When the Livonian Order entered the land, they built a stone castle known as Selburg in German.After the construction of Pļaviņas Hydroelectric Power Station and reservoir, the ruins are on an island.[1] Archaeological evidence shows that Sēlpils, 17 km northwest of modern Jēkabpils, was a major settlement between the 10th and 13th centuries.These were destroyed by the Swedes in 1704, during the Great Northern War, and only traces of the foundations are visible at the site today.[2] The importance of Sēlpils as a trading center on the Daugava declined after the military devastation of the early 18th century.
