that are needed mainly to travel from the bus station or the
railway station to the center and back. Interval of movement: from
an hour and above.
Taxi: +7 (81152) 3-13-13, +7 (81152)
3-99-00
Magnet, October 25, 19 (on the central square). 8:00 – 22:00. Grocery supermarket.
1 The snack bar "Oriental cuisine", 1 May str., 2.
Mon–Fri 9:00 – 19:00, Sat–Sun 1:00 – 17:00. It looks more like a dining
room, but one where you need to order at the counter, and then the food
is brought. Oriental cuisine is not seen on the menu.
2 Bar
"Malachite" (formerly cafe "Butcher"), October 25, 19 (in the building
of shopping malls). Sun–Thu 12:00 – 24:00, Fri–Sat 12:00 – 4:00.
Probably the best city cafe, where it is moderately cozy, edible and
inexpensive. Loud music is possible in the evenings. Good reviews,
Wi-Fi.
3 Cafe Bier Haus, October 25, 25. Sun–Thu 12:00 – 1:00,
Fri–Sat 12:00 – 3:00. They promise European and Japanese cuisine.
4
Cafe "Korchma", Karl Liebknecht street, 3. ☎ +7 (81152) 3-44-11. Mon–Thu
12:00 – 24:00, Fri 12:00 – 2:00, Sat–Sun 11:00 – 2:00. Hot dishes:
150-200 rubles (2014). It is not a bad stylization for the far
northwestern province to match the Ukrainian style - if not in food,
then at least in the interior. During the day, cheap but primitive set
meals. They say that it gets too noisy in the evening, and the quality
of supposedly Ukrainian dishes leaves much to be desired. However,
homemade tinctures poured into huge jars look absolutely wonderful and
are designed to brighten up the numerous disadvantages of this
institution.
5 McDonald's Cafe, 3 Karl Marx Street (Kvartal shopping
center). Hot dishes: 50-80 rubles (2014). Fast food, unexpected for such
a small town, consisting of pies, shawarma, soups and even hot dishes.
It looks like a "Teremok", but it is cheaper and somehow more
comfortable.
The restaurant "Ostrov-Park". ☎ +7 (960) 224-15-45.
8:00 – 23:00. Hot: 150-350 rubles (2015). At the hotel of the same name,
it is cozy.
1 Ostrov Hotel, 25 Oktyabrya str., 17. ☎ +7 (81152)
3-22-43. A typical Soviet three-storey guest house. Rooms without
amenities, shared shower on the floor. For unassuming guests who save
money. The only advantage is the location in the city center, and
several cafes are also within walking distance.
2 Ostrov-Park
Hotel, 25 Oktyabrya str., 28. ✉ ☎ +7 (906) 224-87-77, +7 (931)
903-57-71. Double room: from 2400 RUB (2014). A brand new hotel in which
each room is decorated in its own style and even has its own name.
Wi-Fi.
3 Harmony Fitness Center, 25 Oktyabrya str., 22. ☎ +7 (81152)
3-46-33. 900 RUB/person, suite: 2100 RUB (2014). 7 double rooms and
three suites. Wi-Fi.
Aviator hostel, Ostrov-2, Shumeiko str., 6.
Departmental 4-storey hotel-type dormitory, belongs to the Ministry of
Defense. They live here both on a permanent basis and accommodate
business travelers. Among the advantages: there is a Sberbank branch and
an ATM downstairs, several shops nearby, and the 777 nightclub is
located at the end of the street.
4 Smolenka Guest House, village
Smolenka (highway M20, 7 km south of the Island). ☎ +7 (911) 388-41-11,
+7 (911) 889-77-75. Rooms with amenities, simple furnishings.
Conflicting reviews.
