Kholm

About the town. In ancient times, the water trade route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” followed the Lovat River through what is now Kholm. Small vessels were built here and residents traded flax, carts, spinning wheels and wooden and clay tableware. In the 16th–17th centuries the settlement was repeatedly attacked by Lithuanians, Poles and Swedes. On 3 August 1777, during administrative reforms of the Novgorod Governorate, a decree renamed Kholmsky Posad as the town of Kholm and assigned it to the Pskov Governorate. Kholm became the centre of Kholm Uyezd. By the late 19th century, Kholm was known for handicrafts, including river barges and other boats. The town suffered heavily during the Great Patriotic War: in 1942 it became a battleground of the Toropets-Kholm operation, and most historic buildings were completely destroyed.