History of Minsk
Encyclopedia
Early East Slavs settled the forested hills of today's Minsk
by the 9th century. They had been migrating from further south and pushing the preceding Balts
northwards. The valley of Svislach river was settlement boundary between two Early East Slavs' tribal unions – Krivich
and Dregovichs
. By 980 the area was incorporated into the early medieval Principality of Polatsk, one of the earliest East Slav states alongside with the principalities of Kiev
and Novgorod.
There is no exact historical record for the date when Minsk was founded. It was first mentioned (as Mensk) in the Primary Chronicle
in 1067. That year the chronicle recorded a bloody battle
between troops of Polatsk
and Kiev princes on the banks of Niamiha
river (tributary of Svislach). Minsk, which was a Principality of Polatsk town, was burnt down by the Kievan army during a war between Kiev and Polatsk. 1067 is now widely attributed as a founding year of Minsk, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) should have existed for some time before it could have been burnt down. Some historians believe, that Minsk evolved from an earlier village, which may have been founded as early as the 9th or 10th centuries. Recent archeological excavations support this idea.
There is a theory, that initially Minsk was located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka river. According to this view, Kievan troops first seized the town and then marched to the mouth of Niamiha, location of a small fort, where the chronicle battle occurred. Later the fort was rebuilt and re-named Mensk .
There are several theories on the origin of the name.
and Svislach confluence. It was centred around a wooden fort, surrounded by a flooded ditch and by an earth mound. This area of Minsk later evolved into Zamchyshcha, or ‘Citadel’. It included a church and several living quarters. In the later years Minsk grew southwards on the right bank of Svislach. Outside the town walls craftsmen and traders were building wooden houses along narrow streets with wooden flooring. Trading settlement formed the Nizhni Rynak (‘Lower Market’) quarter, now area around Niamiha
metro station.
In the early 12th century Principality of Polatsk disintegrated into smaller fiefs. Principality of Minsk was established by one of the Polatsk dynasty princes. First Prince of Minsk was Hleb Usiaslavavich (died in 1119), who expanded the town and built its first stone church (reconstructed basement of the Church of Virgin Mary is now unearthed and can be found near Svislach embankment). During Prince Hleb's reign Minsk was twice besieged (in 1104 and in 1115) by troops of Kiev and other principalities, but withstand the invaders.
In 1129 Principality of Minsk was annexed by Kiev, the dominant city of Kievan Rus'
, however in 1146 the Polatsk dynasty regained control of the principality. By 1150 Minsk has rivaled Polatsk as the major city in the former Principality of Polatsk. Princes of Minsk and Polatsk were engaged in years of struggle trying to unite all lands previously under the rule of Polatsk.
Minsk escaped the Mongol invasion of Rus
in 1237–1239. However, in later years it was attacked by nomadic invaders from the Golden Horde
, who turned many principalities of disintegrated Kievan Rus'
into their vassal states. Trying to avoid the Tatar yoke, the Principality of Minsk sought protection from Lithuania
n princes further north, who had been consolidating their power in the region. In 1242 Minsk became a part of the expanding Grand Duchy of Lithuania
. It was annexed peacefully and local elites enjoyed high ranking in the society of the Grand Duchy. For instance, a treaty between Grand Duchy of Lithuania
and the city of Novgorod was signed for Lithuanian Prince Gediminas by Vasily, the then ruler of Minsk.
In 1413 when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland
signed the Union of Horodło, Minsk became centre of Minsk Voivodeship
(province), which contained about a quarter of today's Belarus and included towns of Rechytsa
and Mazyr
. In 1441 Lithuanian prince Kazimierz IV Jagiellon included Minsk into a list of cities enjoying certain privileges. During the reign of his son Aleksander Jagiellon Minsk received its town privileges
(Magdeburg law) in 1499. The city was governed by a magistrate headed by an appointed governor, usually an influential local landlord.
By 1450 Minsk was among 15 largest cities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with about 5,000 population. It was an important and wealthy trading city profiting from its favourable location. It was on the ancient trading roads connecting Smolensk
and Moscow in the east to Poland and Central Europe in the west, and linking Novgorod and Vilnius
in the north with Ukraine
. Historical records suggest that Minsk contributed large sums to the treasury of the Grand Duchy.
Minsk was often a target for foreign invasions. In 1505 it was raided by Crimean Khanate
army, in 1508 besieged by the troops of Muscovy, who also raided the vicinity of Minsk in 1514 and 1519. To restore the wealth of the city, Zygmunt II August extended town privileges
in 1552, allowing trade fairs, and transferred some agricultural lands around the city to Minsk. In 1569 after the Union of Lublin
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland
merged into a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
. Since then, a Polish community settled in Minsk – government clerks, officers and craftsmen.
By the middle of the 16th century Minsk was an important economic and cultural centre of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The city contained several guilds of craftsmen and was an important trading centre. Minsk merchants exported wood, tar, wax, blacksmith's work, glass, skins and furs. They brought in salt, wine, spices, fabrics and metals. Minsk had a thriving merchant port on Svislach
river, which connected the city with Kiev
and Smolensk.
