Ostroh

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Ostroh (Острог, Острог, translit. Ostrog, Ostrogas , Polish: Ostróg) is a historic town in the Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, located on the Horyn River. Serving as the administrative center of the Ostrozky Raion (district), the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast.

The current estimated population is around 14,801 (as of 2001).

History

The Hypatian codex first mentions Ostroh in 1100, as a fortress of the Volhynian princes. Since the 14th century, it was the seat of the powerful Ostrogski princely family, who developed their town into a great centre of learning and commerce. Upon the family's extinction in the 17th century, Ostroh passed to the princes Lubomirski. In the 16th century, first East Slavic books, notably the Ostrog Bible, were printed there. The town formerly had a sizable Jewish community, whose rabbis included Kalonymus Haberkasten, Samuel Edels, and Solomon Luria.

Landmarks include the ruins of the Ostroz'ky castle on the Red Hill (JPEG), with the Epiphany church (built in the fifteenth century) and several towers. To the north-west from the castle stand two sixteenth-century towers (JPEG) The suburb of Mejirichi (or Miedzyrzec) contains the Trinity abbey, with a fifteenth-century cathedral and other old structures.

Ostroh Academy was found in Ostroh in 1576 as the first higher educational institution in Ukraine.

See also

• Konstanty Ostrogski
• Konstanty Wasyl Ostrogski
• Ivan Fyodorov (printer)

External links

• History and views of Ostrog

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Saturday March 01, 2008 at 15:39:29 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation