Stary Oskol - Старый Оскол - Stariy Oskol

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Stary Oskol (Ста́рый Оско́л)





Stary Oskol is a city in Belgorod Oblast, about 618 km south of Moscow and on the Oskol River. The population is around 215,898. The city’s name comes from the name of the Oskol river, on the banks of which it was founded. The Oskol river means ‘the river of Osses’ (Osses is a tribe of Iran speaking Alans). In 1655 the city got the name of Stary Oskol (Old Oskol), as another city was renamed to Novy Oskol (New Oskol).










At present, Stary Oskol may be divided into two parts: a modern one and a historical center of the city. The center of Stary Oskol houses a great number of ancient buildings that still preserve their original look.





It was founded as a fortress in 1593, as part of the southern fortification line around Moscow. In the 17th century, the town was sacked by Crimean Tatars and Ukrainian Cossacks. Later it was affected by the Russian Civil War in 1919, as well as World War II. After World War II industry developed in the city and its population started to grow.





Stary Oskol is an important mining town of iron ore, situated at the border of the Kursk magnetic anomaly, one of the largest deposits of iron ore worldwide. More than eight million tons of iron ore are mined here per year.


Miners


In addition to being the home of famous fighter Fedor Emelianenko, Stary Oskol is also known for its golf course:
Golf club "Stary Oskol"
Russia, Belgorodskaya region, Stary Oskol city
9 holes
Par: 30, length1660 m
Driving range: 11





For a town of this size Stariy Oskol is very modern. Perhaps that is due to influence from Moscow and also maybe it's very business friendly outlook on Western investment.