Minsk was an important centre for Eastern Orthodox Church
and boasted seven Orthodox religious brotherhoods. After the Union of Brest
there was a rise of influence of both Uniate church and Roman Catholic Church
. They were wealthier under the Polish rule and received funding for building new monasteries and churches. In the 16th century Minsk was an important cultural centre with schools and printing works. In 1591 Minsk received its first coat-of-arms, depicting Virgin Mary and the angels. By the early 17th century Minsk had some stone houses in Verkhni Horad (Uppert Town) and was surrounded by new earth mound with stone fortifications. There were two suburbs outside the city walls – Traetskae suburb on the left bank of the Svislach and Rakauskaye suburb to the west of the city, on the trading route to Vilnius and Warsaw
.
In 1654 Minsk was conquered by troops of Tsar Alexei of Russia. Russians governed the city until 1667, when it was regained by Jan Kasimir
, King of Poland. By the end of the Polish-Russian war Minsk had only about 2,000 residents and just 300 houses. Other cities and towns of today's Belarus were also heavily devastated by the war. The second wave of devastation occurred during the Great Northern War
when Minsk was occupied in 1708 and 1709 – by the Swedish army of Charles XII and then by the Russian army of Peter the Great. Minsk paid large retributions to both foreign armies.
The last decades of the Polish rule were indicated by decline or very slow development. Minsk was a small provincial town of little economic or military significance. By 1790 it had population of 6,500–7,000 and was slowly rebuilding to the city limits of 1654. In 1785 the city magistrate was also complemented with an elected city council. Most of Minsk residents were Jews
and Poles
, while Belarusians were a minority. There was also a small minority of Belarusian-speaking Tartars living in Tatarskaya Slabada
to the northwest of the then city limits.
. In 1796 it became centre of the Minsk Governorate
(province). All Polish street names were changed to Russian ones, however spelling of the city's name remained unchanged.
In 1805 a municipal garden was established by the Minsk governor for the enjoyment of local residents. By 1811 Minsk had about 11,000 residents. Its development was interrupted by Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. During the French occupation there was a struggle between the Polish and Belarusian elites for the control of the city. Poles strove for a revival of the Kingdom of Poland
while Belarusians hoped for their national homeland. By the end of the French occupation Minsk had only 3,500 residents and large parts of the city were completely destroyed during the fighting between the French and the Russian armies.
In 1830 was one of the centres of the November Uprising
in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. Since 1831 use of Belarusian and Polish languages has been banned, and Russian was introduced as the only official language. In 1835 Minsk was officially included into the Pale of Settlement
, which later led to a rise in Jewish population.
Throughout the 19th century the city grew and significantly improved. In the 1830s major streets and squares of Minsk have been cobbled and paved. A first public library was opened in 1836, a fire brigade was put into operation in 1837. In 1838 first local newspaper, Minskie gubernskie vedomosti ("Minsk province news") went into circulation. First theatre was established in 1844. By 1850 Minsk had a dozen of schools and two colleges. By 1860 Minsk was an important trading city with population of 27,000. There was a construction boom which led to building 2- and 3-storey brick and stone houses in Upper Town.
Minsk was one of the Belarusian cities, which supported the January Uprising
in Poland, Lithuania
and in Belarus in 1863-64. It was under Russian martial law
from 1863 to 1870. The suppression of the uprising led to increased repressions against use of the Polish and Belarusian languages, particularly in education and newspapers.
Development of the city was boosted by improvements in transportation. In 1846 Moscow-Warsaw
road was laid though Minsk. In 1871 railway link between Moscow and Warsaw
ran via Minsk, and in 1873 a new railway from Romny in Ukraine
to the Baltic Sea port of Libava (Liepāja
). Thus Minsk became an important rail junction and a manufacturing hub. Municipal water supply was introduced in 1872, telephone – in 1890, horse tram – in 1892, and first power generator – in 1894. By 1900 Minsk had 58 factories employing 3,000 workers. The city had theatres, cinemas, newspapers, schools and colleges, as well as numerous monasteries, churches, synagogues and a mosque. According to the 1897 Russian census the city had 91,494 inhabitants, about one third of them Jews. Other large groups were Poles and Russians. Belarusians made only 8% of Minsk's then population (some historians believe, many Belarusians were counted as Russians to boost the number of the latter).
.
The World War I affected development of Minsk tremendously. By 1915 Minsk was a battle-front city. Some factories were closing down, residents began evacuating to the east. Minsk became headquarters of the Western Front of the Russian army. It also housed military hospitals and military supply bases.
The Russian Revolution
had immediate effect in Minsk. A Worker's Soviet was established in Minsk in October 1917 and it draw its support from the disaffected soldiers and workers. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
German forces occupied Minsk in February 1918. On 25 March 1918 Minsk was proclaimed capital of Belarusian People's Republic. The republic was short-lived: in December 1918 Minsk was taken over by the Red Army
. In January 1919 Minsk was proclaimed the capital of Byelorussian SSR
.