From the Island, the road leads to the Pushkin Mountains, where
almost all tourists go. If you have a car, you can, bypassing Pskov,
go to Izborsk or Porkhov, where, unlike the Island, ancient
fortresses have been preserved. Porkhov is the same small town as
the Island, but it does not have a large river and its accompanying
species. It is difficult to even call Izborsk a city, but this place
is very picturesque and historical, one of the oldest Russian
settlements.
To the south, the road goes into Opochka, the
southern outpost of the Pskov Principality. The town is
unremarkable, but cute in its own way. The Velikaya River there is
no longer as wide as in the Island, but the ancient settlement looks
much more impressive, and the wooden church again reminds of the
existence of different faiths on the Pskov land. This topic is
further developed in Voronezh, which was part of Lithuania and
Poland until the XVIII century. Picturesquely located among the
lakes, Sebezh is unlike any other city in the Pskov region, or
Russian cities in general. The town of Pytalovo, southwest of the
Island, is much less picturesque, but also very alien: This is New
Latgale, a region that turned out to be part of independent Latvia
after the revolution and therefore looks more like cities on the
other side of the border.
The immediate surroundings of the
Island are less remarkable. To the south of the city there was a
network of southern fortifications of the Pskov Principality, which
gave rise to a whole series of settlements. You can see them in
Opochka, the Pushkin Nature Reserve (Voronich settlement) or near
Pytalovo (Vyshgorodok). The rest of the settlements are lost in the
forests and are not of great interest.
There is a lake
Gorokhovoe to the south of the city. Near the lake there is a
"Training center for the Russian national biathlon and cross-country
skiing teams" and other health facilities. And the locals love to
relax on the lake shore with kebabs and vodka!
1 Ostrovsky
fortified area (Stalin line), Kholmatka village (34 km southwest of
the Island). 9:00 – 21:00. In 1938-39, when the Baltic States had
not yet become part of the USSR, a system of fortifications was
built to the west of Pskov — part of the so-called Stalin line. Then
the border moved to the west, instead of the Stalin line in the
Baltic States, they began to build the Molotov line, and the Pskov
fortifications were abandoned. They did not play any serious role in
the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War: in July 1941, the German
army reached Pskov almost unhindered. There are dozens of pillboxes
scattered around the Island, Izborsk, Pytalovo, and Sebezh.
Activists from the Ostrovsky museum organized an open exposition of
military equipment and objects found by search engines around one of
them, reconstructed a trench, and arranged a mass burial. You can
inspect it at any time, only the pillboxes are closed at night.
2 Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Novaya Usitva, (21 km
towards Palkino, Izborsk). An ancient Pskov-type temple (1442),
disfigured by a later reconstruction, in which the large dome was
replaced by a narrow dome. The decor of the walls has been
preserved.
How to get there: Ostrov—Palkino buses 2 times a day.
Palkino is one of the faceless regional centers of the Pskov
region, which grew up on the site of a village. Most notable is its
name, which subtly echoes the neighboring district center of
Pytalovo. Direct buses to Pskov run on average once every 2 hours.
There are no places to stay overnight. They say that there is a
canteen and a cafe. The building is extremely featureless. The only
attraction is the small church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
(1784), to which a pretty porch was added in 1907, not devoid of
signs of Art Nouveau.
Kachanovo is one of the largest (by
Pskov standards) villages on the Latvian border. It is curious that
in the 1920s and 30s Latvia was here (unlike Palkino), and at least
two monuments of the corresponding architecture have been preserved
- a school and a house of culture. The Orthodox Church of St.
Nicholas the Wonderworker is a good monument of classicism (1790),
and a small Lutheran church (1925), now lying in ruins, has been
preserved in the village.
How to get there: 50 km from the
Island to Kachanovo, 30 km from Palkino. The bus does not run every
day.
