Uzda (; ) 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
Uzda District.
In 2009, its population was 10,000. As of 2024, it has a population of 10,619.
The town's name means "bridle".
History
Uzda was first referred to in 1450 as a country estate belonging to the Korsaks. From the second part of the sixteenth century, it belonged to the Kavechinskys, Zavishas, and Krasinskys. In 1574,
Symon Budny spent time there working on a Bible publication. In 1793, it became a part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. In 1798, the owner of the town, Kasimir Zaviha, built a wooden Catholic church named the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (preserved to the present day). At the time there was also a functioning Orthodox church named Saint Peter and Paul. In 1839–1849, the town had a printer, a school, four primary schools, a brewery, a mill, a pharmacy, a post office, 30 shops and a Sunday Fair. In 1886, it had a public college, a local board of administration, a school, a distillery, a brewery, a cloth factory, two mills, 24 shops, Orthodox and Catholic churches, a synagogue, a mosque, and three prayer houses. From 1894 to 1939, the population increased from 2,800 to 3,500 people. The Jewish population in Uzda in 1900 was assessed as 2,068 people.
On 1 July 1924, it was made the center of the Uzda district of the Minsk region. On 28 June 1941, it was occupied 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 ...
. About 5,600 people, including 1,740 Jews in the ghetto, were murdered.
On 29 June 1944, it was liberated by the 300th Voroshilov Partisan Brigade. On 25 December 1962, it was made a part of Dzerzhinsk district. On 30 July 1966, it became an independent district. Between 1970 and 1989, the population increased from 4,300 people to 9,500.
Geography
Uzda is located south-west of
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 ...
, from the town of
Stowbtsy, and from the town of
Dzyarzhynsk. Both of these towns are crossed by the
M1 highway (part of
European route E30).
Demographics
Population
Notable people
*
Devorah Baron, pioneering Jewish writer
*
Salomon Bernstein, painter
*
Moshe Feinstein, American Orthodox rabbi, came from this town, before emigrating to the United States
References
External links
Uzda official website
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Belarus
Populated places in Minsk region
Uzda district
1450 establishments
Holocaust locations in Belarus