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Coordinates: 53°02′N 27°34′E / 53.033°N 27.567°E / 53.033; 27.567
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{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
| settlement_type = [[List of cities and largest towns in Belarus|Town]]
| settlement_type = [[List of cities and towns in Belarus|Town]]
| name = Slutsk
| name = Slutsk
| native_name = {{lang|be|Слуцк}}
| native_name = {{lang|be|Слуцк}}
Line 32: Line 32:
| area_land_km2 =
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| population_as_of = 2023
| population_as_of = 2024
| population_footnotes = <ref name="pop">{{cite web|url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/publications/izdania/public_bulletin/index_67469/|title=Численность населения на 1 января 2023 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2022 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417144107/https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/publications/izdania/public_bulletin/index_67469/|archive-date=17 April 2023|website=belsat.gov.by|access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref>
| population_footnotes = <ref name="pop">{{cite web|url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_89355/|title=Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402055418/https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_89355/|archive-date=2 April 2024|website=belsat.gov.by|access-date=9 April 2024}}</ref>
| population_total = 60,376
| population_total = 60,056
| population_metro =
| population_metro =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_km2 = auto
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| blank_name = License plate
| blank_name = License plate
| blank_info = 5
| blank_info = 5
| website = {{Official website|http://www.slutsk.minsk-region.by}}
| website = {{Official website|http://www.slutsk.minsk-region.by}}{{dead link|date=July 2024}}
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}
'''Slutsk'''<!--See WP:BELARUSIANNAMES--> ({{langx|be|Слуцк|Sluck}};{{efn|[[Instruction on transliteration of Belarusian geographical names with letters of Latin script|Official transliteration]].}} {{langx|ru|Слуцк}}; {{langx|pl|Słuck}}, {{langx|lt|Sluckas}}, [[Yiddish]]/[[Hebrew]]: סלוצק) is a town in [[Minsk Region]], [[Belarus]]. It serves as the administrative center of [[Slutsk District]],<ref name="pop"/> and is located on the [[Sluch (Belarus)|Sluch River]] {{convert|105|km|0|abbr=on}} south of the capital [[Minsk]]. As of 2024, it has a population of 60,056.<ref name="pop"/>
[[File:Slucak232.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cinema-Theatre "Belarus"]]
'''Slutsk'''<!--See WP:BELARUSIANNAMES-->{{efn|[[BGN/PCGN romanization of Belarusian|BGN/PCGN romanization]].}} ({{lang-be|Слуцк|Sluck}};{{efn|[[Instruction on transliteration of Belarusian geographical names with letters of Latin script|Official transliteration]].}} {{lang-ru|Слуцк}}; {{lang-pl|Słuck}}, {{lang-lt|Sluckas}}, [[Yiddish]]/[[Hebrew]]: סלוצק) is a town in [[Minsk Region]], [[Belarus]]. It serves as the administrative center of [[Slutsk District]],<ref name="pop"/> and is located on the [[Sluch (Belarus)|Sluch River]] {{convert|105|km|0|abbr=on}} south of [[Minsk]]. As of 2023, it has a population of 60,376.<ref name="pop"/>


==Geography==
==Geography==
The city is situated in the south-west of Minsk Region, {{convert|26|km|0|abbr=on}} north of [[Salihorsk]].
The city is situated in the south-west of Minsk Region, {{convert|26|km|0|abbr=on}} north of [[Salihorsk]].

===Climate===
{{Weather box
| width = auto
| collapsed = yes
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location = Slutsk (1991–2020)
| Jan record high C = 4.5
| Feb record high C = 5.7
| Mar record high C = 13.7
| Apr record high C = 22.9
| May record high C = 27.4
| Jun record high C = 29.9
| Jul record high C = 31.6
| Aug record high C = 31.3
| Sep record high C = 26.4
| Oct record high C = 20.0
| Nov record high C = 12.3
| Dec record high C = 6.4
| year record high C = 31.6

| Jan high C = -1.6
| Feb high C = -0.4
| Mar high C = 5.2
| Apr high C = 13.6
| May high C = 19.4
| Jun high C = 22.8
| Jul high C = 24.8
| Aug high C = 24.4
| Sep high C = 18.4
| Oct high C = 11.3
| Nov high C = 4.3
| Dec high C = -0.2
| year high C = 11.8