Ancestral — in the past, the estate of Neklyudov: the
one who bought a wonderful house from the Valuevs on an island on
the left bank of the Velikaya. The manor house is wooden (1892),
restored and preserved, surrounded by a park, but the most
interesting thing here is the wooden Trinity Church, built in 1928
by Latvian craftsmen from Rezekne. An unusual, albeit provincial
combination of the Russian architectural tradition with the latest
trends of that time. Perhaps this is the most interesting of the
Orthodox churches built on the Latvian border during the interwar
period. In addition to her, in the village you can look at the rocky
cliffs along the banks of the Vyada river.
How to get there:
similar to the previous one, only a little closer: from the Island
and Palkino 40 and 23 km, respectively. A passing
Pskov—Palkino—Pytalovo bus is added to the local bus (not every
day).
The city is located on both banks of the Velikaya River (flowing into Lake Pskov), 43 km south of Pskov.
The exact date of the Island's foundation is unknown. It is assumed
that it existed already in the XIII century. The first chronicle mention
of the Island dates back to 1341, when the Pskov people, who were
fighting the Livonians, "came to the aid of the islanders with their
landowner Vasily Onisimovich." The fact that the chronicle history of
the city begins with military events is not accidental: the Ostrovsky
fortress was an important border outpost in the south of the Pskov
Republic.
According to the researchers, the fortress was
originally made of wood and by the middle of the XIV century could no
longer contain the increasing onslaught of the Livonian Order. Then
Pskov residents took vigorous measures to strengthen the Island. A stone
fortress was built on the island formed by the Velikaya River and the
Slobozhikha Channel, which was the largest military defensive structure
of Ancient Russia at that time. The defensive power was reinforced by
five towers and a zahab. The stone church of St. Nicholas built in it in
1542 was in harmony with the harsh appearance of the fortress.
Occupying a border position, the Island was repeatedly the first to meet
the attack of militant neighbors. In 1348 and 1406, the Islanders
stopped the Livonian invaders. The defenders of the fortress won a major
victory in 1426. Throughout the XV century, enemies encroached on the
Island.
Only in 1501, during the Russian-Lithuanian War
(1500-1503), after a stubborn assault, the troops of the Livonian Order
led by Walter von Plettenberg captured the fortress on September 7 and
ravaged the city of Ostrov. During the assault, they fired fire arrows
and subjected the fortress to fierce cannon fire. But soon the Island
was cleared of invaders.
The fortress entered a glorious page in
military history during the Livonian War. In August 1581, the Polish
king Stefan Batory moved an army of one hundred thousand to Pskov; there
was an Island on the way. A fierce three-day assault began. Despite the
superiority in military strength and equipment, the enemy was unable to
break the resistance of the defenders of the fortress. Only the personal
intervention of the king led to the victory of the Poles; as a result,
the city and fortress lay in ruins. The city was under the rule of the
enemy until March 1582, when the Island was returned to Russia by the
Yamal-Zapolsky Peace.
After the devastation of the city by Stefan Batory, the island became
desolate. The XVII century did not bring noticeable changes. The island
remained a minor military city. At the beginning of the XVIII century,
after the successful conclusion of the Northern War, the Island lost its
former defensive importance. Since 1719, it became a county town of
Pskov province, and since 1777 — Pskov province. On December 15, 1778,
Catherine II approved the city plan of the Island, and by decree of May
28, 1781, the city was awarded a coat of arms.
Merchants,
especially those who traded in flax, as well as the bristle and leather
industries, played a significant role in the economic development of the
Island. The development of the linen trade greatly contributed to the
revitalization of the city and its growth. The townspeople set up a
construction supervision committee, which required that all newly
erected buildings be durable and beautify the city.
On January
26, 1860, train traffic was opened on the Pskov — Ostrov section (56
versts) of the St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway, on November 8, 1860 — the
Ostrov— Dinaburg section (191 versts long).
On February 23, 1918, the island was captured by German troops.
July 4-7, 1941 — battles for the city.
July 17, 1944 — the Panther
line was broken south of the Island. The city was liberated by the
troops of the 3rd Baltic Front on July 21, 1944.