/5785251941_d527efed29_b.jpg)
Sebezh is located in the south of the Pskov
region. Picturesquely located on the isthmus between the two lakes,
Sebezh is a rare city in Russia, which had a strong western
influence, and by the end of the XVIII century it belonged to Poland
altogether, being also a reference Jewish town. Although the events
of the last two centuries have deprived Sebezh of a significant part
of the historical heritage, it remains a cozy and completely
charming small town in the middle of a beautiful lake region.
Sebezh was first mentioned in the annals under the year 1414,
then the next time under 1535, when Prince Ivan Shuisky built an
earthen fortress here, and it is even unknown if one and that Sebezh
is meant. One way or another, from the very beginning the city was
located on the territory that constantly moved from Russia to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania, then to Poland and vice versa. Finally it
was annexed to Russia only after the First Partition of Poland in
1772, while it had every chance to be in Belarus now - in 1924, the
Vitebsk province, to which Sebezh belonged, was abolished and
incorporated into the Byelorussian SSR, and only three districts
Sebezhsky, Nevelsky and Velizhsky - were transferred to the
Leningrad region and ended up in the RSFSR. In the 1990s, Sebezh
quite unexpectedly turned out to be a border town, and due to its
convenient position in the middle of the lake region and around the
national park, it began to develop tourism.
Population: 6375
people (2010). Before the revolution, Sebezh was a typical place:
Jews made up two thirds of the total population. Lithuanians, Poles,
Latvians and even Germans also lived here. However, after two world
wars and a revolution, Sebezh turned into a completely ordinary
Russian city.
City tours are organized by the
Sebezhsky
National Park Tourism Center.
1 Castle Hill. A cape jutting deep into Lake Sebezh.
The fortress of Ivangorod-na-Sebezh was apparently located on the top of
the mountain. Later there was a large German cemetery here, but recently
it was moved, leaving only a memorial sign. The road to Zamkovaya Gora
is also interesting — Proletarskaya Street, which is clamped on both
sides by a lake. The courtyards of the houses here overlook the shore,
part of which has been turned into a full-fledged embankment with a path
and benches. A magnificent panorama of Lake Sebezh and the surrounding
forests opens from the top of the mountain.
2 Bell Tower of the
Nativity Church, Proletarskaya St.. The Orthodox Church of the Nativity
was built in 1535 together with the wooden fortress of Ivanogorod na
Sebezh. In the middle of the XIX century, the church was rebuilt in the
neo-Russian style, and in Soviet times it was destroyed. Only the bell
tower has survived, which was probably quite unremarkable before, devoid
of characteristic elements of style, but in the absence of a church
perfectly complements the cozy and somewhat European appearance of
Sebezh.
3 Monument to Zinovy Gerdt, Proletarskaya St. (next to the
hotel "Sebezh").
4 Petrov val (Petrova Gora), November 7 street.
One of the ancient settlements, which now has a memorial sign on the
occasion of the first chronicle mention of Sebezh (1414). The ramparts
offer excellent views of the lake and Castle Hill.
5 Peter and Paul
Chapel, November 7 street (opposite the bus station). A small chapel
built in the 1990s and reminiscent of the ancient Pskov churches in
miniature.
6 Holy spring with a wooden Kazan chapel, south exit
from the city.
7 Trinity Church, at the end of Proletarskaya St..
The church was built in 1649, which before the revolution mainly
belonged to Catholics, and in 1989 was revived as an Orthodox church.
The building is made in the Baroque style, but it is not rich in
decorations and is the oldest church in Russia, preserved without later
changes and alterations.
8 Jewish cemetery, corner of Highway Street and
Stroiteley Street. The old Jewish cemetery is half occupied by Orthodox
graves, and in some places it has simply been dug up for new burials,
but in some places ancient stones with inscriptions in the Hebrew
alphabet still peek out of the grass.
9 German Military Cemetery,
village Ulyanovsk region (3 km east of Sebezh). A German cemetery
maintained in perfect order.
10 Polish cemetery, Margot Street. The
former Catholic cemetery of Sebezh. Poles, Lithuanians and even Lutheran
Germans were buried here. The old graves are abandoned and are being
destroyed, but in general the cemetery is not in such a depressing
condition as the practically destroyed Jewish one. The brick ruins at
the entrance to the cemetery in the past were elegant gates made in the
Gothic style.