| Jan mean C = -4.1
| Feb mean C = -3.4
| Mar mean C = 0.9
| Apr mean C = 8.0
| May mean C = 13.6
| Jun mean C = 17.1
| Jul mean C = 19.0
| Aug mean C = 18.2
| Sep mean C = 12.9
| Oct mean C = 7.0
| Nov mean C = 1.8
| Dec mean C = -2.5
| year mean C = 7.4

| Jan low C = -6.8
| Feb low C = -6.4
| Mar low C = -2.8
| Apr low C = 2.8
| May low C = 7.8
| Jun low C = 11.3
| Jul low C = 13.2
| Aug low C = 12.3
| Sep low C = 7.9
| Oct low C = 3.4
| Nov low C = -0.5
| Dec low C = -4.8
| year low C = 3.1

| Jan record low C = -20.5
| Feb record low C = -18.4
| Mar record low C = -11.9
| Apr record low C = -3.6
| May record low C = 0.4
| Jun record low C = 4.6
| Jul record low C = 7.8
| Aug record low C = 6.1
| Sep record low C = 0.3
| Oct record low C = -4.5
| Nov record low C = -9.8
| Dec record low C = -15.7
| year record low C = -20.5

| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 41.2
| Feb precipitation mm = 34.6
| Mar precipitation mm = 37.5
| Apr precipitation mm = 36.8
| May precipitation mm = 64.1
| Jun precipitation mm = 79.7
| Jul precipitation mm = 88.8
| Aug precipitation mm = 61.1
| Sep precipitation mm = 47.3
| Oct precipitation mm = 49.7
| Nov precipitation mm = 43.0
| Dec precipitation mm = 44.1
| year precipitation mm = 627.9

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 10.5
| Feb precipitation days = 9.1
| Mar precipitation days = 8.8
| Apr precipitation days = 7.5
| May precipitation days = 9.8
| Jun precipitation days = 9.5
| Jul precipitation days = 10.3
| Aug precipitation days = 7.3
| Sep precipitation days = 7.4
| Oct precipitation days = 8.5
| Nov precipitation days = 9.7
| Dec precipitation days = 10.6
| year precipitation days = 109.0

| source = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="WMONormals">{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Belarus/CSV/SLUTSK_26951.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Slutsk
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = January 13, 2024}}</ref>
}}


==History==
==History==
[[File:Słucki zbor. Слуцкі збор (1901-17).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Early 20th-century view of the Calvinist Church and high school]]
Slutsk was first mentioned in writing in 1116. It was part of the [[Principality of Turov and Pinsk]], but in 1160 it became the capital of [[Principality of Slutsk|a separate principality]]. From 1320–1330 it was part of the domain of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. Later it was owned by the [[Olelkovich]] and [[Radziwiłł]] families, which transformed it into a center of the [[Polish Reformed Church]] with a [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] and a strong fortress.
Slutsk was first mentioned in writing in 1116. It was initially part of the [[Principality of Turov and Pinsk]] but in 1160 became the capital of [[Principality of Slutsk|a separate principality]]. From 1320–1330, it was part of the domain of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] vested it with [[Magdeburg rights|Magdeburg town rights]] in 1441.<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom X|year=1889|language=pl|location=Warszawa|page=838}}</ref> It was a [[private town]], owned by the [[Olelkovich]] and [[Radziwiłł]] families, which transformed it into a center of the [[Polish Reformed Church]] with a [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] and a strong [[fortress]].

The first Jewish residents arrived by the late 16th century, expanding in population over the following centuries until the town was majority Jewish from the 19th century until World War II.<ref name=yivo>[http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Slutsk Adam Teller, "Slutsk," ''YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'', (19 October 2010), accessed 25 January 2015].</ref> In the mid-17th century, [[Scots in Lithuania|Scottish]] immigrants settled in the town.<ref name=sgk>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom X|year=1889|language=pl|location=Warszawa|page=839}}</ref>


Following the 17th century, the city became famous for manufacturing [[kontusz belt]]s, some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces of garment of the [[szlachta]]. Because of the popularity of the cloths made here, belts worn over the [[żupan]] were often called ''[[Slutsk belt|of Slutsk]]'' despite their real place of origin.
Following the 17th century, the city became famous for manufacturing [[kontusz belt]]s, some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces of garment of the [[szlachta]]. Because of the popularity of the cloths made here, belts worn over the [[żupan]] were often called ''[[Slutsk belt|of Slutsk]]'' despite their real place of origin.


