Nevel is an old Russian town in the Pskov Region. The town stands on the bank of Lake Nevel, 242 km to the southeast of Pskov.

The town takes the overall area of 23 sq km and has the population of 15.417 people (as of 2014).

History of Nevel

It was first time recorded in 16 century among the towns founded during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. From 1580 it was repeatedly attached to Poland and Lithuania and back to Russia.

The town was named after Lake Nevel that it stands on.

In 1772 it was finally attached to Russia. Nevel became a district town of the Pskov Province in 1773, was a part of the Polotsk Province from 1777, of the Belarusian Province from 1796, the Vitebsk Province from 1802.

In 1856 in the district town of Nevel in the Vitebsk Province had 4 churches, 611 houses, and 78 shops.

It was a district town of the Pskov Province from 1924, a district center of the Leningrad Region from 1927, and a part of the Velikiye Luki Region from 1944.

During the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 it was occupied by fascist armies on July 16, 1941 and released by armies of the Kalinin frontline on October 6, 1943.

After integration of the Velikiye Luki and Pskov Regions in 1957 it became a district center of the Pskov Region.