Demyansk

About the settlement. The name Demyansk is interpreted from an ancient Finno-Ugric language as “road land”. One branch of the old Seliger trade route passed through here. Demyansk District is known for its landscape: 90 rivers and more than 50 lakes, the largest being Velyo and Lake Seliger. The district lies between the Valday Hills and the Priilmen Lowland. On the road from Demyansk to Lake Seliger, elevation changes from 50 m to 288 m above sea level. The district contains 168 archaeological monuments. One of the best known is Knyazhna Gora, a hill about 30 m high. In the 6–9 centuries it held an ancient settlement, and until the 16th century it was the fortified outpost “Deman on the Yavon”, guarding approaches to Veliky Novgorod. The area witnessed many historic events. The forces of Batu Khan turned back from Novgorod in this region, and Baltic and Swedish invaders were repeatedly driven away. During the Great Patriotic War, Demyansk again served as a defensive outpost. At the end of September 1941, troops of the North-Western Front stopped the rapid German advance here. In spring 1942, a Soviet counteroffensive encircled two corps of the German 16th Army in what became known as the “Demyansk Pocket”. More than 100 military memorials preserve the memory of the war. Visitors can explore battle sites on two routes: Demyansk-Lychkovo and Demyansk-Tsemena-Korpovo. Valday National Park covers 12% of Demyansk District. The park also includes Russia’s first fish hatchery in the village of Nikolskoye, with a unique hydropark created by ichthyologist Vladimir Pavlovich Vrassky in 1854. The district attracts anglers, hunters, river rafters, water-sports enthusiasts and travellers seeking unspoilt nature.