Slutsk was part of [[Russian Empire]] after [[Second Partition of Poland]] in 1793. It was occupied by [[Germany]] in 1918 and by [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] between 1919 and 1920 during [[Polish Soviet War]]. In 1920, it was the centre of a major anti-[[bolshevik]] uprising known as the [[Slutsk defence action]].
In 1778, it became a county seat within the [[Nowogródek Voivodeship (1507–1795)|Nowogródek Voivodeship]].<ref name=sgk/> Slutsk was part of the [[Russian Empire]] after the [[Second Partition of Poland]] in 1793. It was occupied by [[Germany]] in 1918 and by [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] between 1919 and 1920 during [[Polish–Soviet War]]. In 1920, it was the centre of a major anti-[[bolshevik]] uprising known as the [[Slutsk defence action]].


Until [[World War II]] and the [[Slutsk Affair]], the city was predominantly [[Jewish]]; however, now the population includes no more than 100 Jews.
Until [[World War II]] and the [[Slutsk Affair]], the city was predominantly [[Jewish]]; however, now the population includes no more than 100 Jews.
Line 72: Line 188:
On 2 October 1967, a riot occurred during which the local court building was set on fire, resulting in the death of a judge and a police officer. The riot, unprecedented in post-WW2 Soviet Belarus, was triggered by the conduct of a murder trial, which was perceived to be unjust by the local residents.<ref>[https://www.svaboda.org/a/30213411.html 52 гады таму жыхары Слуцку ўзбунтаваліся, спалілі суд разам з судзьдзёй. Новы паварот справы (52 years ago the residents of Slutsk rioted and set on fire the court building together with a judge. New turn of this case]</ref>
On 2 October 1967, a riot occurred during which the local court building was set on fire, resulting in the death of a judge and a police officer. The riot, unprecedented in post-WW2 Soviet Belarus, was triggered by the conduct of a murder trial, which was perceived to be unjust by the local residents.<ref>[https://www.svaboda.org/a/30213411.html 52 гады таму жыхары Слуцку ўзбунтаваліся, спалілі суд разам з судзьдзёй. Новы паварот справы (52 years ago the residents of Slutsk rioted and set on fire the court building together with a judge. New turn of this case]</ref>


===Jewish community===
== Massacre of Jews ==
The first indication of Jews in Slutsk is from 1583 when the city was part of Lithuania.<ref name=yivo/> Formal recognition came in 1601. By 1623, Jews owned 16 homes. In 1691, Slutsk became one of the five leading communities of the Lithuanian Jewish Council.<ref name=yivo/> By 1750 there were 1,593 Jewish people, accounting for one third of the population. In economic life, Jewish people were concentrated in commerce; three-fourths of the town's merchants were Jewish, and a similar share of people in the alcohol business were Jewish.<ref name=yivo/> After annexation by Russia in 1793, growth of the city slowed, in part due to it being bypassed by the railroad. By 1897 the Jewish community numbered 10,264 inhabitants, or 77% of the city population.<ref name=yivo/> They played a central role in the cities markets, particularly in agricultural produce.

[[File:Якаў Кругер. Халодная сінагога ў Слуцку.JPG|thumb|Cold Synagogue (Y. Krouger, 1921)]]
Slutsk was important in terms of Torah study. Among the rabbinic figures who served there were Yehudah Leib Pohovitser, Chayim ha-Kohen Rapoport, [[Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (Beis Halevi)|Yosef Dov Ber Soloveichik]] (1865–1874), and [[Isser Zalman Meltzer]].<ref name=yivo/> The famous [[Slutsk-Kletsk Yeshiva]] was founded in Slutsk in 1883 by Rabbi [[Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky]]. Another outstanding scholar of learning in the Talmud and Torah who was also a Hebrew poet and became a Hebrew educator in the United States was [[Ephraim E. Lisitzky|Ephraim Eliezer Lisitzky]], who was born and grew to his teens in Slutsk before emigrating to the U.S. According to legend the Baal Shem Tov visited Slutsk in 1733 at the invitation of Shmuel Ickowicz.<ref name=yivo/> Despite this, the town was known for its anti-[[Hasidism|hasidic]] [[misnagdim]]. The [[Haskalah]] and modern Jewish political parties also were represented among the population.<ref name=yivo/>

