The Shelon (russian: Шелонь) is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

in the northwest part of

European Russia European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...

, in Dedovichsky, Porkhovsky, and Dnovsky Districts of

Pskov Oblast Pskov Oblast (russian: Пско́вская о́бласть, ') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the city of Pskov. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 67 ...

and Soletsky and Shimsky Districts of

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast (russian: Новгоро́дская о́бласть, ''Novgorodskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, includi ...

. The Shelon is one of the principal tributaries of

Lake Ilmen Lake Ilmen ( rus, И́льмень, p=ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ) is a large lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod - ...

. It has a length of and drains a basin of . The towns of

Porkhov Porkhov (russian: По́рхов) is a town and the administrative center of Porkhovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Shelon River, east of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: History The fortres ...

and Soltsy, as well as urban-type settlements of Dedovichi and Shimsk, are located on the banks of the Shelon. The principal tributaries of the Shelon are the Sudoma (left), the Belka (right), the Polonka (right), the Uza (left), the Udokha (left), the Sitnya (left), and the Mshaga (left). The Shelon has its source in the swamps at the east of Pskov Oblast, close to the border with Novgorod Oblast. It flows northeast, then turns around and flows west. Around the urban-type settlement of Dedovichi the Shelon turns northwest. It further enters Porkhovsky District, and behind Porkhov turns north and then northeast. The Shelon crosses a short segment of Dnovsky District and returns to Porkhovsky District, crossing then to Novgorod Oblast. In Novgorod Oblast, the Shelon flows northeast and has its mouth by the urban-type settlement of Shimsk, forming an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

. The river basin of the Shelon comprises vast areas on the

Ilmen Depression Ilmen may refer to: *Lake Ilmen, a lake in Russia *''Il’mena ''Lydia'' was a United States, US merchant ship that sailed on maritime fur trade, maritime fur trading ventures in the early 1800s. In December 1813 it was sold to the Russian–A ...

which administratively are located in Soletsky, Shimsky, and

Volotovsky District Volotovsky District (russian: Волото́вский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #559-OZ and municipalLaw #350-OZ district ( raion), one of the twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast and b ...

s of Novgorod Oblast, and in Porkhovsky, Dnovsky, Dedovichsky, and

Bezhanitsky District Bezhanitsky District (russian: Бежа́ницкий райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #833-oz and municipalLaw #420-oz district (raion), one of the twenty-four in Pskov Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central and eastern parts of the ob ...

s of Pskov Oblast. The Shelon is navigable downstream of the town of Soltsy, however, there is no passenger navigation.

History

The

Battle of Shelon The Battle of Shelon (russian: Шелонская битва) was a decisive battle between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow under Ivan III (r. 1462–1505) and the army of the Novgorod Republic, which took place on the Shelon River on 14 ...

(July 14, 1471) between

Muscovy Muscovy is an alternative name for the Grand Duchy of Moscow (1263–1547) and the Tsardom of Russia (1547–1721). It may also refer to: *Muscovy Company, an English trading company chartered in 1555 *Muscovy duck (''Cairina moschata'') and Domest ...

and

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of ...

occurred in between the town of Soltsy and the mouth of Shelon. It ended up with a victory of the Muscovite army led by Prince Kholmsky, and consequently resulted in the annexation of Novgorod by Muscovy (1478).

References

External links

* {{Authority control Rivers of Novgorod Oblast Rivers of Pskov Oblast