Velikiye Luki

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.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Velíkiye Luki — Великие Луки Velíkiye Luki Bandera …   Wikipedia Español

  • Velikiye Luki — Original name in latin Velikiye Luki Name in other language VELIKIE LUKI, VLU, Velikie Luki, Velikije Loeki, Velikije Luki, Velikiye Luki, Welikije Luki, Wielkie Luki, Wielkie uki, bellikiyeluki, ВЕЛИКИЕ ЛУКИ, Великие Луки State code RU… …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Velikiye Luki Airport — Infobox Airport name = Velikiye Luki Airport nativename = nativename a = Аэропорт Великие Луки nativename r = image width = caption = IATA = VLU ICAO = ULOL type = Public owner = operator = city served = location = Velikiye Luki elevation f = 328 …   Wikipedia

  • Velikiye Luki — /veuh lee kee yeuh looh kee/; Russ. /vyi lyee kyi yeuh looh kyi/ a city in the NW Russian Federation in Europe, SE of Pskov. 102,000. * * * ▪ Russia also spelled  Velikie Luki, or Velikije Luki,         city, Pskov oblast (province), western… …   Universalium

  • Velikiye Luki — /veuh lee kee yeuh looh kee/; Russ. /vyi lyee kyi yeuh looh kyi/ a city in the NW Russian Federation in Europe, SE of Pskov. 102,000 …   Useful english dictionary

  • Battle for Velikiye Luki (1943) — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Velikiye Luki caption=Velikiye Luki (red, upper left) and the nearby rail trunks, in the context of the Soviet 1942 1943 offensives. (click to enlarge) partof=the Eastern Front of World War II… …   Wikipedia

  • FC Luki-SKIF Velikiye Luki — Full name Football Club Luki SKIF Velikiye Luki Founded 1991 Dissolved 2006 League Amateur Football League, Zone Northwest …   Wikipedia

  • История Великих Лук — Содержание 1 Раннесредневековый период 2 Период с XII  начало XVII вв …   Википедия

  • Стела «Город воинской славы» (Великие Луки) — Памятник Памятник стела Город воинской славы …   Википедия

  • Великие Луки — У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Великие Луки (значения). Город Великие Луки …   Википедия

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”