Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk District in Vitsebsk Voblast. Its population is more than 80,000 people. It is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base.

Nomenclature

The

Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian; be, старажытнаруская мова; russian: древнерусский язык; uk, давньоруська мова) was a language used during the 9th–15th centuries by East ...

name, ''Polotesk'', derives from the Polota river, which flows into the neighboring Western Dvina. The

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

s rendered that name as ''Palteskja''.

History

Polotsk is one of the most ancient cities of the Eastern Slavs. The ''

Primary Chronicle The ''Tale of Bygone Years'' ( orv, Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, translit=Pověstĭ vremęnĭnyxŭ lětŭ; ; ; ; ), often known in English as the ''Rus' Primary Chronicle'', the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', or simply the ...

'' (a history of

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas o ...

from about 850 to 1110, compiled in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

about 1113) listed Polotsk in 862 (as Полотескъ, /poloteskŭ/), together with

Murom Murom ( rus, Муром, p=ˈmurəm; Old Norse: ''Moramar'') is a historical types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the left bank of the Oka River. Population: History In the 9th century A ...

and Belozersk. However, an archaeological expedition from the Institute of History of the

National Academy of Sciences of Belarus The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) ( be, Нацыянальная акадэмія навук Беларусі, russian: Национальная академия наук Беларуси, НАН Беларуси, НАНБ) is ...

suggests that Polotsk existed in the first half of the 9th century. The first known prince of Polotsk was Rogvolod (ruled 945–978). He had two sons and a daughter named Rogneda. Rogvolod promised Rogneda to the prince of Kiev, Yaropolk, as a wife. But Yaropolk's brother, Vladimir, had attacked Polotsk before Yaropolk came. He killed Rogvolod, his wife and sons, and married Rogneda. Vladimir and Rogneda had five children and the eldest of them, Izyaslav, became Prince of Polotsk (ruled 989–1001). 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 Turov to the south. It repeatedly asserted its sovereignty in relation to other centers of Kievan Rus, becoming a political capital, the

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

and the controller of

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...

territories among

Balt The Balts or Baltic peoples ( lt, baltai, lv, balti) are an ethno-linguistic group of peoples who speak the Baltic languages of the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. One of the features of Baltic languages is the number o ...

s 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 the Polotsk rulers, see the list of Belarusian rulers. Polacak, 1579

In 1240, Polotsk became a vassal of the Lithuanian princes. The

Grand Duke of Lithuania The monarchy of Lithuania concerned the monarchical head of state of Lithuania, which was established as an absolute and hereditary monarchy. Throughout Lithuania's history there were three ducal dynasties that managed to stay in power— Ho ...

Vytenis annexed the city by military force in 1307, completing the process which the Lithuanian princes had begun in the 1250s. Polotsk received a charter of autonomy guaranteeing that the grand dukes "will not introduce new, nor destroy the old".The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 1300-c. 1415. pp.769-770 It was the earliest to be so incorporated into the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...

. By doing so, the Lithuanians managed to firmly grasp the Dvina trade route in their hands, securing an important element for the surrounding economies.The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 1300-c. 1415. p.706 Magdeburg law was adopted in 1498. Polotsk functioned as a capital of the Połock Voivodship of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...

until 1772. Captured by the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

n army of

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Iva ...

in 1563, it was returned to the

just 15 years later. It was again captured by Russia on 17 June 1654, but recaptured by Poland–Lithuania on 30 October 1660 during the Russo-Polish War (1654–67). In 1772 Russia seized Polotsk (then Połock) as part of the First Partition of the

. Since the Russian Empress

Catherine II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

did not acknowledge the Papal suppression of the Society of Jesus (1773–1814), the Jesuit branches in these lands were not disbanded, and Połock became the European centre of the Order, with a

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

opening in 1780, and with the arrival of distinguished Jesuits from other parts of Europe who brought with them valuable books and scientific collections. Jesuits continued their pastoral work and upgraded the

Jesuit College in Polotsk The Jesuit College in Polotsk ( lat, Collegium Polocense) was a college established by the Jesuit Order in Polotsk, then part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later occupied by the Russian Empire, and now in Belarus. It was established in 1580 a ...

(opened in 1580 by decree of the Polish king Stefan Batory, with the Jesuit

Piotr Skarga Piotr Skarga (less often Piotr Powęski; 2 February 1536 – 27 September 1612) was a Polish Jesuit, preacher, hagiographer, polemicist, and leading figure of the Counter-Reformation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Due to his oratoric ...