In 1919 (see Operation Minsk
) and again in 1920 the city was controlled by the Second Polish Republic
in the course of the Polish-Bolshevik war. Under the terms of the Peace of Riga
Minsk was handed to Soviet Russia
and became the capital of the Byelorussian SSR, one of the constituent republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
During World War I, the Russian Revolution and the Polish-Bolshevik war, Minsk suffered significant damage. A programme of reconstruction and development was started in 1922. By 1924 there were 29 factories in operation; schools, museums, theatres, libraries were opening. In 1921 Belarusian State University
, now major university of Belarus, was founded in Minsk. In 1929 electric tramway was put into operation, and in 1934 airport (Minsk-1) was opened. Throughout the 1920s and the 1930s Minsk has seen rapid development with dozens of new factories built, new schools, colleges, higher education establishments, hospitals, theatres and cinemas opened. Throughout the 1920s and the early 1930s Minsk was centre for development of both Belarusian language
and culture. By 1935 it was virtually bilingual, with Belarusian being major language of newspapers, theatres and education. In the late 1930s the trend has been reversed with Russification
policy.
Minsk was the center of Communist repressions in Belarus in the late 1930s. The NKVD
murdered people in Kamarouka, later in Kurapaty near Minsk. Thousands of Minsk residents from various social and ethnic backgrounds have been killed. Soviet authorities particularly oppressed Belarusian, Polish and Jewish national intelligentsia.
Before the World War II Minsk had population of 300,000 people. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 in the Operation Barbarossa
Minsk was immediately under attack. The city was bombed on the first day of the war and taken over by Germans four days later. However, some factories, museums and dozens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated to the east.
Germans made Minsk to the administrative centre of Reichskomissariat Ostland and repressed against the local population. Communists and sympathisers were killed or imprisoned; thousands were forced into slave labour, both locally and in Germany. Homes were expropriated to house German occupying forces. Thousands have starved as rations were expropriated and paid work was scarce. At the same time, some residents supported the Germans, especially in the earlier years. Some Belarusian nationalists hoped for formation of a Belarusian national state under the German protectorate
. As a result, the city was divided. By 1942 Minsk became a major centre of Soviet partisan
resistance movement against German occupation during the Great Patriotic War. For this role Minsk was awarded the title Hero City
in 1974.
Minsk was the site of one of the largest Nazi-run ghettos in the World War II, the Minsk ghetto
, which held over 100,000 Jews. A living space of 1.5 square meters was allotted for each person, with none for children. As new Jews were brought to the ghetto from the west, the existing Jewish residents were slaughtered—2,000 Jews were killed on 7 November 1941, 30,000 Jews were murdered over three days in July 1942, and tens of thousands more were killed at other times, even as more Jews were forced into the ghetto. Only a handful survived.
Minsk was re-taken by the Soviet troops on 3 July 1944 during the Operation Bagration. The city was the centre of German resistance to the Soviet advance and was a sight of heavy fighting between the German and Soviet troops. As a result, by mid-1944 the city was in ruins. Factories, municipal building, power stations, bridges, most roads and 80% of housing were reduced to rubble. Some churches, which survived the fighting, were later demolished by the Soviet authorities. In 1944 Minsk's population was down to mere 50,000 – many residents have been killed (especially, among the Jewish community) and many fled the city to the countryside, where supply of food was better, and German presence was smaller.
After the World War II Minsk was re-built, but not re-constructed. The historical centre was substituted in the 1940s and 1950 by Stalinist architecture
, which favoured grand buildings, broad avenues and wide squares. In the following years the city grew rapidly as a result of massive industrialisation. This generated the so-called Minsk Phenomenon in the 1960s and 1970s (the Phenomenon was caused by combining R&D-intensive manufacturing, research institutions and highly skilled labour, which resulted in high rates of output expansion). Minsk became an important centre for manufacturing (trucks, tractors, refrigerators, television sets, military equipment, optical, etc.) and of science. It was home for the Belarusian Academy of Sciences, dozens of R&D institutes in both academic and applied sciences and several universities.
Since the 1960s Minsk's population has grown rapidly, reaching 1 million in 1972 and 1.5 million in 1986. Rapid population growth was primarily driven by mass migration of young unskilled workers from rural areas of Belarus as well as by migration of skilled workers from other parts of the Soviet Union. To house the expanding population, Minsk grew dramatically. Its surrounding villages were absorbed and rebuilt as mikroraions, districts of high-density apartment housing. They were normally known as sleeping districts, as they contained few workplaces and entertainment venues. Among the mikroraions, Chyzhouka was built in the 1960s, Serabranka, Zahad, Kurasoushchyna (expanded), Paudnyovy Zahad, Uskhod in the 1970s, Kuntsaushchyna, Malinauka and Uruchcha in the 1980s. To link mikroraions and the city centre, public transportation was developed. It consisted of buses, trolleybuses, trams, and since 1984 of metro system (see Minsk Metro
). Minsk Circular Road has been built to provide a bypass for through traffic. International airport (Minsk-2) was built in 1982.
