Jaunjelgava (pronunciationⓘ, literally "New Jelgava"; German: Neustadt; Friedrichstadt) is a town on the left bank of the Daugava River in Aizkraukle Municipality, in the Selonia region of Latvia, about 80 km southeast of Riga.

During the 15th century the territory of the town was used as a place where merchants from Riga would transport their goods from boats to carriages because, due to the Daugava rapids, it was difficult to navigate further downstream.

In 1567 Duke of Courland and Semigallia Gotthard Kettler called the small port Neustadt (German for 'new town').

In 1647 king of Poland Władysław IV granted town rights and approved the coat of arms of Friedrichstadt.

[4] There were also several large fires during 18th century and a great deal of damage was inflicted by four major floods; the largest was in 1778 when around 100 houses were destroyed.

Local inhabitants owned warehouses, taverns for rafters and were involved in transportation of goods by carriage to Jacobstadt.

The town was heavily damaged when from 17 October to 15 November 1919 heavy fighting took place near the city during the Latvian War of Independence.

Some of them were deported in June 1941, and some were murdered in the Holocaust when on 2 August German troops liquidated the city's Jewish community.