===Massacre of Jews===
During the German occupation of Slutsk, the Jewish inhabitants were systematically targeted for killing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Untold Stories - Slutsk|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/index.asp?cid=244|website=Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref> The first Jewish victims were killed in the garden on Monakhov Street during the initial days immediately following the arrival of the Germans on 27 June 1941. The victims numbered between 70 and 120, according to different sources.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Garden on Monakhov Street in Slutsk|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/murderSite.asp?site_id=206|website=Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref>
During the German occupation of Slutsk, the Jewish inhabitants were systematically targeted for killing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Untold Stories - Slutsk|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/index.asp?cid=244|website=Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref> The first Jewish victims were killed in the garden on Monakhov Street during the initial days immediately following the arrival of the Germans on 27 June 1941. The victims numbered between 70 and 120, according to different sources.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Garden on Monakhov Street in Slutsk|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/murderSite.asp?site_id=206|website=Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref>


[[File:Ghetto Slutsk 2d.jpg|thumb|Memorial to Holocaust victims]]
Four months later, on 27 and 28 October 1941, one of the largest single massacres occurred, known as the [[Slutsk affair]], when Jews were herded towards pits in the Gorovakha ravine, approximately {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of Slutsk, where they were shot. According to German sources the total number of victims was 3,400, while Soviet sources cite 8,000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gorovakha Ravine|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/murderSite.asp?site_id=207|website=Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref> These killings were carried out by two companies of the German 11th Reserve [[Order Police battalions|Order Police Battalion]] and the Lithuanian 2nd Battalion, which was a German-sponsored [[Schutzmannschaft]] or Auxiliary Police formation established in [[Kaunas]], soon after the Nazi occupation of [[Lithuania]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=MacQueen|first=Michael|date=2004|title=LITHUANIAN COLLABORATION IN THE "FINAL SOLUTION"|url=https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/Publication_OP_2005-07-03.pdf|website=CENTER FOR ADVANCED HOLOCAUST STUDIES UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM|page=5}}</ref>
Four months later, on 27 and 28 October 1941, one of the largest single massacres occurred, known as the [[Slutsk affair]], when Jews were herded towards pits in the Gorovakha ravine, approximately {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=on}} west of Slutsk, where they were shot. According to German sources the total number of victims was 3,400, while Soviet sources cite 8,000.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gorovakha Ravine|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/murderSite.asp?site_id=207|website=Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref> These killings were carried out by two companies of the German 11th Reserve [[Order Police battalions|Order Police Battalion]] and the Lithuanian 2nd Battalion, which was a German-sponsored [[Schutzmannschaft]] or Auxiliary Police formation established in [[Kaunas]], soon after the Nazi occupation of [[Lithuania]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=MacQueen|first=Michael|date=2004|title=LITHUANIAN COLLABORATION IN THE "FINAL SOLUTION"|url=https://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/Publication_OP_2005-07-03.pdf|website=CENTER FOR ADVANCED HOLOCAUST STUDIES UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM|page=5}}</ref>


Line 80: Line 203:


One of the last significant massacres of Jews occurred on 8 February 1943, with the liquidation of the "town ghetto" of Slutsk. The Jews were driven in trucks to the former estate of Mokhart, popularly called Mokharty, {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Slutsk, where they were shot from behind in mass graves by personnel of the [[Minsk]] security police office. During the liquidation, some Jews fought back, shooting at the German and Latvian soldiers. In response, the Germans burnt the ghetto to the ground. Postwar court proceedings cite a minimum of 1,600 victims, of which 1,200 were murdered at the graves at Mokharty, the rest in the ghetto itself.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former Mokharty Estate|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/murderSite.asp?site_id=213|website=Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref>
One of the last significant massacres of Jews occurred on 8 February 1943, with the liquidation of the "town ghetto" of Slutsk. The Jews were driven in trucks to the former estate of Mokhart, popularly called Mokharty, {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of Slutsk, where they were shot from behind in mass graves by personnel of the [[Minsk]] security police office. During the liquidation, some Jews fought back, shooting at the German and Latvian soldiers. In response, the Germans burnt the ghetto to the ground. Postwar court proceedings cite a minimum of 1,600 victims, of which 1,200 were murdered at the graves at Mokharty, the rest in the ghetto itself.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former Mokharty Estate|url=https://www.yadvashem.org/untoldstories/database/murderSite.asp?site_id=213|website=Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center}}</ref>