In the late 1980s Minsk once again became a centre for Belarusian national movement. Manifestations and protests during Perestroika
called for return to the use of Belarusian language and for reforms. In early 1990 Minsk was a location of unexpected industrial action by thousands of workers calling for both economic and political aims. In December 1991 Minsk played an important role in the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus met here for dissolution talks. Since 1991 Minsk is the capital of the independent Republic of Belarus.
>
Year
Population
1972
1 000 000
1979
1 276 000
1986
1 500 000
1989
1 607 000
1999
1 680 000
2006
1 780 000
(Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971)
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
by the 9th century. They had been migrating from further south and pushing the preceding Balts
Balts
The Balts or Baltic peoples , defined as speakers of one of the Baltic languages, a branch of the Indo-European language family, are descended from a group of Indo-European tribes who settled the area between the Jutland peninsula in the west and Moscow, Oka and Volga rivers basins in the east...
northwards. The valley of Svislach river was settlement boundary between two Early East Slavs' tribal unions – Krivich
Krivich
The Krivichi was one of the tribal unions of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 12th centuries. They migrated to the mostly Finnic areas in the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper, Western Dvina, areas south of the lower reaches of river Velikaya and parts of the Neman basin.-Etymology:Many...
and Dregovichs
Dregovichs
The Dregoviches were one of the tribal unions of Early East Slavs, and inhabited the territories down the stream of the Pripyat River and northern parts of the right bank of the Dnieper river...
. By 980 the area was incorporated into the early medieval Principality of Polatsk, one of the earliest East Slav states alongside with the principalities of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Novgorod.
There is no exact historical record for the date when Minsk was founded. It was first mentioned (as Mensk) in the Primary Chronicle
Primary Chronicle
The Primary Chronicle , Ruthenian Primary Chronicle or Russian Primary Chronicle, is a history of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev about 1113.- Three editions :...
in 1067. That year the chronicle recorded a bloody battle
Battle on the river Nemiga
Battle on the Nemiga River was a combat of the Russian feudal period that occurred on March 3, 1067 on the Niamiha River. The description of the battle is the first reference to Minsk in the chronicles of Belarusian history.- Background:...
between troops of Polatsk
Polatsk
Polotsk , is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina river. It is the center of Polotsk district in Vitsebsk Voblast. Its population is more than 80,000 people...
and Kiev princes on the banks of Niamiha
Niamiha
Niamiha is a river in Minsk. Today it is contained within a fabricated culvert.The first mention of the river in historical chronicles is connected with a disastrous Battle on the river Nemiga, which took place here in 1067, when the forces of the prince of Kievan Rus' defeated the forces of...
river (tributary of Svislach). Minsk, which was a Principality of Polatsk town, was burnt down by the Kievan army during a war between Kiev and Polatsk. 1067 is now widely attributed as a founding year of Minsk, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) should have existed for some time before it could have been burnt down. Some historians believe, that Minsk evolved from an earlier village, which may have been founded as early as the 9th or 10th centuries. Recent archeological excavations support this idea.
There is a theory, that initially Minsk was located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka river. According to this view, Kievan troops first seized the town and then marched to the mouth of Niamiha, location of a small fort, where the chronicle battle occurred. Later the fort was rebuilt and re-named Mensk .
There are several theories on the origin of the name.
- The settlement on the banks of Menka river to the southwest of today's Minsk. Remnants of a 10th century settlement on the banks of the Menka were found by archeologists in the 1930s.
- There is a legend of a giant man with a name ‘Menesk’ who lived in the area and gave the name to a settlement.
- The city name comes from Slavonic word "мена" ("miena" – "barter" or "trade" in English"), as Minsk initially served as a trading settlement around a marketplace. However, it is less likely, as Slavs rarely used names for trade or craft for their towns. Most towns and cities have been named after rivers or governing princes.
- Niamiha river may have had another name then, possibly Meniha. This would explain why a settlement on its banks would be named Mensk.
