Dzyarzhynsk
Encyclopedia
Dzyarzhynsk or Dzerzhinsk; formerly "Koidanova" ( Dziaržynsk dzʲarˈʐɨnsk; Russian: Дзержинск), in the Stoubcy district of Belarus
, is a city with a history dating to the 11th century.
In the Middle Ages
, the village, then called Kojdanów, belonged to the Radziwiłłs, a Polish aristocratic family. It was known as Kojdanava / Koidanovo townlet of Vilna Governorate
of the Russian Empire
.
In 1439 Duke Mikhail Zhygimontavich founded in Koidanova one of the oldest Belarus
sian catholic churchs. After the death of Zhygimontavich, Koidanova was a possession of Polish King and Lithuanian Duke Kazimir IV. In 1483 Kazimir presented Koidanova to Duke Vasil Viareiski. In 1506–39 Koidanova was known as a possession of Vilna voevoda Albrecht Gashtold. His wife Zof`ya was a daughter of Viareiski. In 1539–50, Koidanova was a possession of Polish King and Lithuanian Duke Sigizmund I.
The "Golden Age" of Koidanova was from the end of the 16th century until the first half of the 17th century. The population grew from 1,000 in 1588, to more than 1,500 in 1647.
The oldest Koidanova streets were Vilenskaya, Menskaya, Stan`kovskaya, Rubiazhevitskaya, Slutskaya, Pliaban`skaya, and Rynachnaya (Market) square. Beginning in 1588 Koidanava had a fair every week, and two large fairs, at which merchants from Prussia
and other countries took part.
Jews lived in Koidanova as early as 1620.
In 1654 Moscow troops of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich invaded Rech Pospolitaya ( a union between the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, formed in 1569), and on July 11, 1655, the cossacks of Ukrainian Getman Zalatarenka burned down Koidananva and killed all its inhabitants.
In 1847, Koidanova had 2,497 Jewish inhabitants. In 1897 the city had a population of 4,744 people, of whom 3,156 were Jews.
The main Jewish occupations in Koidanova were handicraft and trade. Jews were known as blacksmiths, loksmiths, tailors, etc. Business increased with the building of the "Moscow-Warsaw" railway near the city in 1865. In 1886, the city had about 248 Jewish farming families. In 1899, a match plant "Druzhyna" was built in the city, which in 1900 employed 208 workers.
After World War I, Bolshevik
revolution German troops occupied the city from February until November, 1918. The city was uncer Polish occupation from 1919–20, during which time Polish troops organized a Jewish pogrom
and burned a major part of Koidanova. In March 1921, the Communists signed a treaty with Poland, according to which the city was a Soviet shtetl
on the Polish-Soviet border until 1939.
In May 1932 it was granted the status of city, and renamed Kojdanaŭ , Russian: Koidanov. In June of that year it was renamed again as Dziaržynsk by the Communist authorities, in honor of Felix Dzerzhinsky (1877–1926), a famous Bolshevik creator and chief of the "Cherezvychainaya Komissija" (CHEKA
) – the Soviet secret police -who was born in a Dziaržynava estate not far from the city.
The city was the capital of the short-lived Dzierzynszczyzna Polish Autonomous District
during 1932–38.
during World War II
.
The Lithuania
n Twelfth Schutzmannschaft
(auxiliary police) Battalion's 1st Company, led by Lieutenant Z. Kemzura, massacred between 1,000 and 1,900 Jews from the city on October 21, 1941, shooting them and throwing them into a pit; many were buried alive. As it is reported in "The Complete Black Book of Russian Jewry," "For three hours the earth covering the mass grave would move; people still alive were trying to crawl out of their grave." In July 1942, the Einsatzgruppen
killed several thousand Jews in Koidanovo. The city was liberated by the Soviet Red Army
on July 6, 1944.
Nowadays in Belarus, the name Kojdanava is becoming popular again (it is the official name for the railway station of Dziarzhynsk), but the official name remains unchanged, as Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of Cheka
, is still considered a national hero 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 ,...
, is a city with a history dating to the 11th century.
