Karelichy is an
urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...
in
Grodno Region, in west-central
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 centre of
Karelichy District.
As of 2025, it has a population of 5,546.
History
It was a possession of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
, and later a
private town of the
Czartoryski
The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; ) is a Princely Houses of Poland, Polish princely family of Lithuanian-Ruthenians, Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia (political party), Familia. The family, whic ...
and
Radziwiłł families, administratively located in the
Nowogródek Voivodeship of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
.
The town was devastated by the
Crimean Tatars in 1505 and
Swedes
Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...
in 1655.
[ In 1784, King ]Stanisław August Poniatowski
Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuani ...
visited the town.[ French, Polish and Russian troops passed through the town in 1812.][
The town was historically a center of a large Jewish community; its population in 1900 was 1,840.JewishGen.org]
/ref>
In the interwar period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
, it was administratively located in the Nowogródek Voivodeship of Poland. Following the invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
in September 1939 at the beginning of 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 ...
, the town was first occupied by the Soviet Union until 1941, then by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
until 1944, and then re-occupied by the Soviet Union, and eventually annexed from Poland.
Notable people
* Ignacy Domeyko (from Niedźwiadka village in Karelichy district)
* Itzhak Katzenelson
* Karelitz family, Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, Nissim Karelitz
* Saul Adler
* David Einhorn, Jewish writer and poet
See also
* Mir Castle Complex
* Mir, Belarus
Notes
References
External links
Photos on Radzima.org
Urban-type settlements in Belarus
Populated places in Grodno region
Karelichy district
Historic Jewish communities in Belarus
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