Kamianiec
Encyclopedia
Kamyanyets ( kamʲaˈnʲets, ) is a town in the Brest Voblast
of Belarus
and the center of the Kamenets Raion
. The town is located in the northwestern corner of Brest voblast
on the Liasnaja river, about 40 km north of Brest
. As of 2002, the population was about 9,000 people. Through Kamyanyets flows river Leśna Prawa
.
It was first mentioned in the Halych-Volhynian Chronicle
in 1276, when a castle
with a keep
, the tower of Kamyanyets, was being constructed on this spot, to protect the northern boundary of Volhynia
from the raids of invaders. This site on the stony steep bank of the Liasnaja (Lysna or Leśna) River had attracted Oleksa, the prominent builder and architect of Volhynia
. He showed the site to Vladimir Vasilkovich
, the prince of Volhynia
, who appreciated the place and ordered Oleksa to build a castle
with a keep
on the spot. Later a town appeared around the fortification
. The tower is often called Bielaja Vieža (alternative transliteration
: Belaya Vezha), which means White Tower or White Fortress in Belarusian
, presumably because of its proximity to the Belavezhskaya Pushcha Forest, but not because of its actual color, which has been brick-red through the ages, never white.
The name of the place derives from the Slav word kamennyy meaning stony, as it was founded atop a stony rise.
Brest Voblast
Brest Voblast or Brest Oblast is a province of Belarus with its administrative center being Brest.Important cities within the voblast' include: Baranovichi, Brest, and Pinsk.-Geography:...
of 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 the center of the Kamenets Raion
Kamenets Raion
Kamenets Raion is an administrative subdivision, a raion of Brest Voblast, in Belarus....
. The town is located in the northwestern corner of Brest voblast
Brest Voblast
Brest Voblast or Brest Oblast is a province of Belarus with its administrative center being Brest.Important cities within the voblast' include: Baranovichi, Brest, and Pinsk.-Geography:...
on the Liasnaja river, about 40 km north of Brest
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
. As of 2002, the population was about 9,000 people. Through Kamyanyets flows river Leśna Prawa
Leśna Prawa
The river Leśna Prawa , in north-eastern Poland and western Belarus, is a tributary of the Bug River ....
.
History
Halych-Volhynian Chronicle
The Galician-Volhynian Chronicle is a historical record covering 1201–1292 in the history of the Principality of Galicia-Volhynia . The original chronicle did not survive; the oldest known copy is in the Hypatian Codex...
in 1276, when a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
with a keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, the tower of Kamyanyets, was being constructed on this spot, to protect the northern boundary of Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
from the raids of invaders. This site on the stony steep bank of the Liasnaja (Lysna or Leśna) River had attracted Oleksa, the prominent builder and architect of Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
. He showed the site to Vladimir Vasilkovich
Vladimir Vasilkovich
Vladimir Vasilkovich was a son of Vasilko Romanovich, prince of Volhynia, now part of Ukraine. He succeeded his father when the latter died in 1269, and was famous for numerous construction and reconstructions of town fortifications in Volhynia....
, the prince of Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
, who appreciated the place and ordered Oleksa to build a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
with a keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
on the spot. Later a town appeared around the fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
. The tower is often called Bielaja Vieža (alternative transliteration
Romanization of Russian
Romanization of the Russian alphabet is the process of transliterating the Russian language from the Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin alphabet...
: Belaya Vezha), which means White Tower or White Fortress in Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
, presumably because of its proximity to the Belavezhskaya Pushcha Forest, but not because of its actual color, which has been brick-red through the ages, never white.
The name of the place derives from the Slav word kamennyy meaning stony, as it was founded atop a stony rise.