1st century–17th century
According to archeological data, a settlement existed on the site of the city more than 2,000 years ago. The first mention of it in written sources dates back to the 13th century.In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the village, then called Kojdanów, belonged to the Radziwiłłs, a Polish aristocratic family. It was known as Kojdanava / Koidanovo townlet of Vilna Governorate
Vilna Governorate
The Vilna Governorate or Government of Vilna was a governorate of the Russian Empire created after the Third Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795...
of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
In 1439 Duke Mikhail Zhygimontavich founded in Koidanova one of the oldest 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 ,...
sian catholic churchs. After the death of Zhygimontavich, Koidanova was a possession of Polish King and Lithuanian Duke Kazimir IV. In 1483 Kazimir presented Koidanova to Duke Vasil Viareiski. In 1506–39 Koidanova was known as a possession of Vilna voevoda Albrecht Gashtold. His wife Zof`ya was a daughter of Viareiski. In 1539–50, Koidanova was a possession of Polish King and Lithuanian Duke Sigizmund I.
The "Golden Age" of Koidanova was from the end of the 16th century until the first half of the 17th century. The population grew from 1,000 in 1588, to more than 1,500 in 1647.
The oldest Koidanova streets were Vilenskaya, Menskaya, Stan`kovskaya, Rubiazhevitskaya, Slutskaya, Pliaban`skaya, and Rynachnaya (Market) square. Beginning in 1588 Koidanava had a fair every week, and two large fairs, at which merchants from Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and other countries took part.
Jews lived in Koidanova as early as 1620.
In 1654 Moscow troops of Tsar Alexey Mikhailovich invaded Rech Pospolitaya ( a union between the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
, formed in 1569), and on July 11, 1655, the cossacks of Ukrainian Getman Zalatarenka burned down Koidananva and killed all its inhabitants.
18th century–1940
The 18th century was one of reconstruction for the city. Several new streets were built, and the Jewish population grew to more than 560 in 1766. In 1781 a great fire destroyed half of the city's houses. Beginning in 1793, the city was under Russian rule. In 1796, Russian Emperor Pavel I visited Koidanova. During the war between Russia and France in 1812, on November 3 Russian troops in Koidanova defeated a French detachment of General Kasetski.In 1847, Koidanova had 2,497 Jewish inhabitants. In 1897 the city had a population of 4,744 people, of whom 3,156 were Jews.
The main Jewish occupations in Koidanova were handicraft and trade. Jews were known as blacksmiths, loksmiths, tailors, etc. Business increased with the building of the "Moscow-Warsaw" railway near the city in 1865. In 1886, the city had about 248 Jewish farming families. In 1899, a match plant "Druzhyna" was built in the city, which in 1900 employed 208 workers.
After World War I, Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
revolution German troops occupied the city from February until November, 1918. The city was uncer Polish occupation from 1919–20, during which time Polish troops organized a Jewish pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
and burned a major part of Koidanova. In March 1921, the Communists signed a treaty with Poland, according to which the city was a Soviet shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
on the Polish-Soviet border until 1939.
In May 1932 it was granted the status of city, and renamed Kojdanaŭ , Russian: Koidanov. In June of that year it was renamed again as Dziaržynsk by the Communist authorities, in honor of Felix Dzerzhinsky (1877–1926), a famous Bolshevik creator and chief of the "Cherezvychainaya Komissija" (CHEKA
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
) – the Soviet secret police -who was born in a Dziaržynava estate not far from the city.
The city was the capital of the short-lived Dzierzynszczyzna Polish Autonomous District
Polish Autonomous District
Polish Autonomous Districts were national raions in the interbellum period possessing some form of a national autonomy in the Ukrainian and Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republics of the USSR...
during 1932–38.
World War II
It fell under German occupationOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n Twelfth Schutzmannschaft
Schutzmannschaft
Schutzmannschaft or Hilfspolizei were the collaborationist auxiliary police battalions of native policemen in occupied countries in East, which were created to fight the resistance during World War II mostly in the Eastern European countries occupied by Nazi Germany. Hilfspolizei refers also to...
(auxiliary police) Battalion's 1st Company, led by Lieutenant Z. Kemzura, massacred between 1,000 and 1,900 Jews from the city on October 21, 1941, shooting them and throwing them into a pit; many were buried alive. As it is reported in "The Complete Black Book of Russian Jewry," "For three hours the earth covering the mass grave would move; people still alive were trying to crawl out of their grave." In July 1942, the Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen were SS paramilitary death squads that were responsible for mass killings, typically by shooting, of Jews in particular, but also significant numbers of other population groups and political categories...
killed several thousand Jews in Koidanovo. The city was liberated by the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
on July 6, 1944.
Modern day
In 1998, the city had 24,700 inhabitants.Nowadays in Belarus, the name Kojdanava is becoming popular again (it is the official name for the railway station of Dziarzhynsk), but the official name remains unchanged, as Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
, is still considered a national hero in Belarus.