Located on the Velikaya River, about 20km east from the Estonian border, Pskov is one of the oldest cities in Russia, its earliest mention coming from 903, when Igor of Kiev married a local lady, St. Olga. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the town adhered politically to the Novgorod Republic. In 1241 it was taken by the Teutonic Knights, but Alexander Nevsky recaptured it several months later. In order to secure their independence from the knights, in 1266 the Pskovians elected a Lithuanian prince, Daumantas (known in Russia as Dovmont), as military leader and prince. Having fortified the town (the core of the citadel, erected by him, still bears his name), Daumantas routed the Teutonic Knights at Rakvere and overran much of Estonia.
Read more »