List of renamed cities in Belarus
Encyclopedia
The following is the list of cities in Belarus
that underwent a name change in the past.
Most formal name changes in Belarus took place when the country was a member of the Soviet Union
(1919-1991).
A problem with namings of Belarusian cities is their being multiple times translated into several languages officially used on the Belarusian lands: Old Belarusian
(Ruthenian), Polish
, Russian
, Modern Belarusian
.
A significant wave of "automatical" city renamings followed the annexation of Belarus by the Russian Empire
in the late 18th century, when the Russian administration transcribed the names of many cities from Polish language
and not from Old Belarusian
. Hence, the Russian name of Hrodna
was taken directly from Polish language instead of the ancient Ruthenian name Gorodno/Horodno (Городно). The Polish Brześć Litewski was translated into Brest-Litovsk (Брест-Литовск) instead of using the traditional Ruthenian Berestye (Берестье). Most of the Russian-translated names have been put into Belarusian language by the Soviet language reforms of the 1930s.
Besides that, namings of the cities in Modern Belarusian language
differ from namings in other languages.
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 ,...
that underwent a name change in the past.
Most formal name changes in Belarus took place when the country was a member of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(1919-1991).
A problem with namings of Belarusian cities is their being multiple times translated into several languages officially used on the Belarusian lands: Old Belarusian
Old Belarusian language
Old Belarusian was a historic East Slavic language, written and spoken at least in the 14th–17th century, and reported spoken as late as the very beginning of the 19th century, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, probably...
(Ruthenian), Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Modern Belarusian
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
.
A significant wave of "automatical" city renamings followed the annexation of Belarus by 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 the late 18th century, when the Russian administration transcribed the names of many cities from Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and not from Old Belarusian
Old Belarusian language
Old Belarusian was a historic East Slavic language, written and spoken at least in the 14th–17th century, and reported spoken as late as the very beginning of the 19th century, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, probably...
. Hence, the Russian name of Hrodna
Hrodna
Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
was taken directly from Polish language instead of the ancient Ruthenian name Gorodno/Horodno (Городно). The Polish Brześć Litewski was translated into Brest-Litovsk (Брест-Литовск) instead of using the traditional Ruthenian Berestye (Берестье). Most of the Russian-translated names have been put into Belarusian language by the Soviet language reforms of the 1930s.
| Historical Ruthenian name | Polish name | Russian name since 19th century as transcribed from Polish | Modern Belarusian name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mien'sk (Мѣньскъ) | Mińsk Litewski | Minsk (Минск) | Minsk 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... (Мінск), although Miensk (Менск) also informally used |
| Berestie (Берестье) | Brześć Litewski | Brest-Litovsk (Брест-Литовск), later just Brest (Брест) | 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... (Брэст), although Bierascie (Берасце) also informally used |
| Horodno (Городно) | Grodno | Grodno (Гродно) | Hrodna Hrodna Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants... (Гродна), although Harodnia (Гародня) also informally used |
| Novohorodok (Новогородокъ) | Nowogródek | Novogrudok (Новогрудок) | Navahrudak (Навагрудак), although Navaharodak (Навагародак) or Navahradak (Наваградак) also informally used |
| Mery, Myory (Меры) | Miory | Miory (Миоры) | Mijory (Міёры), although Miory Miory Miory is a town in the Vitebsk Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Miory district.... (Мёры) also informally used |
Besides that, namings of the cities in Modern Belarusian language
Belarusian language
The Belarusian language , sometimes referred to as White Russian or White Ruthenian, is the language of the Belarusian people...
differ from namings in other languages.
- Bieraście → Brześć Litewski → Brest-Litovsk → BrestBrest, BelarusBrest , 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...
- Horadnia → Grodno → HrodnaHrodnaGrodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
- Mieniesk → Miensk → Mińsk Litewski → MinskMinsk- 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...
Soviet city renamings
- Drissa → Verkhnedvinsk
- Kojdanava → Dziaržynsk
- Prapošask → Prapojsk → Slavgorod → Słaǔharad
- Šaciłkavičy → SalihorskSalihorsk-History:The city it is one of the country's newest settlements: construction having begun in 1958.-Geography:Salihorsk in the south-west of Minsk province, not too far from Slutsk. It dists around from Minsk.-Sport:...
See also
- List of renamed cities in Moldova
- List of renamed cities and towns in Russia
- List of renamed cities in Ukraine