Sebezh, Pskov Oblast, Northwestern Federal District, Russia

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Sebezh is a town and the administrative centre of Sebezhsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in a picturesque setting between Lakes Sebezhskoye and Orono 189 km south of Pskov, the administrative centre of the oblast.

History It was first mentioned in 1414 as a fortress protecting Pskov from the south, when Vytautas of Lithuania sacked it. Prince Ivan Shuysky built a wooden fortress there in 1535. In the 16th century, the fortress defended the Western approaches to the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Lithuanian and Polish troops captured it during the Livonian War and held it until the First Partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The fortifications of Sebezh, now dismantled, were reinforced at the behest of Peter the Great during the Great Northern War. The castle hill is still dominated by the Roman Catholic Church, built in 1625-1648 and reconsecrated as a Russian Orthodox Church in 1989.

From 1802 to 1924, Sebezh was the seat of Sebezhskly Uyezd of Vitebsk Governorate. On August 1, 1927, the uyezds and governorates were abolished and Sebezhsky District, with the administrative centre in Sebezh, was established as a part of Velikiye Luki Okrug of Leningrad Oblast. It included parts of former Sebezhsky Uyezd. On June 3, 1929, Sebezhsky District was transferred to Western Oblast. On July 23, 1930, the okrugs were also abolished and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. On January 29, 1935, Western Oblast was abolished and the district was transferred to Kalinin Oblast, and on February 5 of the same year, Sebezhsky District became a part of Velikiye Luki Okrug of Kalinin Oblast, one of the okrugs abutting the state boundaries of the Soviet Union. On May 4, 1938, the district was transferred to Opochka Okrug. On February 5, 1941, the okrug was abolished. Between July 9, 1941 and July 17, 1944, Sebezh was occupied by German troops. On August 22, 1944, the district was transferred to newly established Velikiye Luki Oblast. On October 2, 1957, Velikiye Luki Oblast was abolished and Sebezhsky District was transferred to Pskov Oblast.

According to the 1939 population census, there were 845 Jews living in Sebezh. The SS Division “Totenkopf” arrived in the town on July 7, 1941. Many Jews managed to escape during this period, via a cattle car sent by Major Solomon Zharzhavsky to evacuate the city. During the entire occupation, which lasted from July 1941 to July 1944, there was an Ortskommandantur in the town. There was an Ordnungsdienst, too. A ghetto was created in September 1941 and existed until March 1942. After that, it was liquidated. During the liquidation, more than 100 Jews were shot in pits. The perpetrators of the shooting were local Russian policemen.

Geography: Administrative status Within the framework of administrative divisions, Sebezh serves as the administrative centre of Sebezhsky District, to which it is directly subordinated. As a municipal division, the town of Sebezh, together with sixty-eight rural localities, is incorporated within Sebezhsky Municipal District as Sebezh Urban Settlement.

Economy: Industry In the district, there are enterprises of electrotechnical (capacitor production), construction, timber, textile, and food industries.

Agriculture The main specializations of agriculture in the district are cattle breeding with meat and milk production and the production of potatoes and vegetables.

Transport The M9 Highway, which connects Moscow and Riga, passes Sebezh. Another road connects Sebezh with Opochka. There are also local roads.

The railway connecting Moscow and Riga also passes Sebezh.

Culture and recreation Sebezh contains one cultural heritage monument of federal significance and additionally fifteen objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance. The federally protected monument is the Trinity Church, a formerly Catholic church consecrated in 1648, when Sebezh was still part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is probably the oldest baroque structure in Russia. As of 2013, the church is closed to the public because of reconstruction.

Sebezh is home to the Sebezh District Museum, founded in 1927 and displaying collections of local interest.