Novopolotsk or Navapolatsk (, ; , ) is a city in Vitebsk Oblast,

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 ...

. Founded in 1958, it is located close to the city of

Polotsk Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a pop ...

and the name literally means "New Polotsk". In 2008, its population was 107,458. As of 2025, it has a population of 95,370.

Industry

Out of all the cities in the Vitebsk Oblast, Novopolotsk is the leading producer in the refining and chemical industry business. The entire city of Novopolotsk and Polotsk live and survive because of this industry.

OJSC "Naftan"

Naftan is the leading oil refinery. It was constructed in 1959. This refinery takes crude oil from the

Volga Region The Volga region, known as the ( , ; rus, Поволжье, r=Povolžje, p=pɐˈvoɫʐje; ), is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European ...

of Russia and generates diesel, gasoline, and kerosine, along with other technological products. In addition to Naftan, Belarus built a large chemical plant, called "Polymir". This plant produces plastic and

polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bott ...

. There are multiple products that could be produced from polyethylene, for example artificial fur.

Tourism

Novopolotsk is not very big in the tourism business. However, there are six hotels in the city available for tourists.

Sport

Novopolotsk has produced several players for

Belarus national bandy team The Belarusian national bandy team has been competing in the annual Bandy World Championship since 2001 (it started to be an annual tournament from 2003), but not in 2010, 2018 and 2019. The plan was to participate also in 2018, but Federation of ...

Daniil Garnitsky Daniil () is a Russian masculine given name. Daniil () may also be a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name Arts and literature *Daniil Andreyev (1906–1959), Russian writer, poet, and Christian mystic *Daniil Chyorny (c. 1 ...

is President of the

Belarusian Bandy Federation Belarusian Bandy Federation is the governing body for bandy in Belarus. Its headquarters is in Minsk. Belarusian Bandy Federation became a member of Federation of International Bandy in 1999. In 2016 it was working towards creating a professional te ...

Khimik-SKA Novopolotsk Khimik-SKA Novopolotsk is an ice hockey team in Novopolotsk, 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 ...

of the

Belarusian Extraleague The Belarusian Extraleague, abbreviated BHL, also known as the BETERA Extraleague for sponsorship reasons, or known as the Belarusian Open Championship, (), officially formed in 2006, is the top ice hockey league in Belarus. In its past, it has s ...

is the local pro hockey team.

Culture

There are several culture centres, music schools, of which the Novopolotsk State Musical College, art schools, and libraries in the city. There is also a museum of history and culture of Novopolotsk. The city has an a cappella music group, which won an international award.

International relations

Novopolotsk is twinned with: *

Chauffailles Chauffailles () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Geography Chaufailles lies in the extreme south of the department of Saône-et-Loire at the foot of the Beaujolais moun ...

, France * Dmitrovsky (Moscow), Russia *

Elektrostal Elektrostal (, ) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of Moscow. Population: 135,000 (1977); 123,000 (1970); 97,000 (1959); 43,000 (1939). It was previously known as ''Zatishye'' (until 1928). Etymology The name ''Elektrostal ...

, Russia *

Givors Givors (; ) is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Location It lies at the confluence of the Rhone and the Gier about south of Lyon and on the main road between that city and Saint-Étienne. ...

, France *

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...

, Serbia *

Kstovo Kstovo () is a town and the administrative center of Kstovsky District in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, earlier Sowjetunion / since 1991 Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, southeast of Nizhny Novgorod, the administrative center ...

, Russia *

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

, Russia *

Ludza Ludza (; , , , , ''Ludza'') is a town in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia. Ludza is the oldest town in Latvia and this is commemorated by a key in its coat of arms. Ludza is the administrative centre of Ludza Municipality that is located near ...

, Latvia *

Mažeikiai Mažeikiai (; Samogitian: ''Mažeikē''; ; ) is a city in northwestern Lithuania, on the Venta River. It has a population of around 32,000, making it the eighth largest city in Lithuania and eighteenth largest city in the Baltic States. Th ...

, Lithuania *

Odintsovo Odintsovo ( rus, Одинцово, , ɐdʲɪnˈtsovə) is a city and the administrative center of Odintsovsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Western suburb of Moscow. Population: History The village of Odintsovo was established in the la ...

, Russia *

Orekhovo-Zuyevo Orekhovo-Zuyevo (, ) is an industrial city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located east of Moscow in a forested area on the Klyazma River (a tributary of the Oka). Orekhovo (), often pronounced only as ''Orekh'', is a Russian word which means "nut ...

, Russia *

Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (), often referred to as Ostrowiec, is a city in southeastern Poland, in the historical region of Lesser Poland, with 66,258 residents (as of 2021). The town is one of the historic centers of Polish industry and metallurgy ...

, Poland * Pantelej (Niš), Serbia * Pavlovsk, Russia *

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is conside ...

, Russia *

Skadovsk Skadovsk (, , ) is a port city on the Black Sea coast in Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Skadovsk Raion and also hosts the administration of Skadovsk urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The ...

, Ukraine *

Smiltene Smiltene () is a town in the Vidzeme region in northern Latvia, 132 km northeast of the capital Riga, and the administrative centre of Smiltene Municipality. It has a population of 5,536 (2015). Name Its original name was Smiltesele (the end ...

, Latvia *

Ventspils Ventspils () is a state city in northwestern Latvia in the historical Courland region of Latvia, and is the sixth largest city in the country. At the beginning of 2020, Ventspils had a population of 33,906. It is situated on the Venta River and ...

