Orsha(Belarusian:Орша;Russian:Орша,IPA:[ˈorʂə];Polish:Orsza) is a city inVitebsk Region,Belarus.It is situated on the fork of theDnieper RiverandArshytsaRiver, and it serves as the administrative center ofOrsha District.[1]As of 2024, it has a population of 102,759.[1]
Orsha
Орша | |
|---|---|
 Top:Orsha Saint Joseph Church, Mill Museum (Muzey Mlyn), Orsha Trinitarian Monastery,Center:The complex Jesuit Collegium of Orsha,Bottom:Orsha Holy Trinity Church, Orsha Centralnaja Railroad Station (all item from left to right) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Orsha | |
| Coordinates:54°30′33″N30°25′33″E/ 54.50917°N 30.42583°E | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Vitebsk Region |
| District | Orsha District |
| First mentioned | 1067 |
| Area | |
• Total | 38.90 km2(15.02 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 192 m (630 ft) |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 102,759 |
| • Density | 2,600/km2(6,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3(MSK) |
| Postal code | 211030, 211381 - 211394, 211396 - 211398 |
| Area code | +375 216 |
| License plate | 2 |
| Website | Official website |
History
edit
Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha, making it one of the oldest towns in Belarus. The town was named after the river, which was originally also named Rsha, probably from aBalticroot *rus'slowly flowing.'[2]
In 1320, Orsha became a part of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania.Between 1398–1407, the Orsha castle was built. On 8 September 1514 the famousBattle of Orshaoccurred, between alliedGrand Duchy of LithuaniawithKingdom of PolandandMuscovitearmy.[3]The Muscovites suffered significant defeat; however, the victorious Grand Duchy of Lithuania did not fully avail its victory.[3]
In 1555,Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłłfounded aCalvinist(Protestant) order in Orsha, one of the first in the Belarusian lands. From the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries Orsha was a notable religious centre, with dozens of Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic churches and orders. The town was also home to a largeJewishpopulation.[4]
Orsha was grantedMagdeburg Rightsin 1620. In 1630,Spiridon Sobolopened the first printing house at theKuciejnamonastery, which became a well-known centre ofCyrillic- Alpha betpublishing. The town was damaged during theRusso-Polish War (1654-1667),which was a disaster for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During theFirst Polish partitionthe city was taken over by theRussian Empirein 1772, and became part of theMogilyovGubernia.Under Russian rule, it was stripped of its Magdeburg Rights in 1776 and went into cultural and economic decline.[citation needed]The population dropped sharply to just about 2,000 inhabitants.[citation needed]The city symbol in 1781 was changed to one which included the symbol of theRussian empireand five arrows.
In 1812, the city was badly burned duringNapoleon's invasion.At the time of Orsha had been taken under control of French troops, there was a French writerMarie-Henri Beyle(also known under thepen nameStendhal) in a rank ofintendant.[5] According to the census of 1897, on a total population of 13,161, about 7,000 are Jews.[4] During theFirst World War,the city was occupied by German forces in February–October 1918. From 2 February 1919, Orsha became a part of Homyel region (Vitebsk region, 1920) ofSoviet Russia.After the formation of the Soviet Union, it was transferred to theByelorussian SSRin 1924.
The population beforeWorld War IIwas about 37,000. The city was occupied by Germany on 16 July 1941. The occupiers founded several concentration camps in the city, where an estimated 19,000 people were killed.
Orsha was one of the centers of theBelarusian strikesin April 1991. Hundreds of thousands of coal miners had been on strike across the Soviet Union since March 1. On April 3, the day after the central government had imposed consumer price increases, workers at severalMinskfactories walked out raising the miners' demand for wages indexed to inflation. Virtually the entire labor force of that city followed on the 4th, joined soon thereafter by strikes across the Belarusian SSR. Mass demonstrations voted for additional demands (including the dissolution of the Union and Belarusian governments and the end of theCommunist Party'sprivileges) and elected delegates from each enterprise to citywide strike committees, which in turn sent representatives to a central Belarusian Strike Committee (SKB). On April 23, the SKB resumed the general strike after the deadline for its demands to be met had passed. The next morning,Gorbachev,Yeltsin,and leaders of eight of the otherSoviet republicspublished a joint declaration in the papers agreeing to democratic elections for the Soviet parliament and the presidency, a new union treaty that would "radically increase the role of the union republics," and measures to soften the impact of the price increase, but also the introduction of a "special work regime" in many industries.[6]
In response, the Orsha strike committee issued a proposal for all local workers to block the railway junction, strategically located on the line linkingMoscowandLeningradto Eastern and Western Europe. This was quickly endorsed by votes to "lie down on the rails" at a citywide meeting at the railway station. On the 25th, the Belarusian authorities concentrated the republic's KGB and riot police forces on Orsha, but were resisted by the strikers who sent fuel trains primed to explode down the tracks. Gorbachev mobilized the nearby military forces inPskovwith instructions to restore order over the railway; however many officers declared their refusal to comply, and brigade commander Gennady Sidorov professed a "lack of understanding" of the mission. Meanwhile, workers in other cities throughout Belarus held rallies threatening to retaliate if a drop of blood was shed in Orsha. Fearing a clash, and seizing on the government's offer to negotiate with its representatives and grant it radio and air time, the SKB suspended the general strike that evening.[7]
Sports
editThebandyclubStarthas produced players for theBelarus national bandy team.[8][9]
Population change
edit- 16th-17th century: est. 5,000
- 1776: less than 2,000[citation needed]
- 1939: 37,000
- 1970: 100,000
- 2004: 125,000
Climate
edit| Climate data for Orsha (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) |
4.2 (39.6) |
11.0 (51.8) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.7 (80.1) |
28.8 (83.8) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.5 (86.9) |
25.3 (77.5) |
18.2 (64.8) |
9.9 (49.8) |
5.2 (41.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.8 (27.0) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
3.3 (37.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
18.5 (65.3) |
22.1 (71.8) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.1 (73.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
9.8 (49.6) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.0 (23.0) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.1 (53.8) |
6.2 (43.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.7 (18.1) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
2.1 (35.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.9 (55.2) |
11.9 (53.4) |
7.4 (45.3) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −22.6 (−8.7) |
−20.6 (−5.1) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
3.8 (38.8) |
7.4 (45.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−11.5 (11.3) |
−16.4 (2.5) |
−22.6 (−8.7) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 38.6 (1.52) |
35.6 (1.40) |
35.4 (1.39) |
38.8 (1.53) |
68.4 (2.69) |
73.9 (2.91) |
81.7 (3.22) |
72.6 (2.86) |
57.3 (2.26) |
59.1 (2.33) |
45.9 (1.81) |
40.3 (1.59) |
647.6 (25.50) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.0 | 9.4 | 9.0 | 7.2 | 9.9 | 9.8 | 10.2 | 9.4 | 8.2 | 10.0 | 10.1 | 10.9 | 115.1 |
| Source:NOAA[10] | |||||||||||||
Transportation
edit
Orsha became an important transportation center after the construction of a Dnieper River port. The coming ofrailwaylines in the second half of the nineteenth century greatly contributed to the city growth:
Today, Orsha is a major railway node where the Minsk–Moscow crosses the northern Vitebsk line, which branches south toMogilevandKrychaw.All trains from Moscow andSaint-Petersburgbound forWestern Europepass through Orsha.
