Pytalovo (; or is a town and the administrative center of Pytalovsky District in Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Utroya River (a tributary of the Velikaya), southwest of Pskov, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: It was previously known as Pytalovo or Novo-Dmitrovskoye (until 1925), Jaunlatgale (until 1938), Abrene (until 1945). Etymology Accounts of the origin of Pytalovo's name reflect the region's dichotomy. The unofficial Pytalovo website offers two theories about the origin of the town's name. One is that it was named after Lieutenant Pytalov, a guard to Catherine the Great, who received the lands in 1766 for reasons unknown, that estate subsequently being sold off by his descendants. The other is that the name is derived from the Russian verb "" (meaning "to torture"), named after a church courtyard with a large iron cross used to torture and execute people. Another theory is that Pytalovo is Russified form of the Latvian toponym "Pietālava" (Latvian "pie Tālavas", or Latgalian "pī Tuolavas"), meaning "near Tālava", with Tālava being the name of an ancient Latvian feudal state. Russophones comprised the majority of the population in a number of parishes during Latvia's initial independence, with further Russification ongoing. Nevertheless, the older generation testified to their Latvian heritage.<ref name="Krasnais">Latviskā Jaunlatgale' , V. Krasnais, "Latviskā Jaunlatgale, Apgabala Vēsturiskie Likteņi, retrieved June 22, 2013; also available at ; local community leader A. Briedis recounted during the period: "Nevertheless, the older generation in these parishes completely confirms that in older times they had spoken Latvian and that the Russians had called them Latvians. But now, as the older generation passes on, children are being educated in Russian schools as Russians even under Latvia".</ref> Historian Carl von Stern wrote of a cultural awakening amongst the region's inhabitants in the 1930s despite generations of Russification. Two thousand inhabitants from across Pskov gathered in September 1934 and proclaimed: "We are not Russian, but, indeed, Latvian. We are returning to our Latvian heritage. Latvians, lend us your helping hand, support and hasten our return!" Audiences wept as they heard old familiar folk songs sung with words and a language lost over time. A more concrete testament to Pytalovo's Latvian heritage is that the Latvian folk costumes of the region are the only ones which still preserve the most ancient tradition of white dress, once used in both daily life and for festive occasions. History Pytalovo, alternatively known as