Ostrog
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Ostrog_(great_soviet_encyclopedia).jpg
Ostroh (Острог in Ukrainian, Ostrog in Polish or Russian) is a town in Volynia, Ukraine, with population of 10,900 (1974). It is a district administrative centre in the Rivnens'ka oblast'.
The Hypatian codex first mentions it in 1100 as a fortress of Volynian 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, the first East Slavic books 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) (http://starslion.narod.ru/ukraine/H_ostrog.jpg), with the Epiphany church (built in the 15th century) and several towers. To the north-west from the castle stand two 16th-century towers (JPEG) (http://art.lutsk.ua/art/ostrog/43_big.jpg). The suburb of Mejirichi (or Miedzyrzec) contains the Trinity abbey, with a 15th-century cathedral and other old structures.
External link
History and views of Ostrog (http://art.lutsk.ua/art/ostrog/index.shtml)