Governance timeline
| 5th century–8th century | To tribal union of Dregovich |
| 8th century–9th century | To tribal union of Krivichi |
| 870–882 | To Novgorod |
| 882–972 | To Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... |
| 972–980 | To Novgorod |
| 980–980 | To Kiev |
| 10th century–1101 | To Principality of Polatsk |
| 1101–1129 | To Principality of Minsk |
| 1129–1146 | To Principality of Kiev |
| 1146–1242 | To Principality of Minsk |
| 1242–1569 | To 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... |
| 1569–1654 | To Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century... |
| 1654–1667 | Under Russian occupation |
| 1667–1708 | To Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| 1708–1709 | Under Swedish occupation followed by Russian occupation |
| 1709–1793 | To Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| 1793–1812 | To 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... |
| 1812–1813 | Under French occupation |
| 1813–1917 | To Russian Empire |
| 1918–1918 | Under German occupation |
| 1918–1919 | To Belarusian National Republic Belarusian National Republic The Belarusian People's Republic was a self-declared independent Belarusian state, which declared independence in 1918. It is also called the Belarusian Democratic Republic or the Belarusian National Republic, in order to distinguish it from Communist People's Republics... |
| 1919–1919 | To Byelorussian SSR Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union. It was one of the four original founding members of the Soviet Union in 1922, together with the Ukrainian SSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic... |
| 1919–1920 | Under Polish Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was... occupation |
| 1921–1941 | To Byelorussian SSR, since 1922 in the Soviet Union |
| 1941–1944 | Under German Nazism Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany... occupation |
| 1944–1991 | To Byelorussian SSR, constituent republic of the Soviet Union |
| 1991— | To 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 ,... |
Early history
After the town was rebuilt after the 1067 battle, it was located 100–150 to the south of NiamihaNiamiha
Niamiha is a river in Minsk. Today it is contained within a fabricated culvert.The first mention of the river in historical chronicles is connected with a disastrous Battle on the river Nemiga, which took place here in 1067, when the forces of the prince of Kievan Rus' defeated the forces of...
and Svislach confluence. It was centred around a wooden fort, surrounded by a flooded ditch and by an earth mound. This area of Minsk later evolved into Zamchyshcha, or ‘Citadel’. It included a church and several living quarters. In the later years Minsk grew southwards on the right bank of Svislach. Outside the town walls craftsmen and traders were building wooden houses along narrow streets with wooden flooring. Trading settlement formed the Nizhni Rynak (‘Lower Market’) quarter, now area around Niamiha
Niamiha
Niamiha is a river in Minsk. Today it is contained within a fabricated culvert.The first mention of the river in historical chronicles is connected with a disastrous Battle on the river Nemiga, which took place here in 1067, when the forces of the prince of Kievan Rus' defeated the forces of...
metro station.
In the early 12th century Principality of Polatsk disintegrated into smaller fiefs. Principality of Minsk was established by one of the Polatsk dynasty princes. First Prince of Minsk was Hleb Usiaslavavich (died in 1119), who expanded the town and built its first stone church (reconstructed basement of the Church of Virgin Mary is now unearthed and can be found near Svislach embankment). During Prince Hleb's reign Minsk was twice besieged (in 1104 and in 1115) by troops of Kiev and other principalities, but withstand the invaders.
In 1129 Principality of Minsk was annexed by Kiev, the dominant city of Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
, however in 1146 the Polatsk dynasty regained control of the principality. By 1150 Minsk has rivaled Polatsk as the major city in the former Principality of Polatsk. Princes of Minsk and Polatsk were engaged in years of struggle trying to unite all lands previously under the rule of Polatsk.
Lithuanian and Polish rule
Mongol invasion of Rus
The Mongol invasion of Russia was resumed on 21 December 1237 marking the resumption of the Mongol invasion of Europe, during which the Mongols attacked the medieval powers of Poland, Kiev, Hungary, and miscellaneous tribes of less organized peoples...
in 1237–1239. However, in later years it was attacked by nomadic invaders from the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
, who turned many principalities of disintegrated Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
into their vassal states. Trying to avoid the Tatar yoke, the Principality of Minsk sought protection from 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 princes further north, who had been consolidating their power in the region. In 1242 Minsk became a part of the expanding 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...
. It was annexed peacefully and local elites enjoyed high ranking in the society of the Grand Duchy. For instance, a treaty between 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...
and the city of Novgorod was signed for Lithuanian Prince Gediminas by Vasily, the then ruler of Minsk.
In 1413 when the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
signed the Union of Horodło, Minsk became centre of Minsk Voivodeship
Minsk Voivodeship
Minsk Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413 and later in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth till the partitions of the Commonwealth in 1795...
(province), which contained about a quarter of today's Belarus and included towns of Rechytsa
Rechytsa
Rechytsa is a town in the Homiel Province of Belarus. It is center of Rechytsa Raion. The city is situated at the mouth of Rechitsa river, flowing into Dnieper. The population is 65,532 as of 2005.-History:...
and Mazyr
Mazyr
Mazyr, also Mozyr is a city in the Homiel Province of Belarus on the Pripyat River about 210 km east of Pinsk and 100 km northwest of Chernobyl and is located at approximately . The population is 111,770 . The total urban area including Kalinkavičy across the river has a population of...
. In 1441 Lithuanian prince Kazimierz IV Jagiellon included Minsk into a list of cities enjoying certain privileges. During the reign of his son Aleksander Jagiellon Minsk received its town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
(Magdeburg law) in 1499. The city was governed by a magistrate headed by an appointed governor, usually an influential local landlord.
