The small town of Ostashkov is located on the southern shore of Lake Seliger. If you are going to Seliger by train or bus, then the place of arrival will be the city of Ostashkov. Some people perceive Seliger only as a place for fishing or outdoor recreation. However, there are also historical attractions on the lake. Many of them can be seen in Ostashkov.
Ostashkov is located 190 kilometers west of Tver and 380 kilometers from Moscow. There is a great ecology here, thanks to the forests of the Tver region. Some lakes north of Seliger are included in the Valday National Park with a special nature protection regime, but Lake Seliger is not part of it. Only a few islands on Lake Seliger are declared natural parks, but tourists have free access to them.
The city of Ostashkov is located on the peninsula. From the north it is connected by a bridge to the Island of Klichen. In Soviet times, excavations were carried out on the island of Klichen. Archaeologists have found there stone tools of ancient people of the Neolithic era. They also found traces of an ancient settlement.
The city of Ostashkov was first mentioned in the annals of 1371 under the name "Klichen". According to legend, in 1393 the settlement was attacked by a squad of the Novgorod Republic. The only survivor of this raid was the fisherman Evstafiy Ostashko. He stayed to live in this place and soon a village was revived here. It was called Ostashkovskaya Sloboda. In 1587, the Ostashkov Fortress was built nearby, and in 1770 Ostashkov received the status of a city. Over time, it was called the "Capital of Seliger".
The old town of Ostashkov is located in the northern part of the peninsula. Wooden and stone houses have been preserved here, the atmosphere of the 19th century city is felt. In those years there were many temples and the Znamensky Monastery in Ostashkov. Some of them have survived to the present day.
There is a small harbor in the center of Ostashkov. Here you can board a small ship that makes excursions to the monastery of the Nilo-Stolobenskaya Hermitage, as well as to the islands of Lake Seliger. In front of the Harbor, you can walk through the Liberty Park. In the center of the park there are large flower beds and the bell tower of the Transfiguration Church. To the south of the harbor is located the Ascension Cathedral. This temple has been preserved from the Znamensky Monastery.
650 meters to the north from the harbor is the Trinity Cathedral. It was built in 1685 and now houses the Ostashkov Museum of Local Lore. There is a bell tower nearby, which offers a beautiful view of the center of Ostashkov and Lake Seliger. Nearby is the other Church of the Resurrection of Christ. It is being restored and services will soon begin in it.
1 kilometer north of the Museum of Local Lore is a narrow strip of land that connects Ostashkov and the Island of Klichen. This strip of land is called the Zhitnoye Peninsula. The Bogoroditsky Monastery and the City Beach are located on it. A magnificent white sand beach stretches along the western shore of the peninsula for 400 meters. Thanks to this beach, many tourists come to Ostashkov for vacation. Trekking trails on the Island of Klichen begin near the beach. Here you will see all the beauty of the nature of Lake Seliger. Thus there is no necessity to sail to the distant islands of Seliger.