Museum of Local Lore, Proletarskaya St., 21. ✉ ☎ +7 (81140) 2-14-74. Tue–Fri 10:00 – 17:00, Wed 10:00 – 14:00. 40 rubles, excursion: 400 rubles (around the museum), 500 rubles (around the city). The pre-revolutionary prison building, where similar organizations were located in the pre-war and war years, is now given over to the museum. In addition to the traditional local history collection, the museum specializes in archaeological finds, especially sacred stones and idols.
By train
Sebezh station is a border station, so
there are increased security measures and total passport control. Sebezh
is not included in the border zone, but you will certainly have to show
your passport, and maybe even more than once. The station is filled with
border guards and customs officers, and there are few useful things
here, as at any border station: no luggage storage, no normal waiting
room — only a ticket office. The train station is located 3 km north of
the city center. You can get here by minibus. Information: +7 (81140)
2-13-03
The only long—distance Moscow-Riga train (001R/002R)
passes through Sebezh, which stops here late in the evening (when
traveling to Moscow) or late at night (when traveling to Riga). Train
tickets are expensive because it is branded and international, but there
is also a relatively cheap shared carriage. Travel time: 9.5 hours from
Moscow, 5 hours from Riga.
From Moscow and St. Petersburg, you
can take a train to Velikiye Luki, where you can transfer to a special
minibus and arrive in Sebezh at about 9 a.m. (the so-called multimodal
train).
If you manage somehow (most likely by hitchhiking) to get
to the border, cross it and get to the Latvian city of Zilupe, then you
can take a diesel train (twice a day) to Ludza, Rezekne, Jekabpils and
even Riga, which is 5.5 hours away. This is the cheapest (although far
from the fastest) a way to get to Latvia.
By car
Sebezh is
located near the Moscow—Riga M9 highway, also known as E22: from the
east you can come from Velikiye Luki (145 km) or Moscow (603 km), from
the west from the Latvian cities of Riga (345 km) and Rezekne (90 km).
The A117 road leads from the north of Opochka, which stands on the M20:
this path is optimal when driving from Pskov (196 km) or St. Petersburg
(495 km). Although formally the A117 is toll-free, money is taken only
at the Belarusian border, so travel to Sebezh from Russia is, in fact,
free. Finally, in the direction of Belarus, the A117 leads to Polotsk
(106 km), and the P62 leads to Verkhnedvinsk (72 km).
However,
none of the trails pass through the city itself. The M9 goes 10 km north
(exit from Sebezh along Leninskaya Street), and the A117 goes 6 km east
(exit along Stroiteley Street).
By bus
The Sebezhskaya bus
station is located at the intersection of November 7 and Stroiteley
Streets (November 7, 52), one kilometer north of the city center. The
current schedule is here. Reference: 2-11-48 (bus station), 2-14-52
(motor transport company). There are few buses here: once a day to Pskov
(4-5 hours) and twice a week to St. Petersburg (9.5 hours). There are
also buses from St. Petersburg to Minsk and Novopolotsk, which usually
do not stop at Sebezh, but if necessary stop at A117.
As of 2012, intercity buses have been cancelled.
Minibuses run from Zamkovaya Gora to the train station at intervals of
15-30 minutes, passing by the bus station on the way.
Taxi:079,
+7 (911) 353-63-02 and (931) 900-05-01 (Sebezh Hotel service"), +7
(81140) 2-12-21, +7 (911) 690-91-92.
Souvenir shop, Chelyuskintsev str., 2. Mon–Fri 9:15 – 18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00 – 15:00.
1 Cafe "Breeze", November 7, 3 (on the shore of Lake
Orono, behind the cinema building). ☎ +7 (81140) 3-57-00. Mon–Wed 12:00
– 18:00, Thu–Sun 12:00 – 0:00.
2 Cafe "Italy" , Lenin Square, 1 (at
the bus stop on the main square of the city). ☎ +7 (911) 884-40-47.
Tue–Sun 11:00 – 22:00. Fast food, pizza, rolls, soups, including
takeaway. It is possible to order by phone.
3 Cafe in the
villageKuznetsovka (opposite the car repair shop).