, Latvia Former twin towns: *

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

, Poland In March 2022, the Polish city of Płock suspended its partnership with Novopolotsk as a response to Belarusian involvement in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

Notable people

People from Novopolotsk: * Mikalai Aliokhin (born 1998), handballer * Elvin Mohhubat oglu Aliyev (born 2000), footballer *

Igor Astapkovich Ihar Astapkovich (also Igor Vyacheslavovich Astapkovich, ; born 4 January 1963, in Navapolatsk) is a hammer thrower who won two Olympic medals, first representing the Soviet Union and later his home country of Belarus. He won silver medals at th ...

(born 1963), hammer thrower * Dzmitry Barysaw (born 1995), footballer *

Viktor Belyatsky Viktor Belyatsky (born 8 November 1970) is a Belarusian weightlifter. He competed in the men's middle heavyweight event at the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlant ...

(born 1970), weightlifter *

Darya Blashko Darya Blashko (, born 28 January 1996) is a Ukrainian biathlete. She has competed in the Biathlon World Cup since 2019. Biography She has been engaged in biathlon since 2006. Her trainers were Boris Vorobyov, Raisa Vorobyova and Volodymyr Mak ...

(born 1996), biathlete * Viachaslau Bokhan (born 1996), handballer *

Igor Brikun Igor Sergeyevich Brikun (; born September 6, 1986) is a Belarusian ice hockey goaltender for Yunost Minsk. Internationally he has played for the Belarusian national team. He participated at the 2015 IIHF World Championship. His older brother, Ki ...

(born 1986), ice hockey goaltender * Pavel Chernook (born 1986), ice hockey player *

Pavel Chernov Pavel Chernov (born 30 January 1990) is a Russian professional ice hockey player. He is currently playing with Shakhter Soligorsk of the Belarusian Extraleague (BLR). Playing career Chernov played with HC Vityaz Podolsk of the Kontinental Hock ...

(born 1990), ice hockey player * Vadim Devyatovskiy (born 1977), hammer thrower * Aleksandr Frantsev (born 1997), footballer *

Lyudmila Gubkina Lyudmila Gubkina (; born 13 August 1973 in Navapolatsk, Vitsebsk Voblast) is a 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 ...

(born 1973), hammer thrower * Danila Karaban (born 1996), ice hockey player *

Uladzislaw Kasmynin Uladzislaw Kasmynin (; ; born 17 January 1990) is a Belarusian professional footballer who plays for Neman Grodno. Career Club On 31 March 2022, Istiklol confirmed the signing of Kasmynin. Career statistics Club Honours ;Naftan Novopolot ...

(born 1990), footballer * Vitali Kiryushchenkov (born 1992), ice hockey forward * Alexander Kitarov (born 1987), ice hockey player *

Sergei Kolosov Sergei Afanasyevich Kolosov (; born May 22, 1986) is a Belarusian people, Belarusian former ice hockey defenceman. He last played with HC Generals Kyiv, Generals Kyiv of the Ukrainian Hockey League. Kolosov was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings of ...

(born 1986), ice hockey defenceman * Nikita Komarov (born 1988), ice hockey player * Dmitry Korobov (born 1989), ice hockey defenceman *

Andrei Kostitsyn Andrei Olegovich Kostitsyn (; ; born 3 February 1985) is a former Belarusian professional ice hockey forward. The media have nicknamed him "AK-46", a play on his initials (AK) and player number (46) in reference to the Soviet AK-47 rifle. He ...

(born 1985), ice hockey forward * Sergei Kostitsyn (born 1987), ice hockey forward; brother of Andrei *

Aleksandr Krasko Aleksandr Krasko (born 7 April 1972) is a Belarusian athlete. He competed in the men's hammer throw at the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly ...

(born 1972), athlete * Yuri Kurilsky (1979-2007), serial killer * Yuliy Kuznetsov (born 2003), footballer * Henadz Laptseu (born 1998), weightlifter * Aleksey Lesnichiy (born 1978), high jumper * Galina Nikandrova (born 1987), Olympic rhythmic gymnast *

Sergei Ostapchuk Sergei Igorevich Ostapchuk ( Belarusian: Сяргей Астапчук (Siarhej Astapchuk); March 19, 1990 – September 7, 2011) was an ice hockey player. He was playing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Ostapchuk ...

(1990-2011), ice hockey player *

Sergey Punko Sergey Punko (also spelled Sergei, born 10 January 1981 in Navapolatsk) is a formerly Belarusian, now Russian, Paralympic swimmer. He was born with a progressive eye disease, but had normal sight as a child. He started swimming at age 10, and comp ...

(born 1981), paralympic swimmer *

Sviatlana Sakhanenka Sviatlana Sakhanenka (born 26 October 1989) is a Belarusian visually impaired cross-country skier and biathlete. She made her Paralympic debut during the 2018 Winter Paralympics and she competed in the biathlon and cross-country skiing events. ...

(born 1989), cross-country skier * Alex Shabunya (born 1977), bodybuilder * Vadim Sushko (born 1986), ice hockey defenceman * Artem Teplov (born 1992), footballer * Vitaly Teterev (born 1983), chess player * Artyom Volkov (born 1985), ice hockey player * Roman Volkov (born 1987), footballer * Alexander Yeronov (born 1989), ice hockey player * Sergei Zadelenov (born 1976), ice hockey centre

Notes

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union Populated places established in 1958

Industry

OJSC "Naftan"

Tourism

Sport

Culture

International relations

Notable people

See also

Notes

References