Belyov (russian: Белёв) is a
town and the
administrative center of
Belyovsky District in
Tula Oblast,
Russia, located on the left bank of the
Oka River
The Oka (russian: Ока́, ) is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its ...
. Population: 13,180 (2018);
History
As is the case with many other towns in the former
Upper Oka Principalities, Belyov was first mentioned in a
chronicle
A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...
in 1147.
After the disintegration of the
Principality of Chernigov in the wake of the
Mongol invasion of Rus', Belyov became a seat of a local princely dynasty in 1468. The princes of Belyov fluctuated between the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the
Grand Duchy of Moscow
The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lati ...
, until they moved to the latter state.
During World War II, Belyov was occupied by the German Army in October, 1941, but was liberated by elements of
10th Army on December 31, during the Soviet counteroffensive phase of the
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
.
Following an incident where a local Jewish families were accused of murdering a child to use his blood to bake
matzah, there was a rise in anti-Jewish propaganda by Communist Party members. These allegations that Jews used the blood of Christians in rituals was embarrassing to the Communist Party when it came from Party Members, and a
pogrom was narrowly averted in this instance. Some press sources from that time, most in
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
, condemned the inaction against the prominent community members and demanded adherence to Communist party policies on antisemitism.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Belyov serves as the
administrative center of
Belyovsky District.
[Law #954-ZTO] As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Belyovsky District as Belyov
Town Under District Jurisdiction.
[Law #954-ZTO defines a town under district jurisdiction as a town which is a part of one of the districts of the oblast. OKATO lists the town of Belyov as a part of Belyovsky District and separately from other administrative divisions of the district.] As a
municipal division, Belyov Town Under District Jurisdiction is incorporated within Belyovsky Municipal District as Belyov Urban Settlement.
[Law #543-ZTO]
Architecture
The town contains one of the oldest churches in
Tula Oblast.
Economy
Belyov is home to Transmash railroad equipment factory. It is also famous for
pastila
__NOTOC__
Pastila (russian: пастила́) is a traditional Russian fruit confectionery ('' pâte de fruits''). It has been described as "small squares of pressed fruit paste" and "light, airy puffs with a delicate apple flavor". In Imperial ...
whose production started in 1888 and was revived in 2010s.
Notable people
*
Zinaida Gippius
*
Alexei Osipov
Alexei Osipov (born March 31, 1938, Belev, Tula oblast, Russia) - well known Russian Orthodox theologian, professor and lecturer from Moscow Orthodox Theological Seminary. He is also a widely popular Orthodox pedagogue, publicist and defender of R ...
References
Notes
Sources
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External links
Official website of BelyovBelyov Business Directory
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Tula Oblast
Belyovsky Uyezd