Lev Tolstoy is a rural locality (a settlement) and the administrative center of Lev-Tolstovsky District of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia. Population: Until 1932 it was known as Astapovo.

History

Astapovo railway station, built in 1891 on the intersection of the Kozlov–Volovo and Moscow–Yelets routes, was named after a nearby selo of Astapovo (Аста́пово), which was founded later than the mid-17th century. The name derives from the masculine first name Ostap. The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy fell ill at the Astapovo station and died here on November 20, 1910. To commemorate this event, the station was renamed Lva Tolstogo (Льва Толсто́го) in 1918. In 1932, the name of the station and of the settlement was changed to its modern form.

Sources