Slutsk
Encyclopedia
Slutsk is a town in Belarus
, located on the Sluch River
105 km (65 mi) south of Minsk
. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).
, but in 1160 it became the capital of a separate Slutsk Principality. From 1320–1330 it was part of the domain of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
. Later it was owned by the Olelkovich
and Radziwiłł families, which transformed the city into a center of the Polish Reformed Church
with a Gymnasium that existed till 1918.
Following the 17th century the town became famous for its manufactories of kontusz belts, some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces of garment of the szlachta
. Because of the popularity of the belts made in Slutsk, all the belts worn over the żupan
were often called the Belts of Slutsk, despite of their real place of origin.
Until World War II
and the Sluzk Affair
the town was predominantly Jewish, now the population includes no more than 100 Jews.
In 1920 Slutsk was the centre of a major anti-bolshevik
uprising known as the Slutsk defence action
.
with: Serpukhov
, Russia
Brovary
, Ukraine
Sisian
, Armenia
(since 2008) Shaki, Azerbaijan
(since 2009)
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 ,...
, located on the Sluch River
Sluch River (Belarus)
The Sluch or Northern Sluch is a river of Belarus. Rising in Minsk Voblast it flows for 228 km, past the cities of Salihorsk and Slutsk, finally emptying into the Pripyat River....
105 km (65 mi) south of 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...
. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).
Geography
The town is situated in the south-west of its Voblast, not too far from from the city of Soligorsk.History
Slutsk was first mentioned in writing in 1116. It was part of the Principality of Turov and PinskPrincipality of Turov and Pinsk
The Duchy of Turov and Pinsk was a medieval principality and state on the territory of modern southern Belarus and northern Ukraine. The principality's capital was Turov or Pinsk, other important cities were Mazyr and Slutsk, Lutsk, Brest, and Volodymyr-Volynskyi...
, but in 1160 it became the capital of a separate Slutsk Principality. From 1320–1330 it was part of the domain of 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...
. Later it was owned by the Olelkovich
Olelkovich
The Olelkovich family was a 15th–16th-century noble family from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Their main possession was the Duchy of Slutsk–Kapyl; therefore, they are sometimes known as Slutskys. They hailed from the Lithuanian Gediminids and Russian Rurikids...
and Radziwiłł families, which transformed the city into a center of the Polish Reformed Church
Polish Reformed Church
The Polish Reformed Church, officially called the Evangelical Reformed Church in the republic of Poland is a historic Protestant church in Poland established in the 16th century, still in existence today.-Structure and organisation:An internal census showed that in 2004 the Polish Reformed Church...
with a Gymnasium that existed till 1918.
Following the 17th century the town became famous for its manufactories of kontusz belts, some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces of garment of the szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
. Because of the popularity of the belts made in Slutsk, all the belts worn over the żupan
Zupan
Żupan was a long garment, always lined, worn by almost all males of the noble social class in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, typical male attire from the beginning of the 16th to half of the 18th century, still surviving as a part of the Polishnational dress.- Derivation :The name żupan has...
were often called the Belts of Slutsk, despite of their real place of origin.
Until 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...
and the Sluzk Affair
Sluzk Affair
The Sluzk Affair refers to the massacre of thousands of Jews and others that occurred in Slutsk, Belarus in the Soviet Union, in October 1941, near the city of Minsk while under German occupation during World War II. The perpetrators were a combination of Gestapo special forces and Lithuanian...
the town was predominantly Jewish, now the population includes no more than 100 Jews.
In 1920 Slutsk was the centre of a major anti-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....
uprising known as the Slutsk defence action
Slutsk defence action
The Slutsk defence action or the Slutsk uprising was an unsuccessful armed attempt to defend the independence of Belarus in the region of the town of Slutsk.-Peace of Riga:...
.
People
- Isaac Dov BerkowitzIsaac Dov BerkowitzIsaac Dov Berkowitz , a Jewish and Israeli author, born in Slutsk, Russian Empire, now Belarus. He emigrated to and settled in the British Mandate of Palestine, today Israel, in 1928.-Works:...
- Maria BohuszewiczównaMaria BohuszewiczównaMaria Stefania Bohuszewiczówna was a Polish revolutionary and a leader of the First Proletariat party.Bohuszewiczówna was born on January 4, 1865 in the village of Ceperce . She moved to Warsaw in 1874. In 1882 and 1883 she attended courses at the Flying University. From 1882 she was active in the...
- Semyon Ariyevich Kosberg
- Boruch Ber Leibowitz
- Princess Sophia of SlutskSophia Olelkovich RadziwillSophia Olelkovich Radziwill was the last descendant of the family Olelkovich-Slutsk who were descended from Prince Algirdas. She was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1983. The church of St...
, a medieval Eastern Orthodox saint - Mark Slutsky, a Montréal-based filmmaker
Twin towns — Sister cities
Slutsk is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Serpukhov
Serpukhov
Serpukhov is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which is situated at the confluence of the Oka and the Nara Rivers. It is located south from Moscow on the Moscow—Simferopol highway. The Moscow—Tula railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia 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...
Brovary
Brovary
Brovary is a city in Kiev Oblast in northern Ukraine, an eastern suburb of the country's capital, Kiev. It is the administrative centre of the Brovarskyi Raion . Brovary is an ancient town, firstly mentioned in 1630. Its name translated from Ukrainian means "brewers"...
, 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...
Sisian
Sisian
Sisian formerly also known as Sisakan, Sisavan and later Garakilse, is a city in the southern province of Syunik, Armenia. Located on both banks of Vorotan River, 6 km south of the Yerevan-Meghri highway, at a distance of 217 km from Yerevan and 115 km from Kapan. Sisian forms an urban...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
(since 2008) Shaki, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
(since 2009)
See also
- Sluzk AffairSluzk AffairThe Sluzk Affair refers to the massacre of thousands of Jews and others that occurred in Slutsk, Belarus in the Soviet Union, in October 1941, near the city of Minsk while under German occupation during World War II. The perpetrators were a combination of Gestapo special forces and Lithuanian...
- SlutskySlutskySlutsky is a surname derived from Slutsk and may refer to one of the following:* Abram Slutsky , Jewish Ukrainian Soviet head of the foreign intelligence service * Allan Slutsky, known as "Dr...
- List of cities and towns in Belarus
- Slutsk defence actionSlutsk defence actionThe Slutsk defence action or the Slutsk uprising was an unsuccessful armed attempt to defend the independence of Belarus in the region of the town of Slutsk.-Peace of Riga:...
- Pas kontuszowyPas kontuszowyPas kontuszowy was a cloth sash used for compassing a kontusz . It was one of the most distinctive items of dress of Polish and Lithuanian nobility from about 17th through the 19th centuries. In an earlier periods, sometimes narrower sashes of fine cloth or silk net were worn, but the wide...
- Słuck Confederation