(1536–1612) as its first rector) into the Połock Academy (1812–1820), with three faculties (Theology, Languages and Liberal Arts), four libraries, a printing house, a bookshop, a theatre with 3 stages, a science museum, an art gallery and a scientific and literary periodical, and a medical-care centre. The school was also the patron of the college in Petersburg, the mission to

Saratov Saratov (, ; rus, Сара́тов, a=Ru-Saratov.ogg, p=sɐˈratəf) is the largest city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River upstream (north) of Volgograd. Saratov had a population of 901, ...

and an expedition to Canton. During the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

the district saw two battles, the First Battle of Polotsk (August 1812) and the Second Battle of Polotsk (October 1812). In 1820 pressure from the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

influenced the Russian Emperor Alexander I to exile the Jesuits and to close the Polock Academy, there were 700 students studying there. The Russian authorities also broke up the Academy's library of 40,000–60,000 volumes, the richest collection of 16th- to 18th-century books — the books went to St. Petersburg, Kiev and other cities, 4000 volumes (along with books from other closed Jesuit schools) going to the St. Petersburg State University Scientific Library. Polotsk came under occupation by the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

between 25 February 1918 and 21 November 1918 in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, by Poland between 22 September 1919 and 14 May 1920 in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (Polish–Bolshevik War, Polish–Soviet War, Polish–Russian War 1919–1921) * russian: Советско-польская война (''Sovetsko-polskaya voyna'', Soviet-Polish War), Польский фронт (' ...

and by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

between 16 July 1941 and 4 July 1944 in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Polotsk functioned as the center of Polatsk Voblast between 20 September 1944 and 8 January 1954. A reorganisation of the area between Vitebsk and

Molodechno Maladzyechna ( be, Маладзе́чна, Maladziečna, ; russian: Молоде́чно, Molodechno; pl, Mołodeczno) is a city in the Minsk Region of Belarus, an administrative centre of the Maladzyechna District (and formerly of the Maladzye ...

voblasts left Polotsk part of the former.

Cultural heritage

The city's Saint Sophia Cathedral (1044–1066) was a symbol of the independent-mindedness of Polotsk, rivaling churches of the same name in

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ...

and

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

. The name referred to the original ''

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia ( 'Holy Wisdom'; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque ( tr, Ayasofya-i Kebir Cami-i Şerifi), is a mosque and major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The cathedral was originally built as a Greek Ortho ...

'' in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, and thus claims imperial prestige, authority and sovereignty. The cathedral had been ruined by the troops of

Peter I of Russia Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from ...

. Hence th
present baroque building
by

Johann Christoph Glaubitz Johann Christoph Glaubitz ( – 30 March 1767) was an architect of German descent who is generally considered to be the most prominent Baroque architect in the lands of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Early life Glaubitz was born in S ...

dates from the mid-18th century. Some genuine 12th-century architecture (notably Transfiguration Church) survives in the Convent of Saint Euphrosyne, which also features a neo-Byzantine cathedral, designed and built in 1893—1899 by Vladimir Korshikov. Cultural achievements of the medieval period include the work of the nun

Euphrosyne of Polotsk Euphrosyne (; grc, Εὐφροσύνη), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, was one of the Charites, known in ancient Rome as the ''Gratiae'' (Graces). She was sometimes called Euthymia (Εὐθυμία) or Eutychia (Εὐτυχία). Fa ...

(1120–1173), who built monasteries, transcribed books, promoted literacy and sponsored art (including local artisan Lazarus Bohsha's famous "

Cross of Saint Euphrosyne The Cross of Saint Euphrosyne was a revered relic of the Orthodox Church in Belarus, which was made in 1161 by Lazar Bohsha on the order of Saint Euphrosyne of Polatsk and is regarded as a national treasure of Belarus. Euphrosyne, mother supe ...

," a national symbol and treasure lost during

), and the prolific, original

Church Slavonic Church Slavonic (, , literally "Church-Slavonic language"), also known as Church Slavic, New Church Slavonic or New Church Slavic, is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bosnia and Her ...

sermons and writings of Bishop

Cyril of Turaw Cyril of Turov, alternately Kirill of Turov (Church Slavonic Кѷриллъ Туровськiй, be, Кірыла Тураўскі, russian: Кирилл Туровский; 1130–1182) was a bishop and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. H ...

(1130–1182). The first Belarusian printer, Francysk Skaryna, was born in Polotsk around 1490. He is famous for being the first to print the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

in the

Old Belarusian Ruthenian (Belarusian: руская мова; Ukrainian: руська мова; Ruthenian: руска(ѧ) мова; also see other names) is an exonymic linguonym for a closely-related group of East Slavic linguistic varieties, particularly th ...

language (East Slavic language) in 1517, several decades after the first-ever printed book by

Johann Gutenberg Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (; – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type printing press. Though not the first of its kind, earlier designs w ...

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 dedicated 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 Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined ...

professor Paval Siemchanka, who has been studying

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking co ...

scripts for many years.

Sports

The city has produced players for the Belarus national bandy team. In October 2011, the team planned to participate in the Russian Cup in

rink bandy Rink bandy is a variant of the larger sport of bandy. Unlike bandy which is played on a large bandy field, rink bandy is played on significantly smaller ice hockey sized ice rinks. While a bandy field is about the same size as a football pitc ...

