Berezina River
Encyclopedia
The Berezina (Belarusian
: Бярэ́зіна, bʲaˈrɛzʲinɐ; ) is a river in Belarus
and a tributary of the Dnieper River
.
The Berezina Preserve by the river is in the UNESCO
list of Biosphere Preserves.
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
: Бярэ́зіна, bʲaˈrɛzʲinɐ; ) is a river in Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
and a tributary of the Dnieper River
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
.
The Berezina Preserve by the river is in the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
list of Biosphere Preserves.
Historical significance
- Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon I of FranceNapoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's army suffered heavy losses (about 36,000) when crossing the Berezina in November 1812 during his retreat from RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(see Battle of BerezinaBattle of BerezinaThe Battle of Berezina took place November 26–29, 1812 between the French army of Napoleon, retreating after his invasion of Russia and crossing the Berezina , and the Russian armies under Mikhail Kutuzov, Peter Wittgenstein and Admiral Pavel Chichagov. The battle ended with a mixed outcome...
). Since then "Berezina" is used in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
as a synonym of catastropheDisasterA disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
. (See also Charles Joseph MinardCharles Joseph MinardCharles Joseph Minard was a French civil engineer noted for his inventions in the field of information graphics.- Biography :...
for a visual graphic of the army's fate.) - Charles XII of SwedenCharles XII of SwedenCharles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
's army crossed the Berezina on June 25, 1708 during his campaign against Peter the GreatPeter I of RussiaPeter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
of Russia in the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. (see ISBN 0-306-80863-3 for details) - See also Battle of Berezina (disambiguation)Battle of Berezina (disambiguation)Battle of Berezina may refer to one of the following events that happened by the Berezina River.*A battle between Charles XII of Sweden with Peter the Great on June 25, 1708 won by Charles.*Battle of Berezina during Napoleon's invasion of Russia....
.