Babruysk
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2009) |
Babruysk
Бабруйск•Бобруйск Bobruysk | |
---|---|
Coordinates:53°09′N29°14′E/ 53.150°N 29.233°E | |
Country | Belarus |
Region | Mogilev Region |
First mentioned | 1387 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Aleksandr Studnev |
Area | |
• Total | 83.86 km2(32.38 sq mi) |
Elevation | 157 m (515 ft) |
Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 207,351 |
• Density | 2,500/km2(6,400/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+3(MSK) |
Postal code | 213801-213830 |
Area code | +375 0225(1) |
Vehicle registration | 6 |
Website | bobruisk |
BabruyskorBobruysk(Belarusian:Бабруйск,romanized:Babrujsk,IPA:[bäˈbruɪ̯s̪k];Russian:Бобруйск,IPA:[bɐˈbruɪ̯s̪k];Yiddish:באָברויסק,romanized:Bobroysk) is a city inMogilev Region,Belarus.It serves as the administrative center ofBabruysk District,though it is administratively separated from the district.[1]It is situated on theBerezina River.Babruysk occupies an area of 66 square kilometres (25 sq mi), and comprises over 450 streets whose combined length stretches for over 430 km (267 mi). As of 2024[update],it has a population of 207,351.[1]
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1897 | 34,336 | — |
1923 | 33,015 | −3.8% |
1926 | 39,280 | +19.0% |
1939 | 84,078 | +114.0% |
1959 | 97,530 | +16.0% |
1970 | 137,536 | +41.0% |
1979 | 192,207 | +39.8% |
1989 | 221,166 | +15.1% |
1999 | 220,700 | −0.2% |
2009 | 215,092 | −2.5% |
2019 | 212,283 | −1.3% |
Source: pop-stat.mashke.org[2] |
Babruysk is located at the intersection of railroads toAsipovichy,Zhlobin,Aktsyabrskiand roads toMinsk,Gomel,Mogilev,Kalinkavichy,Slutsk,andRahachow.It has the biggest timber mill in Belarus, and is also known for its chemical, machine building and metal-working industries.
In 2021, there were 38 public schools in Babruysk, with over 24,000 students. There are three schools specializing in music, dance andvisual arts.Additionally, there is a medical school and numerous professional technical schools.
Etymology
[edit]The nameBabruysk(as well as that of theBabruyka River) probably originates from the Belarusian wordbabyor(бабёр,lit. 'beaver'), many of which used to inhabit the Berezina. However, beavers in the area had been almost eliminated by the end of the 19th century due to hunting and pollution.
History
[edit]Babruysk is one of the oldest cities inBelarus.It was first mentioned in writing in the middle of the 14th century. Investigations byarchaeologistsrevealed that in the 5th and 6th centuries there existedSlavicsettlements up the river Biarezina from where Babruysk is currently located; findings of stone tools and weapons suggest that people have lived in the area since theStone Age.
During the reign ofVladimir I, Prince of Kiev,in place of modern-day Babruysk there was a village whose inhabitants were occupied with fishing and beavertrapping.This is where the name Babruysk originated. For many centuries Babruysk was part of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealthand was an important militarily fortified border post. In the 14th century acastlewas built on one of the hills near the Berezina River.
Babruysk was not only a major military base, but also a prominent trade center. There is evidence of a market containing nearly one hundred stalls, which implies significant financial activity. In the first half of the 17th century Babruysk became a big trade outpost thanks to its strategic position at the intersection of major trade routes and the Berezina river. There was a flowering of skilled tradesmen, includingcarpenters,blacksmiths,goldsmiths,and bakers. The population in the first half of the 17th century was between 2,000 and 5,000 people.
The town was surrounded by fortifications made from wood and earth, whose length stretched for over 3 km (2 mi). These included a protective earth barrier, wooden walls, and almost a dozen two-story watchtowers. In the walls there were openings designed for the placement of firearms. After theSecond Partition of Polandin 1793 it came into the hands ofImperial Russia.In 1810, the construction of afortressbegan to mark the border between Russia andAustriaandPrussia;in 1812 it was almost completed and was successful in repellingNapoleon's attack for four months. After the war the building was renewed on a large scale, and it was completed in 1820. That was one of thewestern Russian fortresses.TheBabruysk fortresshas served its purpose for many decades and today it is a majortourist attraction.