4 Pribaltiyskaya
Hotel, Margot str., d.58. ☎ +7 (81140) 3-54-50. Mon–Fri 7:45 – 18:45,
Sat–Sun 9:00 – 19:00.
5 RaiPO Buffet, 62A Margot Street. ☎ +7 (81140)
3-13-20. mon–Sat 8:00 – 18:00.
6 Cafe "Sebezh", 54 Proletarskaya
str. (in the hotel building near Zinovy Gerdt Park). ☎ +7 (81140)
3-55-65. Mon–Sun 8:00 – 24:00. There is free Wi-Fi.
7 Cafe
"Ugorinka-3". ✉ ☎ +7 (911) 362-37-94. Around the clock.
8 A cafe
near the Niva.
There are no specialized establishments. In the summer, the backyard of the cafe "Sebezh" is open at night as a cafe "Base", overlooking Lake Sebezhskoye. On holidays (for example, on New Year's Eve), the Sebezh cafe holds special night promotions. On some days, the Breeze Cafe is open until 4:00.
1 Pribaltiyskaya Hotel, 58 Margot Street (departure
from Sebezh in a westerly direction). ☎ +7 (81140) 3-54-50. Triple room:
1800 rubles (2012). A roadside motel, which, however, is located off the
highway and is not in demand among truckers. Rooms are equipped with
amenities and air conditioning. Wi-Fi.
2 Hotel "Sebezh", 54
Proletarskaya str. (in the center). ☎ +7 (81140) 3-55-65. Double room
without amenities/with amenities: 1100/2000 RUB (2011). Rooms for 1-4
people, with or without amenities. Good reviews, the guests especially
recommend the hotel cafe. Wi-Fi.
3 Ugarinka-3 Hotel, village
Ugarinka (4 km south of Sebezh). ☎ +7 (911) 897-83-95, +7 (911)
362-37-94. 5000 RUB/day (2012). A guest house on the shore of Lake
Sebezh.
4 Campsite "Ozeryavki", the shore of Lake Ozeryavki (12 km
south of Sebezh). ☎ +8 (81140) 2-12-38. from 500 rubles/day (2015).
Seven cottages, a Russian bathhouse.
Phone code: 81140. Mobile operators: Beeline, Megafon,
MTS, Tele-2.
Mail
Postal codes have the form 18225X. Post
offices:
The main department (182250), 29 Proletarskaya St. (east of
the square, towards Castle Hill). ☎ +7 (81140) 21758. Mon—Fri
08:00-13:00,14:00-20:00; sat 09:00-13:00,14:00-18:00. there is a point
of collective access to the Internet
Department No. 1 (182251),
Vokzalnaya Street, 19. ☎ +7 (81140) 21726. Mon—Sat 09:00-17:00. There is
a point of collective access to the Internet
Internet access
There is no paid Internet access. Wi-Fi is available in the Sebezh and
Pribaltiyskaya hotels, but it does not always work.
In the last quarter
of the 1st millennium, a fortified settlement of the long mound culture
(180 × 30–60 m) arose on a cape settlement in the eastern part of
Zamkovaya Gora. From the 11th century other Russian city, among the
finds of the XI-XIV centuries. - household items, jewelry, weapons, a
carved bone pectoral cross, etc. The first epic mentions of the city
refer to the first trip of Ilya Muromets, when he breaks the black power
at Sebezh. Historically, these events can be attributed to the time of
the calling of Rurik and the journey from Izborsk to Polotsk.
It
is believed that the first information about Sebezh as a settlement
dates back to 1414. Under this year, it is mentioned by the Polish
chronicler of the 16th century Matvey Stryikovsky as a "suburb" of the
Pskov Republic, taken and burned by the Lithuanian prince Vitovt during
his campaign against Pskov. The very nature of the mention testifies to
the presence of a fortified settlement here (which apparently arose
earlier), although it does not give grounds for more accurate dating;
other chronicle sources about the existence of this "suburb" of Pskov
are silent. Along with this, there are also arguments in favor of the
fact that M. Stryikovsky simply made a number of mistakes when combining
and processing various fragmentary information taken from various
chronicles, and the actual foundation of Sebezh dates back to 1535.
In 1535, during the Russo-Lithuanian war, voivode I. N. Buturlin, on
the orders of the Moscow authorities, built a wooden fortress on the
northern shore of Lake Sebezhskoe on the northern shore of Lake
Sebezhskoe, a convenient stronghold for the military trips to Lithuania.
