Lubcha ( be, Любча, , russian: Любча, pl, Lubcz, yi, לובטש ''Lubtsh'') is a town near
Neman River
The Neman, Nioman, Nemunas or MemelTo bankside nations of the present: Lithuanian: be, Нёман, , ; russian: Неман, ''Neman''; past: ger, Memel (where touching Prussia only, otherwise Nieman); lv, Nemuna; et, Neemen; pl, Niemen; ...
, 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 R ...
,
Grodno Region
Grodno Region ( pl, Grodzieńszczyzna) or Grodno Oblast or Hrodna Voblasts ( be, Гродзенская вобласць, ''Hrodzienskaja vobłasć'', , ''Haradzienščyna''; russian: Гродненская область, ''Grodnenskaya oblast' ...
,
Novogrudok District, 23 km from
Novogrudok
Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus.
In the Middle A ...
.
History
Within 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 partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Li ...
, Lubcha was part of
Nowogródek Voivodeship.
In 1795, the town was acquired by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
as a result of the
Third Partition of Poland
The Third Partition of Poland (1795) was the last in a series of the Partitions of Poland–Lithuania and the land of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth among Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and the Russian Empire which effectively ended Polish ...
. From 1921 until 1939, Lubcha (''Lubcz'') was part of the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
. Before World War II, approximately 1500 Jews lived in Lubcha. There were 2 synagogues and a Jewish cemetery.
In September 1939, Lubcha was
occupied by the Red Army and, on 14 November 1939, incorporated into the
Byelorussian SSR
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор ...
.
From 26 June 1941 until 8 July 1944, Lubcha was
occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of the ''
Generalbezirk Weißruthenien
Generalbezirk Weissruthenien (General District White Ruthenia) was one of the four administrative subdivisions of ''Reichskommissariat Ostland'', the 1941-1945 civilian occupation regime established by Nazi Germany for the administration of the th ...
'' of ''
Reichskommissariat Ostland
The Reichskommissariat Ostland (RKO) was established by Nazi Germany in 1941 during World War II. It became the civilian occupation regime in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the western part of Byelorussian SSR. German planning documents initia ...
''.
A short time after their arrival, the Germans selected 50 Jewish men and brought them to Novogrudok, where they were shot. In March 1942, a ghetto was fenced in and Jews from surroundings villages, like Delatyche, were brought into the ghetto. Later, three members of the Judenrat and Jewish police were shot by the Germans under the pretext of bad hygienic conditions inside the ghetto. Although the fate of the remaining Jews is not completely clear, it seems that a group was sent to the Novogrudok ghetto, where they were later shot in August 1942. Another group was sent to complete road construction near the village of Vorobyeviche, where they were also shot in August 1942. It appears that several hundred Jews were shot and buried in the cemetery during spring 1942.
Sights
*
Lubcz Castle
Lubcha Castle ( be, Любчанскі замак) was a residential castle of the Radziwill family on the left bank of the Neman River at Lubcha near Navahradak Belarus.
The castle began its life in 1581 as a fortified residence of Jan Kiszk ...
of the
Radziwill family
* Orthodox church of Saint Elijah (1910–14)
* Catholic church, 1930
* Old Jewish cemetery
Image:BLR Lyubcha 17thc.jpg, 17th century
File:Lubcza.jpg, Modern view
File:Lyubcha.jpg, The two remaining towers
Image:Lubcza castle 1920.jpg, In 1920
References
External links
Lubcha's Castle(in Belarusian)
Photos on Radzima.org(in Russian)
Holocaust locations in Belarus
Holocaust locations in Poland
Navahrudak District
Novogrudsky Uyezd
Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919–1939)
Populated places in Grodno Region
Urban-type settlements in Belarus
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