== Jewish community ==
The first indication of Jews in Slutsk is from 1583 when the city was part of Lithuania.<ref name=yivo>[http://www.yivoencyclopedia.org/article.aspx/Slutsk Adam Teller, "Slutsk," ''YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe'', (19 October 2010), accessed 25 January 2015].</ref> Formal recognition came in 1601. By 1623, Jews owned 16 homes. In 1691, Slutsk became one of the five leading communities of area of Lithuania.<ref name=yivo/> By 1750 there were 1,593 Jews. Although this number represented a third of the city's population, 75% of the town's merchants were Jews, and a similar proportion accounted for Jewish ownership and merchandizing of alcohol.<ref name=yivo/> After annexation by Russia in 1793, growth of the city slowed, in part due to it being bypassed by the railroad. By 1897 the Jewish community numbered 10,264 inhabitants, or 77% of the city population.<ref name=yivo/> They played a central role in the cities markets, particularly in agricultural produce.

Slutsk was not insignificant in terms of Torah study. Among the rabbinic figures who served there were Yehudah Leib Pohovitser, Chayim ha-Kohen Rapoport, [[Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (Beis Halevi)|Yosef Dov Ber Soloveichik]] (1865–1874), and [[Isser Zalman Meltzer]].<ref name=yivo/> The famous [[Slutsk-Kletsk Yeshiva]] was founded in Slutsk in 1883 by Rabbi [[Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky]]. Another outstanding scholar of learning in the Talmud and Torah who was also a Hebrew poet and became a Hebrew educator in the United States was [[Ephraim E. Lisitzky|Ephraim Eliezer Lisitzky]], who was born and grew to his teens in Slutsk before emigrating to the U.S. According to legend the Baal Shem Tov visited Slutsk in 1733 at the invitation of Shmuel Ickowicz.<ref name=yivo/> Despite this, the town was known for its anti-[[Hasidism|hasidic]] [[misnagdim]]. The [[Haskalah]] and modern Jewish political parties also were represented among the population.<ref name=yivo/>