By 1450 Minsk was among 15 largest cities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with about 5,000 population. It was an important and wealthy trading city profiting from its favourable location. It was on the ancient trading roads connecting Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
and Moscow in the east to Poland and Central Europe in the west, and linking Novgorod and Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in the north with Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Historical records suggest that Minsk contributed large sums to the treasury of the Grand Duchy.
Minsk was often a target for foreign invasions. In 1505 it was raided by Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
army, in 1508 besieged by the troops of Muscovy, who also raided the vicinity of Minsk in 1514 and 1519. To restore the wealth of the city, Zygmunt II August extended town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
in 1552, allowing trade fairs, and transferred some agricultural lands around the city to Minsk. In 1569 after the Union of Lublin
Union of Lublin
The Union of Lublin replaced the personal union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages. In addition, the autonomy of Royal Prussia was...
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
merged into a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. Since then, a Polish community settled in Minsk – government clerks, officers and craftsmen.
By the middle of the 16th century Minsk was an important economic and cultural centre of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The city contained several guilds of craftsmen and was an important trading centre. Minsk merchants exported wood, tar, wax, blacksmith's work, glass, skins and furs. They brought in salt, wine, spices, fabrics and metals. Minsk had a thriving merchant port on Svislach
Svislach
Svislach is a town in the South-West of Hrodna voblast, Belarus, an administrative center of the Svislach district.It is connected with Vaŭkavysk by a railroad branch and with Hrodna by a highway...
river, which connected the city with Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Smolensk.
Minsk was an important centre for Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and boasted seven Orthodox religious brotherhoods. After the Union of Brest
Union of Brest
Union of Brest or Union of Brześć refers to the 1595-1596 decision of the Church of Rus', the "Metropolia of Kiev-Halych and all Rus'", to break relations with the Patriarch of Constantinople and place themselves under the Pope of Rome. At the time, this church included most Ukrainians and...
there was a rise of influence of both Uniate church and Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. They were wealthier under the Polish rule and received funding for building new monasteries and churches. In the 16th century Minsk was an important cultural centre with schools and printing works. In 1591 Minsk received its first coat-of-arms, depicting Virgin Mary and the angels. By the early 17th century Minsk had some stone houses in Verkhni Horad (Uppert Town) and was surrounded by new earth mound with stone fortifications. There were two suburbs outside the city walls – Traetskae suburb on the left bank of the Svislach and Rakauskaye suburb to the west of the city, on the trading route to Vilnius and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
In 1654 Minsk was conquered by troops of Tsar Alexei of Russia. Russians governed the city until 1667, when it was regained by Jan Kasimir
John II Casimir of Poland
John II Casimir was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania during the era of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Duke of Opole in Upper Silesia, and titular King of Sweden 1648–1660. In Poland, he is known and commonly referred as Jan Kazimierz. His parents were Sigismund III Vasa and...
, King of Poland. By the end of the Polish-Russian war Minsk had only about 2,000 residents and just 300 houses. Other cities and towns of today's Belarus were also heavily devastated by the war. The second wave of devastation occurred during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The 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...
when Minsk was occupied in 1708 and 1709 – by the Swedish army of Charles XII and then by the Russian army of Peter the Great. Minsk paid large retributions to both foreign armies.
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, while Belarusians were a minority. There was also a small minority of Belarusian-speaking Tartars living in Tatarskaya Slabada
Tatarskaya Slabada
Tatarskaya Slabada is a historical settlement in Minsk, west and northwest of the old city centre. It is located on the low left bank of Svislach and was settled by Lipka Tatars from the 15th century to mid-20th century...
to the northwest of the then city limits.
Russian rule
Minsk was annexed by Russia in 1793 as a consequence of the Second Partition of PolandSecond Partition of Poland
The 1793 Second Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the second of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the War in Defense of the Constitution and the Targowica Confederation of 1792...
. In 1796 it became centre of the Minsk Governorate
Minsk Governorate
The Minsk Governorate or Government of Minsk was a governorate of the Russian Empire. The seat was in Minsk. It was created in 1793 from the land acquired in the partitions of Poland, and lasted until 1921.- Administrative structure :...
(province). All Polish street names were changed to Russian ones, however spelling of the city's name remained unchanged.
In 1805 a municipal garden was established by the Minsk governor for the enjoyment of local residents. By 1811 Minsk had about 11,000 residents. Its development was interrupted by Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. During the French occupation there was a struggle between the Polish and Belarusian elites for the control of the city. Poles strove for a revival of the Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
while Belarusians hoped for their national homeland. By the end of the French occupation Minsk had only 3,500 residents and large parts of the city were completely destroyed during the fighting between the French and the Russian armies.
In 1830 was one of the centres of the November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. Since 1831 use of Belarusian and Polish languages has been banned, and Russian was introduced as the only official language. In 1835 Minsk was officially included into the Pale of Settlement
Pale of Settlement
The Pale of Settlement was the term given to a region of Imperial Russia, in which permanent residency by Jews was allowed, and beyond which Jewish permanent residency was generally prohibited...
, which later led to a rise in Jewish population.
