Mstsislaw Explained

Official Name:Mstsislaw
Native Name:
Settlement Type:Town
Other Name:Mstislavl
Flag Size:150
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Belarus
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Mogilev Region
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Mstsislaw District
Pushpin Map:Belarus
Established Title:First mentioned
Established Date:1156
Population As Of:2024
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:10,019
Timezone:MSK
Utc Offset:+3
Coordinates:54.0167°N 74°W
Blank Name:License plate
Blank Info:6

Mstislaw or Mstislavl (Belarusian: Мсціслаў|Mscislaŭ, in Belarusian pronounced as /msʲt͡sʲiˈsɫau̯/; Russian: Мстиславль, pronounced as /ru/;[2] [3] Polish: Mścisław, Lithuanian: Mstislavlis) is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Mstsislaw District. In 2009, its population was 10,804.[4] As of 2024, it has a population of 10,019.[1]

History

Mstislavl was first mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1156. It was initially a part of the Principality of Smolensk, but had become the capital of the Principality of Mstislavl by 1180. In the Middle Ages, it was the seat of the Mstislavsky princely family. Pyotr Mstislavets is believed to have been born in Mstislavl.

In 1377, the town joined the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with the free will of its residents. The first Lithuanian duke of Mstislavl was Karigaila, brother of Jogaila. The town remained part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth under the Mścisław Voivodship until the Partitions of Poland in 1772.

Buildings of historic interest in the town include the Carmelite church (1637, renovated 1746–50) and the Jesuit cathedral (1640, renovated 1730–38, turned into an Orthodox cathedral in 1842).

Jews had a historic presence in the town. In 1939, there were 2,067 Jews living in Mstislavl, representing almost 20% of the local population. The German army occupied the town in July 1941. In early October, they killed 30 elderly Jews. On October 15, 1941, together with the local police, they murdered between 850 and 1,300 Jews.[5]

The town is the birthplace of Jewish historian and writer Simon Dubnow, Jewish statesman and Communist politician Yakov Chubin, and expressionist artist Abraham A. Manievich, among others.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 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. https://web.archive.org/web/20240402055418/https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_89355/. 2 April 2024. belsat.gov.by. 13 April 2024.
  2. Web site: Official website of the district. Mstsislaw District. ru. 20 February 2015.
  3. News: Website of Mogilyov Region administration. 2015. Mogilyov Oblast Administration. ru. 20 February 2015.
  4. Web site: http://belstat.gov.by/homep/ru/perepic/2009/vihod_tables/1.2-7.pdf. ru:Численность населения областей и районов: Могилевская. Национальный статистический комитет Республики Беларусь. ru. 30 January 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100918181854/http://belstat.gov.by/homep/ru/perepic/2009/vihod_tables/1.2-7.pdf. 18 September 2010.
  5. Web site: YAHAD - IN UNUM. www.yahadmap.org. 21 October 2018.