== Notable people ==
== Notable people ==
*[[Mikhail Basalyha]] &ndash; Belarusian painter
*[[Uladzimir Basalyha]] &ndash; Belarusian painter
*[[Isaac Dov Berkowitz]] &ndash; Jewish and Israeli author
*[[Isaac Dov Berkowitz]] &ndash; Jewish and Israeli author
*[[Eliyahu Feinstein]] &ndash; rabbinic authority
*[[Eliyahu Feinstein]] &ndash; rabbinic authority
Line 94: Line 210:
*[[Semyon Kosberg]] &ndash; Jewish Soviet engineer
*[[Semyon Kosberg]] &ndash; Jewish Soviet engineer
*[[Shneur Kotler]] &ndash; [[rosh yeshiva]], [[Beth Medrash Govoha|Lakewood yeshiva]]
*[[Shneur Kotler]] &ndash; [[rosh yeshiva]], [[Beth Medrash Govoha|Lakewood yeshiva]]
*Harry Lefrak &ndash; father of [[Samuel J. LeFrak]], builder and realtor
*Shmuel David Leibowitz-Father of Boruch Ber Leibowitz
*[[Boruch Ber Leibowitz]] &ndash; leading [[rosh yeshiva]]
*[[Boruch Ber Leibowitz]] &ndash; leading [[rosh yeshiva]]
*Yisroel Leibowitz-leading Rabbi in Vilna from 1926
*Chaim Sholom Leibowitz-Son of Yisroel Leibowitz - Editor Of Birkas Shmuel, magnum opus of His Uncle Boruch Ber Leibowitz
*[[Isser Zalman Meltzer]] &ndash; Rabbi of Slutsk from 1903 to 1923
*[[Isser Zalman Meltzer]] &ndash; Rabbi of Slutsk from 1903 to 1923
*[[Artur Nepokoychitsky]] (1813-1881), Imperial Russian military leader
*[[Artur Nepokoychitsky]] (1813–1881) – Imperial Russian military leader
*[[Anastasiya Prokopenko]], world champion and Olympic bronze medalist in [[modern pentathlon]]
*[[Anastasiya Prokopenko]] – world champion and Olympic bronze medalist in [[modern pentathlon]]
*[[Gregory Razran]], (1901-1973), Russian American psychologist
*[[Gregory Razran]] (1901–1973) – Russian American psychologist
*[[Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill|Princess Sophia of Slutsk]], medieval Eastern Orthodox saint
*[[Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill|Princess Sophia of Slutsk]] – medieval Eastern Orthodox saint
* [[Fabijan Šantyr]] (1887 - 1920), Belarusian poet, writer and public figure who is regarded as “the first victim of [the Bolsheviks] in…Belarusian politics and literature”<ref>[https://baj.by/be/analytics/fabiyan-shantyr-autar-nashay-nivy-i-pershaya-ahvyara-balshavickaga-teroru-u-belaruskay "Фабіян Шантыр: Аўтар "Нашай нівы" і першая ахвяра бальшавіцкага тэрору ў беларускай палітыцы і літаратуры" [Fabijan Šantyr: An author of "Nasha Niva" and the first victim of Bolshevik terror in Belarusian politics and literature<nowiki>]</nowiki>.] baj.by (in Belarusian).</ref>
* [[Fabijan Šantyr]] (1887–1920) – Belarusian poet, writer and public figure who is regarded as “the first victim of [the Bolsheviks] in…Belarusian politics and literature”<ref>[https://baj.by/be/analytics/fabiyan-shantyr-autar-nashay-nivy-i-pershaya-ahvyara-balshavickaga-teroru-u-belaruskay "Фабіян Шантыр: Аўтар "Нашай нівы" і першая ахвяра бальшавіцкага тэрору ў беларускай палітыцы і літаратуры" [Fabijan Šantyr: An author of "Nasha Niva" and the first victim of Bolshevik terror in Belarusian politics and literature<nowiki>]</nowiki>.]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809173702/https://baj.by/be/analytics/fabiyan-shantyr-autar-nashay-nivy-i-pershaya-ahvyara-balshavickaga-teroru-u-belaruskay |date=2021-08-09 }} baj.by (in Belarusian).</ref>
*[[Edward Sperling]] &ndash; Jewish writer and humorist
*[[Edward Sperling]] &ndash; Jewish writer and humorist
*[[Mikola Statkevich]] &ndash; Belarusian politician
*[[Mikola Statkevich]] &ndash; Belarusian politician
Line 132: Line 244:


On 8 March 2022, the Polish city of Tczew ended its partnership with Slutsk as a response to the Belarusian involvement in the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.radiotczew.pl/wiadomosci/8701,tczew-zrywa-wspolprace-z-miastami-partnerskimi-z-rosji-i-bialorusi |language=pl |title=Tczew zrywa współpracę z miastami partnerskimi z Rosji i Białorusi | access-date =13 March 2022}}</ref>
On 8 March 2022, the Polish city of Tczew ended its partnership with Slutsk as a response to the Belarusian involvement in the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.radiotczew.pl/wiadomosci/8701,tczew-zrywa-wspolprace-z-miastami-partnerskimi-z-rosji-i-bialorusi |language=pl |title=Tczew zrywa współpracę z miastami partnerskimi z Rosji i Białorusi | access-date =13 March 2022}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
File:BLR Slutsk Railway Station 1.jpg|Slutsk train station
File:20_Slucak_Auto_ruch.jpg|Slutsk bus depot in the 1920s
File:350707Slucak063.jpg|Slutsk Homeland Museum
File:Slucak232.jpg|Cinema-Theatre "Belarus"
File:Słucak_Kamercyjnaja_vučelnia.jpg|Commercial college
File:Battle_of_Slutzk_1919.JPG|Painting of the Slutsk Defence Action
File:Slutsk Gymnasium east.jpg|Slutsk high school
File:Słucak, Senatarskaja. Слуцак, Сэнатарская (N. Orda, 1880).jpg|The high school, "The oldest school in Slutsk"
File:23 Slucak Bielaruski sielanin.jpg|Native Belarusian man
File:27 Slucak Zyd talmudyst.jpg|Studying Talmud in Slutsk
File:Slucak173.jpg|The Slutsk River
</gallery>