The construction work was supervised by the Italian architect Petrok
Maly, known for his construction activities in Moscow. A church was
built in the fortress in the name of the Beheading of John the Baptist;
Consecrating this church, Archbishop Macarius of Novgorod named the new
city Ivangorod-on-Sebezh.
There is probably a connection between
the name and the name of the future Tsar Ivan IV (who was born in 1530,
and from 1533 was the Grand Duke of Moscow). However, the name did not
stick - in the will of Ivan IV himself (1572), the city is referred to
as Sebezh.
The fortress, built on the shores
of Lake Sebezh, was an important fortified point on the border with the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania. On February 27, 1536, a Polish-Lithuanian
detachment led by the Kyiv governor Andrey Nemirovich and the Polotsk
governor Jan Glebovich, acting on the orders of King Sigismund I,
besieged the fortress and subjected it to artillery fire; however,
attempts to take the fortress by storm ended in failure. In the end, the
Russian governors, Prince P.F. Zasekin and E.F. Tushin, made a sortie
and drove the enemy onto the ice of Lake Sebezh; the ice broke and part
of the Polish-Lithuanian soldiers drowned. The defeat at Sebezh forced
Sigismund I to actively seek peace, and the truce concluded on February
18, 1537 secured Sebezh and its environs for the Russian state. In
memory of the feat of arms of the sebezhans, Grand Duchess Elena
Glinskaya ordered the construction of a stone Trinity Cathedral in
Sebezh; its construction began already in 1537, and was completed in
1544 (not preserved).
In the first years of the Livonian War,
Sebezh suffered twice from a strong fire: in the spring of 1560, when
the city burned out during Lent, and in May 1562, when the
Polish-Lithuanian detachments broke into the city and burned it again,
but failed to hold it in their hands. .
In 1579, the city was
again taken by the Polish-Lithuanian troops - during the offensive
undertaken by Stefan Batory, the new king of the Commonwealth. However,
according to the Yam-Zapolsky peace concluded on January 15, 1582
between the Russian state and the Commonwealth, Sebezh was returned to
Russia.
After the Livonian War, according to the description
compiled in 1583-1584 by scribes Grigory Ivanovich Meshchaninov-Morozov
and Ivan Vasilievich Drovnin, the Sebezh fortress was a section of the
Kremlin with earthen fortifications and a roundabout city surrounded by
a wooden wall about 1500 m long with 5 gates (Mysovye , Saburovs,
Summer, Klimentovsky and Uspensky), a palisade was built around the
city. Outside the roundabout city there was a marketplace, to which the
building streets outside the fortress led.
During the Time of
Troubles, Sebezh was at one time in the hands of supporters of one of
the impostors, False Dmitry III, who had to defend the city from Polish
troops. In 1616, the Poles nevertheless captured the city. In accordance
with the Deulino truce on December 1 (11), 1618, a number of lands
captured by the Polish interventionists (including Sebezh) for 14 years
and 6 months went to the Commonwealth. According to the inventory
carried out after that, there were 9 streets, 6 churches and 1 monastery
in the city.
On March 23, 1623, the King of Poland and the Grand
Duke of Lithuania Sigismund III Sebezh was granted the Magdeburg rights
and granted the coat of arms "in the azure field Samson tearing the
mouth of a lion."
On March 20, 1625, Sigismund III founded the
wooden church of the Holy Trinity in Sebezh on the territory of the
previously existing women's Basilian monastery. Later, the church burned
down, and in 1649 a stone church was laid in its place (later it was
rebuilt more than once; at the end of 1988, the church building was
transferred to the Orthodox community, and in 1990 the restored church
was consecrated as the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Pskov Diocese
of the Russian Orthodox churches).
Already in the first months
after the start of the Smolensk War (October-December 1632), Russian
troops again captured a number of Russian cities previously torn away by
the Commonwealth, including Sebezh, holding them until the end of the
war. However, the Polyanovsky peace between the Russian kingdom and the
Commonwealth, concluded on June 4 (14), 1634, basically confirmed the
borders established by the Deulinsky truce, and Sebezh was returned to
the Commonwealth. In the same year, Sebezh, along with the surrounding
lands, was granted by King Vladislav IV to the princely family of the
Radziwills in eternal fief possession. In 1638, Sebezh, previously part
of the Smolensk province, was transferred to the Polotsk province.