The city is also a junction of the important motorways: The M1 (E30) Moscow-Brest and the M8/M20 (E95) Saint Petersburg - Odessa.
Military
editOSGOEINT reported on the 571st Aircraft Repair Plant (ARP) located at Orsha Airfield (Balbasovo Air Base). Accordingly, the 571st ARP repairs Mi-8-17 HIP, Mi-24-35 HIND, as well as the Tu-134 CRUSTY and possibly the IL-76 CANDID. The report goes on to mention recent investment agreements withUkrainewhere private firms planned on providing $12 million to finance facility upgrades during the 2012-2016 period. Press reporting stated that the investors planned on building a modern warehouse terminal as well as office buildings for customs services, banking, and a leasing company.[11]
Notable people
edit
- Francis Dzierozynski,Jesuit
- Piotra Holub (Golub Petr Semionovich) (1913–1953),artist, author of many well-knownSoviet propagandaposters, such as "Болтун находка для шпиона" and many others
- Uladzimir Karatkievich,Belarusian writer
- Mikhail Marynich,opposition politician, who was imprisoned in Orsha
- Georgy Mondzolevsky,2-time Olympic volleyball champion
- Gershon Shufman,Hebrew author, known as 'Gimel Shufman'
- Frida Vigdorova,Soviet writer and journalist, famous for writing "White book" afterJoseph Brodskytrial, in support of human rights in USSR (ru:Вигдорова, Фрида Абрамовна)
- Lev Vygotsky(1896–1934), psychologist
- Nathan Zarkhi (1900–1935),Soviet playwright and film writer
- Faina Chiang,became first lady of theRepublic of Chinain 1978.
- Igor Zhelezovsky,Olympic medalist speed skater
- Alina Talay(born 1989),track and fieldathlete
- Vyacheslav Zarenkov(born 1951), Belarusian entrepreneur
Twin towns – sister cities
editOrsha is twinned with:[12]
Asha,Russia
Bălți,Moldova
Bondeno,Italy
Cherkasy,Ukraine- Dubna,Russia
- Gagarin,Russia
- Ivanovo,Russia
- Ivanteyevka,Russia
- Kardymovsky District,Russia
- Koptevo (Moscow),Russia
- Krasnogvardeysky (Saint Petersburg),Russia
Mārupe,Latvia
Pernik,Bulgaria- Pushkin,Russia
Qingdao,China- Shishou,China
Silifke,Turkey- Smolensk,Russia
Spitak,Armenia
Telšiai,Lithuania- Tver,Russia
Vaulx-en-Velin,France- Volgodonsk,Russia
- Vyazma,Russia
- Yiwu,China
- Zapadnoye Degunino (Moscow),Russia
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^abc"Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа".belsat.gov.by.Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2024.Retrieved12 April2024.
- ^E. M. Pospelov,Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira(Moscow, 1998), p. 314.
- ^ab(in Lithuanian)Tomas Baranauskas.Oršos mūšis – didžiausia Lietuvos karinė pergalė prieš Rusiją(Battle of Orsha - biggest military victory of Grand Duchy of Lithuania against Russia).Retrieved on 2008-01-18
- ^ab"ORSHA - JewishEncyclopedia".jewishencyclopedia.Retrieved13 January2018.
- ^(in Belarusian)Viktar Korbut.«Галоўная краса горада — манастыры», або Па слядах Стэндаля і Напалеона
- ^David Mandel,Perestroika and the Soviet People: Rebirth of the Labour Movement(1991).
- ^"Basta! » С ДНЁМ ВСЕБЕЛАРУСКОЙ СОЛИДАРНОСТИ!".basta-news.net.Retrieved13 January2018.
- ^"bandy2008.ru"(PDF).bandy2008.ru.Retrieved13 January2018.
- ^http:// bandyvm.se/eng2/read.asp?newsID=103[dead link]
- ^"World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Orsha".National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.RetrievedJanuary 12,2024.
- ^"Blogger".osgeoint.blogspot.Retrieved13 January2018.
- ^"Города-побратимы".orsha.vitebsk-region.gov.by(in Russian). Orsha.Retrieved2020-01-13.
External links
edit
