Velikiye Luki

Velikiye Luki ( _ru. Вели́кие Лу́ки); name also romanized as Velikie Luki, is a city on the meandering Lovat River in the southern part of Pskov Oblast, Russia. Its name is translated as "Great Meanders".ISBN 530900257Х. Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-Пресс", 2002 (G. P. Smolitskaya. "Toponymic Dictionary of Central Russia". Armada-Press, 2002)] It is the second largest city in Pskov Oblast, with a population of ru-census2002|104979|; su-census1989|113745|. The city is served by the Velikiye Luki Airport.

The city of Velikiye Luki was first mentioned in a chronicle under the year of 1166. After the construction of a fortress in 1211, Velikiye Luki turned into a city of strategic importance, defending the approaches to Pskov and Novgorod. It was incorporated into Muscovy by Ivan the Great in 1478. At the beginning of the 20th century, it evolved into an important railway hub following the construction of the railway connecting Moscow with Riga.

During the World War II, in 1941 and 1942, intensive fighting took place in the vicinity between German and Soviet forces . During the Battle of Velikiye Luki (in late 1942) a German force of about 7,000 was surrounded in the town which had been turned into a fortress. After months of heavy fighting, the German defenders were finally wiped out in January 1943. As a result of this siege, the city suffered almost total destruction.

Velikiye Luki has been claimed as the birth place of Soviet Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky. The Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Matrosov is buried in this city. Modest Mussorgsky's memorial house, standing on the bank of a large picturesque lake, is within easy range of the town.

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