In June 1654, shortly after the outbreak of the Russian-Polish war
of 1654-1667, Russian troops again took Sebezh. This time, his
transition to Russia was secured by the Andrusovo truce (signed on
January 30 (February 9), 1667), according to which the Commonwealth lost
a number of border regions and Left-Bank Ukraine, and also - for two
years - Kiev. However, on July 24 (August 3), 1678, a new truce was
concluded in Moscow, according to which the Andrusovo truce was extended
for 13 years, and Sebezh, Nevel and Velizh with counties were
transferred to the Commonwealth in exchange for securing Kiev for
Russia.
After returning to the Commonwealth, the city again
became the property of the Radziwills. At the end of the 17th century
there were 300 houses here.
During the Northern War of 1700-1721.
Sebezh was twice occupied by the Russian troops of Peter I (acting as an
ally of the "legitimate Polish king August II"): in 1705 and 1707; at
the same time, defensive fortifications were built on the city hill in
1705. During the Northern War, the city was badly damaged, and even in
1755 there were only 140 houses here. In 1762, Sebezh was almost
completely burned out during a severe fire.
On July 25 (August 5), 1772, as a result of the 1st
partition of the Commonwealth, Russia annexed the right bank of the
Western Dvina and Eastern Belarus. As a result, Sebezh received the
status of a city of the Russian Empire. On October 9, 1772, two
provinces were formed from the provinces annexed to it: Pskov and
Mogilev. On December 13, 1772, the Polotsk province was added to the
Pskov diocese. On July 22, 1773, the town of Sebezh became a district
town and the center of the Sebezh district of the Polotsk province of
the Pskov province.
On August 24, 1776, Empress Catherine II
issued a decree "On the opening of the Polotsk and Pskov provinces",
according to which the Vitebsk, Dvina and Polotsk provinces formed the
Polotsk province, and on March 22, 1777 "to equalize the counties of the
Belarusian provinces ... a new distribution was made", and Sebezhsky the
county was included in the number of 11 counties of the Polotsk
province.
On February 21, 1778, the general plan of Sebezh was
approved, and on September 21, 1781, its coat of arms.
Vitebsk
province
On December 12 (23), 1796, by decree of Paul I, the Polotsk
and Mogilev provinces were merged into a single Belarusian province with
the center in Vitebsk. At the same time, Sebezh was declared a
provincial city; however, on July 12 (24), 1802, the Sebezh district was
restored as part of the Belorussian province (July 18 (30), 1840,
renamed the Vitebsk province).
After the outbreak of the
Patriotic War of 1812, the headquarters of the separate 1st Infantry
Corps of Lieutenant General P. Kh. Wittgenstein was located in Sebezh,
blocking the path to St. Petersburg for the Napoleonic army. By order of
the commander, powerful fortifications were built in the vicinity of the
city. The 2nd Army Corps of Marshal Nicolas Oudinot really tried to
break through Sebezh to Petersburg, but was stopped by Wittgenstein in a
series of stubborn battles, the decisive of which was the three-day
battle of Klyastitsy on the southern approaches to Sebezh, which took
place on July 18 (30) - July 20 (1 August) 1812. As a result, Napoleon
abandoned the campaign in the northern regions of Russia.
In 1854
(according to some sources, a decade later), a stone Cathedral of the
Nativity of Christ was built in Sebezh. In May 1885, the central part of
the city was burned to the ground during a severe fire, about 600
buildings were destroyed by fire. In the description of 1889, it is
indicated that the city had 8 tanneries, 2 pottery factories, 3
chenille-packing factories and a steam flour mill; a little later, a
brick and brewery appeared.
In 1901, a railway station was opened
in Sebezh on the line of the new Moscow-Vindava railway. It played a
significant role as a customs crossing from Moscow to Riga. It was here
that all trains stopped to check cargo and passengers before crossing
the border. Initially, the station was a small wooden building.
In 1908, electric street lighting appeared in Sebezh, and in 1911, the
Zharzhavsky cinema opened.
