53°13′N 39°27′E / 53.217°N 39.450°E
Lev Tolstoy (Russian: Лев Толсто́й) is a rural locality (a settlement) and the administrative center of Lev-Tolstovsky District of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia.[1] Population: 8,875 (2021 Census);[2] 8,650 (2010 Russian census);[3] 9,035 (2002 Census);[4] 9,139 (1989 Soviet census).[5] Until 1932 it was known as Astapovo.
Astapovo railway station, built in 1891 on the intersection of the Kozlov–Volovo and Moscow–Yelets routes,[citation needed] was named after a nearby selo of Astapovo (Аста́пово), which was founded later than the mid-17th century.[6] The name derives from the masculine first name Ostap.[6] The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy fell ill at the Astapovo station and died here on November 20, 1910.[6] To commemorate this event, the station was renamed Lva Tolstogo (Льва Толсто́го) in 1918.[6] In 1932, the name of the station and of the settlement was changed to its modern form.[6]