The 1861 census showed a population of 15,766. The ethnic groups living in Babruysk includedBelarusians,Ukrainians,Poles,andJews.As in other cities of Belarus, most of the buildings were constructed from wood. In 1866 there were 1498 houses, only 29 of which were made from brick.
There was a steady increase in theJewishpopulation of Babruysk following theNapoleonic wars.By 1897, in the population of 34,336 citizens, 60%, or 20,760 were Jews.[3]Most of them were employed in crafts, industry, and trade.
During the 1890s, the citizens of Babruysk witnessedpogromsafter the assassination of the Russian emperorAlexander II.Many of the attacks were repelled by armed Jewish self-defense.[citation needed]
In 1902, theGreat Fire of Babruyskleft 2,500 families homeless and destroyed over 250 business, 15 schools and the market. There were more than 7 million rubles in property damage, however the city was quickly rebuilt, this time with brick and stone.
In 1904 the40th Infantry Divisionof theImperial Russian Armyhad its headquarters here.[4]
Between February 2 and March 11, 1918, was aBattle of Bobrujsk,between units of thePolish I Corps in Russia,commanded by GeneralJozef Dowbor-Musnicki,fought with theRed Armyover the control of the city and region of Babruysk. In 1918–1920, town was captured by Polish forces.
World War II
[edit]On 28 June 1941, troops of theGermanArmy Group Centrecaptured Babruysk. GeneralGotthard Heinriciconsidered the largely-evacuated city "a dump consisting mainly of wooden houses" and was appalled by the "extremely primitive" surrounding area.[5] Dulag 131,one of the largest camps forSoviet prisoners of war,was located in the "citadel". An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Red Army soldiers died there.[6]
Believing that German troops would not target civilians, many Jews stayed behind. Consequently, 20,000 Babruysk Jews were shot and buried in mass graves.Ghettoand labor camps were established in the southwest part of town. The conditions inside the camps were horrible and involved lack of food, lack of sanitation and perpetual abuse by theNaziguards. Soon the Nazis began executing the Jews in the ghetto in groups of about 30. By 1943 all labor camps had been liquidated and the remaining Jews killed. The few Jews who escaped joined partisan forces in the surrounding forest and went about attacking enemy railroad lines. There is a small memorial dedicated to the memory of Babruysk Jews killed in theHolocaust,located in theNahalat Yitzhakcemetery,Giv'atayim,Israel,as part of theBabi Yarmemorial.[7]
On June 29, 1944, theRed Armyliberated Babruysk. The city lay in ruins; while the population had been 84,107 in 1939, it was down to 28,352 following the war. The difficult process of rebuilding was conducted by thousands of workers and war prisoners who labored to clear factories and streets of rubble and filled in craters made by the bombardment. The machine building plant had been almost completely destroyed, but was restored to working order by the end of 1944. Many other factories and facilities were also rebuilt.
Postwar era
[edit]Between 1944 and 1954, Babruysk served as an administrative center ofBabruysk Voblast.
The population recovered swiftly as well. In 1959 it was 96,000, in 1965 – 116,000, in 1968 – 122,500, in 1970 – 136,000 and by 1989, 232,000 people were living in Babruysk. This was mostly due to urbanization, where people moved into the city from the surrounding rural areas.