, but did not after all.

Notable people

Uładzimir Arłou Uładzimir Arłou, known as U. A. Arlou ( be, Уладзімір Аляксеевіч Арлоў, russian: Владимир Алексеевич Орлов, Vladimir Aljakseevich Orlov; born 25 August 1953 in Polotsk, Byelorussian SSR, Sovi ...

(b. 1953), Belarusian historian and writer *

Lyavon Barshchewski Lyavon Barshchewski ( be, Лявон Баршчэўскі) (born March 4, 1958) is a Belarusian philologist and opposition politician. Born on March 4, 1958 in Polotsk, Barshchewski graduated from Minsk State Linguistic University in 1980. He w ...

(b. 1958), Belarusian philologist and politicianLyavon Barshchewski: “I could become а prime minister. But not a president. And not a member of parliament. (Лявон Баршчэўскі: «Я прэм’ер-міністрам мог бы стаць. Але не прэзыдэнтам. І не дэпутатам»)
* Boris Galerkin *

Andrei of Polotsk Andrei of Polotsk ( be, Андрэй Альгердавіч, lt, Andrius Algirdaitis, pl, Andrzej Olgierdowic, ca. 1325 – 12 August 1399, in the Battle of the Vorskla River) was the eldest son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and ...

* Bryachislav of Polotsk *

* Francysk Skaryna * Gabriel Lenkiewicz * Izyaslav of Polotsk * Josaphat Kuntsevych (c.1580-1623) Basilian monk, Archeparch of Polotsk and Vitebsk, and Saint in the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

* Mary Antin *

Rogneda of Polotsk Rogneda of Polotsk (962–1002) is the Slavic name for Ragnheiðr, a Princess consort of Rus'. She was the daughter of Ragnvald (Slavic: Rogvolod) who came from Scandinavia and established himself at Polotsk in the mid-10th century. Life ...

* Rogvolod * Rogvolod Vseslavich *

Sophia of Minsk Sophia of Minsk or Sophia of Polotsk (died 5 May 1198) was a Danish queen consort by marriage to King Valdemar I of Denmark, and a landgravine of Thuringia by marriage to Louis III, Landgrave of Thuringia. Life Origin Sophia was the daughter ...

, Queen of Denmark *

Symeon of Polotsk Symeon (Simeon) of Polotsk or Symeon Polotsky (russian: Симео́н По́лоцкий; born as ''Samuel Piotrowski-Sitnianowicz'', russian: Самуи́л Петро́вский-Ситнянович; December 12, 1629 – August 25, 1680) was ...

* Vseslav of Polotsk *

Vyacheslav Gordanov Vyacheslav Vyacheslavovich Gordanov (russian: Вячеслав Вячеславович Горда́нов; 1902–1983) was a Soviet and Russian cinematographer. He worked on the 1949 film ''Ivan Pavlov''.Beumers p.203 Selected filmography * '' ...

* Marina Osman *

Igor Shitov Igor Sergeyevich Shitov, sometimes written Ihar Shytaw ( be, Ігар Сяргеевіч Шытаў; russian: Игорь Серге́евич Шитов; born 24 October 1986) is a Belarusian former football right back. Career Club On 5 July 2 ...

Gallery

File:Belarus-Polatsk-Cathedral of Sophia-2.jpg, Saint Sophia Cathedral File:Belarus-Polatsk-Cathedral of Sophia-3.jpg, Saint Sophia Cathedral File:Belarus-Polatsk-Boris Stone.jpg, Boris stone File:Belarus-Polatsk-Monastery of Epiphany-2.jpg, Bogoyavlensky Convent File:Bog-2.jpg, Bogoyavlensky Cathedral File:Polatsk-St. Euphrosine4.JPG, Convent of Saint Euphrosyne File:Polatsk-St. Euphrosine3.JPG, Convent of Saint Euphrosyne File:Dzvina Hotel and Frantsyska Skaryny Avenue in Polack.jpg, Polotsk main square with Hotel Dzvina File:Belarus-Polatsk-Railway Station-3.jpg, Railway station File:Білорусь 041.jpg, Former Lutheran church File:Belarus-Polatsk-Church of Protection of Holy Virgin-8.jpg, Church of Protection of Holy Virgin File:Belarus-Polatsk-Church of Andrew Babola-4.jpg, Church of Andrew Babola

References

External links

Official site of the city of Połack - Официальный сайт города ПолоцкаPolotsk

Polotsk Chat ForumPhotos on Radzima.orgWeather PolotskePOLOTSK.com
* {{coord, 55, 29, N, 28, 48, E, region:BY_type:city, display=title Cities in Belarus Populated places in Vitebsk Region Polotsky Uyezd Polotsk Voivodeship Polochans Magdeburg rights Trading posts of the Hanseatic League