Official name | Polotsk (Polatsk) Полацк, Полоцк |
---|---|
Image seal | Coat of Arms of Połack, Belarus.svg |
Map caption | Location of Polotsk |
Pushpin map | Belarus |
Coordinates region | BY |
Subdivision type | CountrySubdivision |
Subdivision name | BelarusVitebsk Oblast |
Leader title | Mayor |
Leader name | Uladzimir S. Tachyla |
Established title | Founded |
Established date | 862 |
Population as of | 2010 |
Population total | 82,800 |
Timezone | EET |
Utc offset | +2 |
Timezone dst | EEST |
Utc offset dst | +3 |
Postal code | 211291, 211400—211402, 211404—211415, 211422 |
Area code | +375 214 |
Blank name | License plate |
Blank info | 2 |
Website | polotskgik.by |
Footnotes | }} |
Polotsk (Polatsk, , , ), is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina river. It is the center of Polotsk district in Vitsebsk Voblast. Its population is more than 80,000 people. It is served by Polotsk Airport and during the Cold War was home to Borovitsy air base.
The Old East Slavic name, ''Polotesk'', is derived from the Polota river, that flows into the Dvina nearby. The Vikings rendered that name as ''Palteskja''.
Polotsk is one of the most ancient cities of the Eastern Slavs. Primary Chronicle listed Polotsk in 862 (as Полотескъ, /poloteskŭ/), together with Murom and Beloozero. However Polotsk was not yet in existence in the 9th century, and provided recorded was an invention of the compiler, but archaeological expedition of the Institute of History of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus suggests that Polotsk already existed in the first half of the 9th century. The Norse sagas describe the city as the most heavily fortified in all of Rus.
Between the 10th and 12th centuries, the Principality of Polotsk emerged as the dominant center of power in what is now Belarusian territory, with a lesser role played by the principality of Turaŭ to the south. It repeatedly asserted its sovereignty in relation to other centers of Kievan Rus, becoming a political capital, the episcopal see and the controller of vassal territories among Balts in the west. Its most powerful ruler was prince Vseslav Bryachislavich, who reigned from 1044 to 1101. A 12th-century inscription commissioned by Vseslav's son Boris may still be seen on a huge boulder installed near the St. Sophia Cathedral. For a full list of Polotsk rulers, please see List of Belarusian rulers.
In 1240 Polotsk became a vassal of Lithuanian princes. Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytenis annexed the city by military force back in 1307, completing the process which Lithuanian princes began in the 1250s. Polotsk received a charter of autonomy guaranteeing that the Grand Dukes ''′will not introduce new, nor destroy the old′''. It was the earliest to be so incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. By doing so, Lithuanians manage to firmly grasp the Dvina trade route into their hands, securing important element for the surrounding economies. The Magdeburg law was adopted in 1498. Polotsk was a capital of Połock Voivodship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1772. Captured by the Russian army of Ivan the Terrible in 1563, it was returned to Grand Duchy of Lithuania just 15 years later.
That period of warfare started the gradual decline of the city. After the first partition of Poland, Polotsk degraded to have the status of a small provincial town of the Russian Empire. During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, it was the site of two battles: see First battle of Polotsk and Second battle of Polotsk for details.
Cultural achievements of the medieval period include the work of the nun Euphrosyne of Polotsk (1120–1173), who built monasteries, transcribed books, promoted literacy and sponsored art (including local artisan Lazarus Bohsha's famous "Cross of Euphrosyne," a national symbol and treasure lost during World War II), and the prolific, original Church Slavonic sermons and writings of Bishop Cyril of Turaw (1130–1182).
Belarusian first printer Francysk Skaryna was born in Polotsk around 1490. He is famous for the first printing of the Bible in an East Slavic language (in Old Belarusian) in 1517, several decades after the first-ever printed book by Johann Gutenberg and just several years after the first Czech Bible (1506).
In September 2003, as "Days of Belarusian Literacy" were celebrated for the 10th time in Polotsk, city authorities opened a monument to honor the unique Cyrillic Belarusian letter Ў, which is not used in any other Slavic language. The original idea for the monument came from the Belarusian calligraphy professor Paval Siemchanka, who has been studying Cyrillic scripts for many years.
Category:Populated places in Belarus Category:Vitsebsk Voblast
af:Polatsk be:Горад Полацк be-x-old:Полацак bg:Полоцк cs:Polock da:Polotsk de:Polazk et:Połack es:Polatsk eo:Polack fr:Polotsk it:Polack ka:პოლოცკი sw:Polotsk la:Polotia lv:Polocka lt:Polockas hu:Polack nl:Polatsk ja:ポラツク no:Polatsk pl:Połock pt:Polatsk ty:Polatsk ro:Poloțk ru:Полоцк simple:Polotsk cu:Полотьскъ sr:Полацк fi:Polatsk sv:Polotsk uk:Полоцьк zh:波洛茨克This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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