Climate
[edit]Thisclimaticregion is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classificationsystem, Babruysk has ahumid continental climate,abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[8]
Climate data for Babruysk (1991–2020, extremes 1901–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
25.7 (78.3) |
28.6 (83.5) |
31.7 (89.1) |
35.3 (95.5) |
35.3 (95.5) |
38.0 (100.4) |
33.1 (91.6) |
26.1 (79.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.0 (53.6) |
38.0 (100.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −2.0 (28.4) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
5.1 (41.2) |
13.6 (56.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
23.0 (73.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.3 (75.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
11.7 (53.1) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.4 (24.1) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
0.6 (33.1) |
7.7 (45.9) |
13.4 (56.1) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.8 (65.8) |
17.8 (64.0) |
12.4 (54.3) |
6.7 (44.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
7.1 (44.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7 (19) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
2.1 (35.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
10.9 (51.6) |
12.8 (55.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
7.3 (45.1) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
2.6 (36.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | −37.4 (−35.3) |
−36 (−33) |
−29.3 (−20.7) |
−9.7 (14.5) |
−4 (25) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
3.3 (37.9) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−23.8 (−10.8) |
−30.6 (−23.1) |
−37.4 (−35.3) |
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 40 (1.6) |
38 (1.5) |
39 (1.5) |
41 (1.6) |
61 (2.4) |
76 (3.0) |
89 (3.5) |
55 (2.2) |
48 (1.9) |
57 (2.2) |
45 (1.8) |
44 (1.7) |
633 (24.9) |
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 9 (3.5) |
12 (4.7) |
9 (3.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.8) |
6 (2.4) |
12 (4.7) |
Average rainy days | 7 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 140 |
Average snowy days | 18 | 17 | 12 | 3 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 80 |
Averagerelative humidity(%) | 86 | 83 | 78 | 69 | 68 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 80 | 83 | 88 | 88 | 79 |
Source: Pogoda.ru.net[9] |
Notable people
[edit]- Abba Ahimeir(November 2, 1897 – June 6, 1962), Jewish journalist, historian, maximalist ideologue and activist of Zionist Revisionist Movement
- Andrei Arlovski(born 1979), formerUFCheavyweight champion.
- Bi-2rock band (Russia): both founders are from Babruysk.
- Maxim Neafit Bujnicki[ru](born 1981), Ukrainian film director and screenwriter
- Cheev(born 1993), Belarusian-Ukrainian singer and songwriter
- Eliyahu Dobkin(December 31, 1898 – October 26, 1976),Labor Zionistleader, signatory ofIsraeli declaration of independence,a founder of theIsrael Museum,active in theJewish Agencyand theZionist Organization.
- Celia Dropkin(1887–1956), American Yiddish poet
- Arkadi Duchin(born 1963), Israeli singer-songwriter and musical producer
- Baruch Epstein(1860–1941), Lithuanian rabbi, son of Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein. Best known for Temimah commentary on the Torah.
- Yechiel Michel Epstein(January 24, 1829 – February 24, 1908), rabbi and authority in Jewish law in Lithuania, known for his book Aruch HaShulchan.
- Joshua Louis Goldberg(1896–1994), American rabbi, first rabbi commissioned as U.S. Navy chaplain in WWII, third to serve in the Navy, first to reach the rank of Navy Captain, first to retire after full active-duty career
- Zalman Gorelik(1908–1987), geologist (tectonics specialist)
- Avraham Katznelson(1888–1956), Zionist politician in Mandate Palestine, signatory of the Israeli declaration of independence
- Berl Katznelson(1887–1944), chief figure inLabor Zionism,instrumental to theestablishmentof the modern state ofIsrael
- Rachel Katznelson-Shazar(1885–1975), Zionist activist, wife ofZalman Shazar,the third President of Israel
- Ruslan Kogan(born 1982), Australian entrepreneur and self-made millionaire
- Aaron Lebedeff(1873–1960), Yiddish theater star, singer
- Kadish Luz(1895–1972), Israeli Minister of Agriculture (1955–1959), Speaker of the Knesset (1959–1969), acting president for one month in 1963
- Alexander Mikhailovich Orlov(born Leiba L. Feldbin; 1895-1973), Soviet secret police colonel,NKVDRezident inSecond Spanish Republic,avoided execution in 1938 by fleeing to the USA.
- Grigory Nemtsov(1948–2010), Latvian journalist and politician
- Yelena Piskun(born 1978), two-time world champion in artistic gymnastics
- Dovid Raskin(1927–2011), rabbi associated with theChabad-LubavitchHasidic movement
- Ilia Rodov,Israeli art historian
- Efraim Sevela(1928–2010), Soviet writer, screenwriter, director, and producer. Emigrated from the Soviet Union to Israel, then to the United States and Russia.