Minsk was one of the Belarusian cities, which supported the January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
in Poland, 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...
and in Belarus in 1863-64. It was under Russian martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
from 1863 to 1870. The suppression of the uprising led to increased repressions against use of the Polish and Belarusian languages, particularly in education and newspapers.
Development of the city was boosted by improvements in transportation. In 1846 Moscow-Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
road was laid though Minsk. In 1871 railway link between Moscow and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
ran via Minsk, and in 1873 a new railway from Romny in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
to the Baltic Sea port of Libava (Liepāja
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
). Thus Minsk became an important rail junction and a manufacturing hub. Municipal water supply was introduced in 1872, telephone – in 1890, horse tram – in 1892, and first power generator – in 1894. By 1900 Minsk had 58 factories employing 3,000 workers. The city had theatres, cinemas, newspapers, schools and colleges, as well as numerous monasteries, churches, synagogues and a mosque. According to the 1897 Russian census the city had 91,494 inhabitants, about one third of them Jews. Other large groups were Poles and Russians. Belarusians made only 8% of Minsk's then population (some historians believe, many Belarusians were counted as Russians to boost the number of the latter).
20th century
In the early years of the 20th century Minsk was a major centre for worker's movement in Belarus. It was also one of the major centres of Belarusian national revival, alongside with VilniaVilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
.
The World War I affected development of Minsk tremendously. By 1915 Minsk was a battle-front city. Some factories were closing down, residents began evacuating to the east. Minsk became headquarters of the Western Front of the Russian army. It also housed military hospitals and military supply bases.
The Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
had immediate effect in Minsk. A Worker's Soviet was established in Minsk in October 1917 and it draw its support from the disaffected soldiers and workers. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...
German forces occupied Minsk in February 1918. On 25 March 1918 Minsk was proclaimed capital of Belarusian People's Republic. The republic was short-lived: in December 1918 Minsk was taken over by the 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...
. In January 1919 Minsk was proclaimed the capital of Byelorussian SSR
Byelorussian SSR
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was one of fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union. It was one of the four original founding members of the Soviet Union in 1922, together with the Ukrainian SSR, the Transcaucasian SFSR and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
.
In 1919 (see Operation Minsk
Operation Minsk
Operation Minsk refers to the Polish offensive and capture of Minsk from the Bolshevik control in early August 1919.In the summer of 1919 after the Polish successes in several Polish-Russian skirmishes, the two combatants have been near the limits of their capabiity to wage warfare with each...
) and again in 1920 the city was controlled by the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
in the course of the Polish-Bolshevik war. Under the terms of the Peace of Riga
Peace of Riga
The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, between Poland, Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish-Soviet War....
Minsk was handed to Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
and became the capital of the Byelorussian SSR, one of the constituent republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
During World War I, the Russian Revolution and the Polish-Bolshevik war, Minsk suffered significant damage. A programme of reconstruction and development was started in 1922. By 1924 there were 29 factories in operation; schools, museums, theatres, libraries were opening. In 1921 Belarusian State University
Belarusian State University
Belarusian State University , Minsk, Belarus, was founded on October 30, 1921. The BSU is a higher education establishment in the Republic of Belarus.-History:...
, now major university of Belarus, was founded in Minsk. In 1929 electric tramway was put into operation, and in 1934 airport (Minsk-1) was opened. Throughout the 1920s and the 1930s Minsk has seen rapid development with dozens of new factories built, new schools, colleges, higher education establishments, hospitals, theatres and cinemas opened. Throughout the 1920s and the early 1930s Minsk was centre for development of both Belarusian language
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
and culture. By 1935 it was virtually bilingual, with Belarusian being major language of newspapers, theatres and education. In the late 1930s the trend has been reversed with Russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
policy.
Minsk was the center of Communist repressions in Belarus in the late 1930s. The NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
murdered people in Kamarouka, later in Kurapaty near Minsk. Thousands of Minsk residents from various social and ethnic backgrounds have been killed. Soviet authorities particularly oppressed Belarusian, Polish and Jewish national intelligentsia.
Before the World War II Minsk had population of 300,000 people. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 in the Operation Barbarossa
Operation 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...
Minsk was immediately under attack. The city was bombed on the first day of the war and taken over by Germans four days later. However, some factories, museums and dozens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated to the east.
Germans made Minsk to the administrative centre of Reichskomissariat Ostland and repressed against the local population. Communists and sympathisers were killed or imprisoned; thousands were forced into slave labour, both locally and in Germany. Homes were expropriated to house German occupying forces. Thousands have starved as rations were expropriated and paid work was scarce. At the same time, some residents supported the Germans, especially in the earlier years. Some Belarusian nationalists hoped for formation of a Belarusian national state under the German protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
. As a result, the city was divided. By 1942 Minsk became a major centre of Soviet partisan
Soviet partisans
The Soviet partisans were members of a resistance movement which fought a guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during World War II....
resistance movement against German occupation during the Great Patriotic War. For this role Minsk was awarded the title Hero City
Hero City
Hero City is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the German-Soviet War of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress...
in 1974.