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 147: Line 274:
== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px">
File:BLR Slutsk Railway Station 1.jpg|Slutsk train station
File:20_Slucak_Auto_ruch.jpg|Slutsk bus depot in the 1920s
File:350707Slucak063.jpg|Slutsk Homeland Museum
File:Słucak_Kamercyjnaja_vučelnia.jpg|Commercial college
File:Battle_of_Slutzk_1919.JPG|Painting of the Slutsk Defence Action
File:Słucki zbor. Слуцкі збор (1901-17).jpg|Calvinist Church and high school
File:Ghetto Slutsk 2c.jpg|Site of the Slutstk Ghetto (today a playground and park)
File:Slutsk Gymnasium east.jpg|Slutsk high school
File:Słucak, Senatarskaja. Слуцак, Сэнатарская (N. Orda, 1880).jpg|The high school, "The oldest school in Slutsk"
File:23 Slucak Bielaruski sielanin.jpg|Native Belarusian man
File:25 Slucak Sialanie vioski Lucniki.jpg|Slutsk family
File:27 Slucak Zyd talmudyst.jpg|Studying Talmud in Slutsk
File:Slucak173.jpg|The Slutsk River
</gallery>


== External links ==
== External links ==
Line 169: Line 279:
* [http://slutsk-city.narod.ru/ Home page of the city of Slutsk]
* [http://slutsk-city.narod.ru/ Home page of the city of Slutsk]
* {{JewishGen-LocalityPage|1949730|Slutsk, Belarus}}
* {{JewishGen-LocalityPage|1949730|Slutsk, Belarus}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite journal |last1=J. Krajcar |first1=S.J. |title=The last Princes of Sluck and the West |journal=[[The Journal of Belarusian Studies|The Journal of Byelorussian Studies]] |date=1975 |volume=III |issue=3 |pages=269-287 |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/bela/3/3/article-p269_3.xml |access-date=3 June 2024}}


{{Minsk Region}}
{{Minsk Region}}
Line 177: Line 290:
[[Category:Populated places in Minsk Region]]
[[Category:Populated places in Minsk Region]]
[[Category:Slutsk District]]
[[Category:Slutsk District]]
[[Category:Slutsky Uyezd]]
[[Category:Dregovichs]]
[[Category:Dregovichs]]
[[Category:Nowogródek Voivodeship (1507–1795)]]

Revision as of 14:54, 7 December 2024

This article is about the city in Belarus. For the football club of this city, see FC Slutsk. For the Russian town known as Slutsk between 1918 and 1944, see Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg.
Slutsk
Слуцк
Town
Memorial to Princess Anastasia Slutskaya
Memorial to Princess Anastasia Slutskaya
Flag of Slutsk
Flag
Coat of arms of Slutsk
Coat of arms
Slutsk is located in Belarus
Slutsk
Slutsk
Location of Slutsk
Coordinates: 53°02′N 27°34′E / 53.033°N 27.567°E / 53.033; 27.567
CountryBelarus
RegionMinsk Region
DistrictSlutsk District
Founded1116
Area
 • Total
24.6 km2 (9.5 sq mi)
Elevation
250 m (820 ft)
Population
 (2024)[1]
 • Total
60,056
 • Density2,400/km2 (6,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code
223610
Area code+375 1795
License plate5
WebsiteOfficial website[dead link‍]

Slutsk (Belarusian: Слуцк, romanized: Sluck;[a] Russian: Слуцк; Polish: Słuck, Lithuanian: Sluckas, Yiddish/Hebrew: סלוצק) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slutsk District,[1] and is located on the Sluch River 105 km (65 mi) south of the capital Minsk. As of 2024, it has a population of 60,056.[1]

Geography

The city is situated in the south-west of Minsk Region, 26 km (16 mi) north of Salihorsk.

