Soltsy

Soltsy stands on the Shelon between Novgorod and Pskov. Its name comes from the salt springs along the river's left bank, and the Novgorod chronicle mentions the settlement in 1390, when an army halted here on its way against Pskov. In 1471 the nearby Battle of the Shelon marked a decisive defeat for Novgorod in its struggle with Moscow.

In 1579 a settlement of wheelwrights was established at Soltsy to serve the artillery. Its craftsmen made wheels, axles, gun carriages and other wooden equipment for the army, as well as charcoal for gunpowder production. The settlement continued this work for generations. Catherine II later granted Soltsy the rights of a trading #italic posad#! with its own town hall, turning the former artillery settlement into a market community on the road between the two historic cities.