Travel Snapshots: Ostashkov's 100 kilometers of lakes

Lake Seliger is the town's primary attraction. It draws nature enthusiasts to camp in tents, go fishing, and go boat sailing

The town of Ostashkov, located on Lake Seliger in the Tver Region (373 km to the northwest of Moscow), was founded in the 14th century. You can reach Ostashkov from Moscow by train from Leningradsky Train Station or by bus from Tushinskaya Metro Station, as well as by car on the Leningradskoye or Novorizhskoye Highways.

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Nikolay Korolyoff

The town of Ostashkov, located on Lake Seliger in the Tver Region (373 km to the northwest of Moscow), was founded in the 14th century. You can reach Ostashkov from Moscow by train from Leningradsky Train Station or by bus from Tushinskaya Metro Station, as well as by car on the Leningradskoye or Novorizhskoye Highways.

Nikolay Korolyoff

The town prides itself on its planning. It was this very town that became the model for constructing regional cities in Russian in the 18th century.

Nikolay Korolyoff

Many of the town's houses that were built in the late 19th-early 20th century have been preserved.

Nikolay Korolyoff

The Znamensky Convent was established in 1673 on the shore of Lake Seliger, in a deserted area called Staroye Strugovishche. This is in the present-day Ostashkov's district of Rabochy Gorodok (Workers' Campus).

Nikolay Korolyoff

The convent features ancient icons and a wooden statue of the hermit monk Nil that was carved out of stained oak at the end of the 18th century.

Nikolay Korolyoff

In 1528, a hermit monk by the name of Nil settled on Stolbny Island, situated 10 km from Ostashkov. This island is home to the still-active Nil-Stolobenskaya Desert Monastery.

Nikolay Korolyoff

In Soviet times, the monastery suffered devastating damage. Today, most of the monastery has been restored, although traces of its Soviet past can still be seen.

Nikolay Korolyoff

From 1927 to 1960, the monastery was converted into a prison for juvenile offenders.

Nikolay Korolyoff

Krestovozdvizhensky (Exaltation of the Holy Cross) Church is located near the monastery. This is where baptismal rites were held.

Nikolay Korolyoff

After 1960, a retirement home was created on the monastery's grounds. But from 1971 to 1990, the monastery was transformed once more, this time into a tourist base.