By the time Soviet power was established in Sebezh,
the city, together with the county, was part of the Vitebsk
province[39]. After the proclamation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of
Belarus on January 1, 1919, most of the Vitebsk province, including the
Sebezh district, went to the newly formed state. However, already on
January 16, at the plenum of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), a
decision was made to return the Vitebsk province (together with Smolensk
and Mogilev) to the RSFSR, supported by the First All-Belarusian
Congress of Soviets held on February 2-3 in Minsk; the three mentioned
provinces were no longer included in the united Lithuanian-Belarusian
Soviet Socialist Republic proclaimed on February 27, 1919 in Vilnius.
On March 24, 1924, by the Decree of the All-Russian Central
Executive Committee, the Vitebsk and Mogilev provinces were transferred
to the Byelorussian SSR as part of the first enlargement of its
composition, however, three counties of the Vitebsk province (Sebezh,
Nevel and Velizh) remained in the RSFSR and were included in the Pskov
province. In 1926, when the second enlargement of the Byelorussian SSR
took place, there were applications for inclusion in Belarus and Sebezh,
but they were rejected.
In accordance with the Decree of the
Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of August 1,
1927, according to which, as part of the administrative-territorial
reform carried out in the USSR (which provided for the elimination of
the division into provinces and counties), the Leningrad Region was
formed, the city of Sebezh became part of the Velikoluksky district of
this region and became the administrative center newly formed Sebezhsky
district.
In August 1927, on the initiative of B. V. Sivitsky,
the Sebezh Museum of Local Lore was founded in the city.
By a
decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
of June 3, 1929, Sebezh, together with the entire Velikoluksky District,
was transferred to the Western Region with a center in Smolensk (July
23, 1930, by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee
and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Velikoluksky
District was abolished). By a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian
Central Executive Committee of January 29, 1935, the entire territory of
the former Velikoluksky District, including Sebezh and the Sebezhsky
District, was transferred to the newly formed Kalinin Region, and on
February 5 of the same year, Velikoluksky District was - already part of
the Kalinin Region - restored, but again abolished on May 4 1938; now
Sebezh and the Sebezhsky district were included in the Opochetsky border
district of the Kalinin region (the district was abolished by the Decree
of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of February 5,
1941).
In 1925, the Trud combine was organized in Sebezh, which
set up a power station to provide electricity to enterprises and
illuminate the city, at the end of January 1925, at 6 pm, Ilyich's first
lamp was lit in Sebezh[52]. During the years of the pre-war five-year
plans, active construction of industrial enterprises was carried out in
Sebezh. In the spring of 1931, a new CHP plant with a capacity of 700 kW
was put into operation; she gave energy to a new factory for the primary
processing of flax, an industrial plant, a lime and rosin plants. In the
1930s the converted old and newly built buildings housed an agricultural
technical school, two secondary schools, shops, a collective farmer's
house, a pioneers' house, workers' clubs, and a cinema.
On the
very first day of the Great Patriotic War, mobilization began in Sebezh.
Many sebezhane went to the draft board voluntarily, without waiting for
summons, and by the evening of June 23, 1941, the military units formed
in the city moved from assembly points to the railway station.
The front line was rapidly approaching the city. As early as June 29,
the Sebezh railway station began to be subjected to intense raids by
fascist German aviation.
West of the city in the Sebezh fortified
area, the defense was held by the 170th rifle division of the 51st rifle
corps of the 22nd army of the Western Front.
Bypassing the Sebezh
fortified area from the north and striking at it from the rear, on July
7, the first units of the German motorized division of the SS “Dead
Head” of the 56th motorized corps break into Sebezh, and only on July 9,
1941, the Nazi troops manage to completely capture the city. The losses
of the German SS division "Totenkopf" in the battles in this area were
so great that it was soon put into reserve for some time, and three
regiments of the division were reduced to two.
The city of Sebezh
was liberated at dawn on July 17, 1944 during the Rezhitsko-Dvina
operation by soldiers of the 150th Infantry Division of Colonel V.M. On
May 1, 1945, they stormed the Reichstag and hoisted the Banner of
Victory on it. Already by 8 o'clock in the morning the German garrison
of the city had ceased resistance.
On August 22, 1944, by the
Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Velikie
Luki region was formed, which included Sebezh and the Sebezh region. By
a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated
October 2, 1957, this region was abolished, and Sebezh and the Sebezhsky
district were ceded to the Pskov region.