Velikiye-Luki, (Russian: Вели́кие Лу́ки. Literally meaning- Great Meanders) was a city situated on the meandering Lovat River in the southern part of Pskov Oblast, Russia. During World War II, in 1941 and 1942, intensive fighting took place in the vicinity between German and Soviet forces. During the Battle of Velikiye-Luki (in late 1942) a German force of about 20,000 was surrounded in the town which had been barricaded and turned into a fortress. After many months of heavy fighting, the German and Latvian defenders were finally wiped out in January 1943. As a result of this siege and intense house-to-house fighting, the city suffered almost total destruction and was then abandoned by the few survivors. It was never rebuilt and became a war memorial.