Soltsy is a town and the administrative center of Soletsky District

Soletsky District

Soletsky District is an administrative district , one of the 21 in Novgorod Oblast, Russia....

 of Novgorod Oblast

Novgorod Oblast

Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located there...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, located on the left bank of the Shelon River

Shelon River

Shelon River is a river in the northwest part of European Russia, one of the main tributaries of Lake Ilmen. It has a length of 248 km and drains a basin of 9710 km².The river flows through the Novgorod Oblast and the Pskov Oblast.- History :...

, 78 kilometres (48.5 mi) southwest of Veliky Novgorod

Veliky Novgorod

Veliky Novgorod is one of Russia's most historic cities and the administrative center of Novgorod Oblast. It is situated on the M10 federal highway connecting Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city lies along the Volkhov River just below its outflow from Lake Ilmen...

. Its name owes to the nearby salt water springs. Population:

History

It was first mentioned in 1390. At that time it was an important point of the trade route between Novgorod and Pskov

Pskov

Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...

. In 1471, the Battle of Shelon

Battle of Shelon

The Battle of Shelon was a decisive battle between the forces of the Grand Duchy of Moscow under Ivan III and the army of the Novgorod Republic, which took place on the Shelon River on July 14, 1471. Novgorod suffered a major defeat and ended with the de facto unconditional surrender of the city...

 between Muscovite forces led by Ivan III

Ivan III of Russia

Ivan III Vasilyevich , also known as Ivan the Great, was a Grand Prince of Moscow and "Grand Prince of all Rus"...

 and the army of the Novgorod Republic

Novgorod Republic

The Novgorod Republic was a large medieval Russian state which stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains between the 12th and 15th centuries, centred on the city of Novgorod...

 took place near Soltsy, which marked the end of political independence of the Novgorod Republic.

The settlement gradually developed, and in 1914 was granted town status.

A key strategic military base, Soltsy-2

Soltsy-2

Soltsy-2 is an air base in Novgorod Oblast, Russia located 2 km north of Soltsy and 72 km southwest of Novgorod...

 is located northeast of the town.

Transportation

The town is located along the Novgorod–Pskov

Pskov

Pskov is an ancient city and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located in the northwest of Russia about east from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population: -Early history:...

 highway, and the Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

–Vitebsk

Vitebsk

Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...

railway.