Chervyen or Cherven, previously known as Ihumen until 1923, is a town in Minsk Region,

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. It serves as the administrative center of Chervyen District. In 2016, its population was 9,718.2016 census of Belarus
( Belstat) As of 2024, it has a population of 10,545.

History

On 1 February 1942, the German forces and local policemen surrounded the Cherven ghetto. At the same time, other Jews living outside the ghetto walls, such as in the local hospital, were gathered together. They were ordered to undress to their undergarments and lie on the ground, where they were shot dead. Witnesses put the number of victims at between 1,500 and 1,750 people. The murder operation was carried out by the Einsatzkommando 8 unit of Einsatzgruppe B, with the help of local policeman. On 25–27 June 1941, the Soviet

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

carried out a mass execution of political prisoners from

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

in the nearby Tsagelnya forest. Wooden statue ''Mourning Angel'', by sculptor Gennady Matusevich, was erected at the location. Commemorative events are held there every year in June.

Geography

Located east of

and west of

Berezino Byerazino or Berezino is a town on the Berezina River in Minsk Region, Belarus. It is located east of the capital Minsk, and serves as the administrative center of Byerazino District. As of 2025, it has a population of 11,250. History Earl ...

, Chervyen lies on a plain in the middle of its district. It is crossed to the north by the M4 highway Minsk-

Mogilev Mogilev (; , ), also transliterated as Mahilyow (, ), is a city in eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, about from the Belarus–Russia border, border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from Bryansk Oblast. As of 2024, ...

. The national road P59 links it with the town of

Smalyavichy Smalyavichy or Smolevichi is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Smalyavichy District. It is situated on the Plisa River (a tributary of the Berezina).Minsk National Airport Minsk National Airport (, ; ) , formerly known as Minsk-2, is the main international airport in Belarus, located 42 km (26 mi) to the east of the capital Minsk. It geographically lies in the territory of Smalyavichy Raion but is admin ...

( north).

Notable people

* Vladimir Isaacovich Fundator (1903–86), metallurgist who invented the technology which made possible the aluminum diesel engine for the T-34 tank, thus facilitating the rapid advance of the Red Army in World War 2; recipient USSR Council of Ministers Prize. * Leivik Halpern (1888-1962), Yiddish poet and literary editor who under the pen name H Leivik wrote The Golem, among other works. * David Nisnevich (1893-1963), composer of Russian and Yiddish folk songs. * Lieutenant Semion Gurevich (1915-1984), distinguished himself by leading a Red Army attack across the Dnieper River in September 1943, for which he received the title Hero of the Soviet Union. * Professor David Movshevitch Golub (1901-2001), distinguished anatomist and embryologist; Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; recipient Red Banner of Labour. * Professor Feival Movshevitch Golub, brother of David, headed the Department of Surgical Diseases, Samarkand State Medical Institute, Uzbekistan; recipient Honorary Scientist of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. * Vladimir Adomovich Korol (1912-1980), architect involved in the plans to rebuild Minsk after the destruction of World War 2; received Order of Lenin. *

Oleg Novitskiy Oleg Viktorovich Novitsky (; also '' tr.'' Novitskiy; born October 12, 1971) is a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Russian Air Force who logged over 700 hours of flight time and was awarded for bravery. He is currently serving as a Russian cosm ...

(b. 1971), Russian cosmonaut. *

Valery Shary Valery Shary (, born 2 January 1947) is a former Belarusian weightlifter and Olympic champion who competed for the Soviet Union. His 3 lift total of in the 82.5k weight class was never surpassed. Biography Shary was born in Chervyen. Shar ...

(b. 1947), Olympic light-heavyweight weightlifting champion.

Notes

References

External links

Chervyen official website

History of the town

Photos on Radzima.org

Local prison and statues

The murder of the Jews of Chervyen’
during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, at the

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...