The Kukhva River crosses the northern part of the district and a stretch of it makes up a state border between Latvia and Russia.

Pytalovo (the alternative name of which was Novo-Dmitrovskoye) was known as a village in Vyshgorodok volost, Ostrovsky Uyezd, Pskov Governorate since the end of the 18th century.

[10] According to the Treaty of Riga, signed on August 11, 1920, Russian SFR ceded Kachanovskaya, Tolkovskaya and Vyshgorodetskaya volosts (latter included Pytalovo) to Latvia.

In order to visit the zone, a permit issued by the local Federal Security Service department is required.

[16] Agriculture in the district experiences a deep crisis, with salaries below the poverty line and the production on a sharp decline.

[15] A railway from St. Petersburg via Pskov to Rēzekne in Latvia and further to Vilnius crosses the district from northwest to southeast.

The European route E262, from Ostrov to Kaunas via Rēzekne and Daugavpils crosses the district from northwest to southeast.

Vyshgorodok, formerly a borderline castle and the municipal centre, is the oldest locality of the Pytalovo District mentioned in the written sources (1476 AD).