- Shmaryahu Noah Schneersohn,chassidic rabbi
- David Shimoni(1891–1956), Israeli poet, writer and translator
- Eliyahu Simpson(1889–1976), rabbi
- Yitzhak Tabenkin(1888–1971),Zionistactivist and politician, co-founder of theKibbutz Movement
- Yosef Tunkel(1881–1949), Jewish–Belarusian–American writer of poetry and humorous prose in Yiddish
- Gary Vaynerchuk(born 1975),serial entrepreneur,CEO, investor, author, public speaker American football team
- Avraam Zak(1829–1893), Russian-Jewish banker and philanthropist
International relations
[edit]- Anenii Noi,Comrat- Moldova
- Batumi,Kobuleti- Georgia
- Daugavpils,Gulbene- Latvia
- Grozny,Ishim,Kolpino,Kostroma,Luga,Murom,Naro-Fominsky District,Novomoskovsk,Petrogradsky (Saint Petersburg),Sokolniki (Moscow),Vladimir- Russia
- Hengyang,Shao xing,Wuxi- China
- Iglesias,Italy
- Morogoro,Tanzania
- Odense,Denmark
- Öskemen,Kazakhstan
- Púchov,Slovakia
- Samarkand,Uzbekistan
- Sevlievo,Bulgaria
- Talin,Armenia
- Warsaw West County,Poland
Places of interest
[edit]- Church of the Immaculate Conception of Saint Virgin Mary,a Catholic church built between 1901 and 1903;
- TheBabruysk fortress,1810–1836;
- Katsnelson House ,1912;
- TheChurch of Saint Nicholas (Babruysk) ,1892–1894;
- TheSaint George Orthodox church in Babruysk ,1905–1907.
In popular culture
[edit]- The city was mentioned inIlf and Petrov's bookThe Little Golden Calfas "a wonderful, highly civilized place".
“You think I’m stupid!” shrieked Panikovsky. “Give me Central Russia, then I’ll sign the pact.”
“What? The entire Center?” mocked Balaganov. “Would you also like Melitopol on top of that? Or Bobruisk?”
At the word Bobruisk, the children moaned painfully. Everyone was prepared to go to Bobruisk immediately. Bobruisk was considered a wonderful, highly civilized place.
- 'Go to Babrujsk, animal' (Ф Бабруйск, жывотнайе) was a popular meme frompadonkaffsky jargon,popular in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet in the early 2000s. Its origin could be a reference to the quote fromThe Little Golden Calf.
- In theStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode titled "Family",there is an Earth Station Bobruisk, named for the city in Belarus.
- InTanki Onlinethere is a map titled Bobruisk loosely based on the city.
- Popular travel vloggerBald and Bankruptfeatured Babruysk in a video entitled "Back To The USSR | Lost In The Belarus Provinces".
References
[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 April 2, 2024.RetrievedApril 13,2024.
- ^"Cities & Towns of Belarus".April 15, 2024.
- ^Joshua D. Zimmerman,Poles, Jews, and the politics of nationality,Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2004,ISBN0-299-19464-7,Google Print, p.16
- ^Romanov, K.S."40th Infantry Division".Regiment ru.Romanov K S. Archived fromthe originalon September 7, 2016.RetrievedMay 6,2022.
- ^A German general on the Eastern Front: the letters and diaries of Gotthard Heinrici, 1941-1942, p.74.
- ^Pohl, Dieter(2012).Die Herrschaft der Wehrmacht: Deutsche Militärbesatzung und einheimische Bevölkerung in der Sowjetunion 1941-1944(in German). Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. p. 224.ISBN978-3-486-70739-7.
- ^"Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus".jhrgbelarus.org.Archived fromthe originalon July 23, 2015.RetrievedMay 27,2011.
- ^"Babruysk, Belarus Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".weatherbase.
- ^"Weather and Climate-The Climate of Babruysk"(in Russian). Weather and Climate (Погода и климат).RetrievedNovember 8,2021.
- ^"Внешнеэкономическое сотрудничество".bobruisk.by(in Russian). Babruysk. Archived fromthe originalon January 21, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 14,2020.
External links
[edit]- Bobruysk. SynagoguesArchivedMarch 22, 2012, at theWayback Machine
- Bobruisk.byArchivedDecember 25, 2017, at theWayback Machine– Official Babruysk website
- Bobr.byArchivedApril 30, 2021, at theWayback Machine– Popular Babruysk related portal
- Photos on Radzima.org
- Photos of famous historical sites in Babrujsk
- Babruysk website
- The murder of the Jews of BabruyskduringWorld War II,atYad Vashemwebsite.
- Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). .Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Babruysk, BelarusatJewishGen
Further reading
[edit]- French, R.A. (1969)."Babrujsk and its Neighbourhood in the Early Seventeenth Century".The Journal of Byelorussian Studies.II(1): 29–56.RetrievedMay 30,2024.