The Shelon () is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the northwest part of

European Russia European Russia is the western and most populated part of the Russia, Russian Federation. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the country's sparsely populated and vastly larger eastern part, Siberia, which is situated in Asia ...

, in Dedovichsky, Porkhovsky, and

Dnovsky District Dnovsky District () is an administrativeLaw #833-oz and municipalLaw #420-oz district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Pskov Oblast, twenty-four in Pskov Oblast, Russia. It is located in the east of the oblast and borders with Solets ...

s of

Pskov Oblast Pskov Oblast () is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the west of the country. Its administrative center is the Classification of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Pskov. As of the Russian Census ...

and Soletsky and

Shimsky District Shimsky District () is an administrativeLaw #559-OZ and municipalLaw #398-OZ district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Novgorod Oblast, twenty-one in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is located in the west of the oblast and borders with B ...

s of

Novgorod Oblast Novgorod Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located in the oblast. The historic m ...

. The Shelon is one of the principal tributaries of

Lake Ilmen Lake Ilmen (, ) is a large lake in Novgorod Oblast, Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Veliky Novgorod, which is a major trade center of the ro ...

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

Porkhov Porkhov () 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 fortress of Porkhov is believe ...

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 enviro ...

. The river basin of the Shelon comprises vast areas on the Ilmen Depression which administratively are located in Soletsky, Shimsky, and

Volotovsky District Volotovsky District () 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 borders with Shimsky District in the north, Sta ...

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

Bezhanitsky District Bezhanitsky District () 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 oblast and borders with Dedovichsky District ...

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 () was a decisive battle between the forces of the Grand Principality 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 1471. Novgorod suffered a ...

on July 14, 1471 between

Muscovy Muscovy or Moscovia () is an alternative name for the Principality 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 mosch ...

and

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic () was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The ...

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

References

External links

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