Minsk was the site of one of the largest Nazi-run ghettos in the World War II, the Minsk ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
, which held over 100,000 Jews. A living space of 1.5 square meters was allotted for each person, with none for children. As new Jews were brought to the ghetto from the west, the existing Jewish residents were slaughtered—2,000 Jews were killed on 7 November 1941, 30,000 Jews were murdered over three days in July 1942, and tens of thousands more were killed at other times, even as more Jews were forced into the ghetto. Only a handful survived.
After the World War II Minsk was re-built, but not re-constructed. The historical centre was substituted in the 1940s and 1950 by Stalinist architecture
Stalinist architecture
Stalinist architecture , also referred to as Stalinist Gothic, or Socialist Classicism, is a term given to architecture of the Soviet Union between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of the Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khrushchev condemned "excesses" of the past...
, which favoured grand buildings, broad avenues and wide squares. In the following years the city grew rapidly as a result of massive industrialisation. This generated the so-called Minsk Phenomenon in the 1960s and 1970s (the Phenomenon was caused by combining R&D-intensive manufacturing, research institutions and highly skilled labour, which resulted in high rates of output expansion). Minsk became an important centre for manufacturing (trucks, tractors, refrigerators, television sets, military equipment, optical, etc.) and of science. It was home for the Belarusian Academy of Sciences, dozens of R&D institutes in both academic and applied sciences and several universities.
Since the 1960s Minsk's population has grown rapidly, reaching 1 million in 1972 and 1.5 million in 1986. Rapid population growth was primarily driven by mass migration of young unskilled workers from rural areas of Belarus as well as by migration of skilled workers from other parts of the Soviet Union. To house the expanding population, Minsk grew dramatically. Its surrounding villages were absorbed and rebuilt as mikroraions, districts of high-density apartment housing. They were normally known as sleeping districts, as they contained few workplaces and entertainment venues. Among the mikroraions, Chyzhouka was built in the 1960s, Serabranka, Zahad, Kurasoushchyna (expanded), Paudnyovy Zahad, Uskhod in the 1970s, Kuntsaushchyna, Malinauka and Uruchcha in the 1980s. To link mikroraions and the city centre, public transportation was developed. It consisted of buses, trolleybuses, trams, and since 1984 of metro system (see Minsk Metro
Minsk Metro
The Minsk Metro is a rapid-transit system that serves Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Opened in 1984, it presently consists of 2 lines and 25 stations totaling 30.3 kilometres...
). Minsk Circular Road has been built to provide a bypass for through traffic. International airport (Minsk-2) was built in 1982.
In the late 1980s Minsk once again became a centre for Belarusian national movement. Manifestations and protests during Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
called for return to the use of Belarusian language and for reforms. In early 1990 Minsk was a location of unexpected industrial action by thousands of workers calling for both economic and political aims. In December 1991 Minsk played an important role in the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus met here for dissolution talks. Since 1991 Minsk is the capital of the independent Republic of Belarus.
Recent developments
Throughout the 1990s the city has continued to change. Becoming capital of a newly independent country required obtaining attributes of a capital city. Embassies have been opened, a number of administrative buildings have been turned over into government buildings. During the early and mid-1990s Minsk was hit by the economic crisis – many development projects have been halted, unemployment and underemployment was high. Since the late 1990s there have been improvements in transport infrastructure and arrival of a housing boom, especially after 2002. On the outskirts of Minsk new microraions of residential development have been built. Metro lines have been extended, road system (including the Minsk ring road) have been renovated. Due to small proportion of the private sector in Belarus most of the development has been financed by the government.Technology timeline
- 1871 – railway
- 1874 – water supply
- 1889 – telegraph
- 1890 – telephone
- 1892 – horse tram
- 1894 – power supply
- 1929 – tram
- 1933 – airport
- 1952 – trolleybus
- 1984 – metro
- 1993 – internet
Population growth
| > | Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1450 | 5 000 |
| 1654 | 10 000 |
| 1667 | 2 000 |
| 1790 | 7 000 |
| 1811 | 11 000 |
| 1813 | 3 500 |
| 1860 | 27 000 |
| 1897 | 91 500 |
| 1917 | 134 500 |
| 1941 | 300 000 |
| 1944 | 50 000 |
| 1959 | 509 500 |
| 1970 | 907 100 |
Historical names
- Mensk, Miensk (Менск), the historical name the Belarusian opposition tends to use.
- Polish: Mińsk, Mińsk Litewski, Mińsk Białoruski, used when Belarus was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
External links
- Belarus National Republic – the Belarusian Government in exile
- Stary Hetman – Belarusian history forums
- Belarusian diaspora
- Jews in Minsk. Poland-Lithuania – czarist rule – enlightenment, labour movement, and Herzl Zionism – Soviet rule until 1941 – Holocaust – Soviet rule
(Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971)