OSTASHKOV  , a

town of Russia, in the government of Tver, on Lake Seliger, Io8 m . W.N.W. of the city of Tver; pop . 10,457 . The climate is damp and unhealthy . The town has tanneries, and is a centre for the making of boots and shoes, for agricultural implements, fishing-nets and the building of boats . The advantageous site, the proximity of the Smolenskiy Zhitnyi monastery, a pilgrim resort on an island of the lake and the early development of certain petty trades combined to bring prosperity to Ostashkov . Its cathedral (1672–1685) contains valuable offerings, as also do two other churches of the same century .