Climate

Climate data for Slutsk (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 4.5
(40.1) 		5.7
(42.3) 		13.7
(56.7) 		22.9
(73.2) 		27.4
(81.3) 		29.9
(85.8) 		31.6
(88.9) 		31.3
(88.3) 		26.4
(79.5) 		20.0
(68.0) 		12.3
(54.1) 		6.4
(43.5) 		31.6
(88.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −1.6
(29.1) 		−0.4
(31.3) 		5.2
(41.4) 		13.6
(56.5) 		19.4
(66.9) 		22.8
(73.0) 		24.8
(76.6) 		24.4
(75.9) 		18.4
(65.1) 		11.3
(52.3) 		4.3
(39.7) 		−0.2
(31.6) 		11.8
(53.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −4.1
(24.6) 		−3.4
(25.9) 		0.9
(33.6) 		8.0
(46.4) 		13.6
(56.5) 		17.1
(62.8) 		19.0
(66.2) 		18.2
(64.8) 		12.9
(55.2) 		7.0
(44.6) 		1.8
(35.2) 		−2.5
(27.5) 		7.4
(45.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −6.8
(19.8) 		−6.4
(20.5) 		−2.8
(27.0) 		2.8
(37.0) 		7.8
(46.0) 		11.3
(52.3) 		13.2
(55.8) 		12.3
(54.1) 		7.9
(46.2) 		3.4
(38.1) 		−0.5
(31.1) 		−4.8
(23.4) 		3.1
(37.6)
Record low °C (°F) −20.5
(−4.9) 		−18.4
(−1.1) 		−11.9
(10.6) 		−3.6
(25.5) 		0.4
(32.7) 		4.6
(40.3) 		7.8
(46.0) 		6.1
(43.0) 		0.3
(32.5) 		−4.5
(23.9) 		−9.8
(14.4) 		−15.7
(3.7) 		−20.5
(−4.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 41.2
(1.62) 		34.6
(1.36) 		37.5
(1.48) 		36.8
(1.45) 		64.1
(2.52) 		79.7
(3.14) 		88.8
(3.50) 		61.1
(2.41) 		47.3
(1.86) 		49.7
(1.96) 		43.0
(1.69) 		44.1
(1.74) 		627.9
(24.72)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 10.5 9.1 8.8 7.5 9.8 9.5 10.3 7.3 7.4 8.5 9.7 10.6 109.0
Source: NOAA[2]

History

Early 20th-century view of the Calvinist Church and high school

Slutsk was first mentioned in writing in 1116. It was initially part of the Principality of Turov and Pinsk but in 1160 became the capital of a separate principality. From 1320–1330, it was part of the domain of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Casimir IV Jagiellon vested it with Magdeburg town rights in 1441.[3] It was a private town, owned by the Olelkovich and Radziwiłł families, which transformed it into a center of the Polish Reformed Church with a gymnasium and a strong fortress.

The first Jewish residents arrived by the late 16th century, expanding in population over the following centuries until the town was majority Jewish from the 19th century until World War II.[4] In the mid-17th century, Scottish immigrants settled in the town.[5]

Following the 17th century, the city became famous for manufacturing kontusz belts, some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces of garment of the szlachta. Because of the popularity of the cloths made here, belts worn over the żupan were often called of Slutsk despite their real place of origin.

In 1778, it became a county seat within the Nowogródek Voivodeship.[5] Slutsk was part of the Russian Empire after the Second Partition of Poland in 1793. It was occupied by Germany in 1918 and by Poland between 1919 and 1920 during Polish–Soviet War. In 1920, it was the centre of a major anti-bolshevik uprising known as the Slutsk defence action.

Until World War II and the Slutsk Affair, the city was predominantly Jewish; however, now the population includes no more than 100 Jews.

Slutsk was occupied by the German Army on 26 June 1941, and placed under the administration of Reichskommissariat Ostland. The period of German occupation ended on 30 June 1944, when troops of the 1st Belorussian Front recaptured the town during the Minsk Offensive of the Red Army.

On 2 October 1967, a riot occurred during which the local court building was set on fire, resulting in the death of a judge and a police officer. The riot, unprecedented in post-WW2 Soviet Belarus, was triggered by the conduct of a murder trial, which was perceived to be unjust by the local residents.[6]

Jewish community

The first indication of Jews in Slutsk is from 1583 when the city was part of Lithuania.[4] Formal recognition came in 1601. By 1623, Jews owned 16 homes. In 1691, Slutsk became one of the five leading communities of the Lithuanian Jewish Council.[4] By 1750 there were 1,593 Jewish people, accounting for one third of the population. In economic life, Jewish people were concentrated in commerce; three-fourths of the town's merchants were Jewish, and a similar share of people in the alcohol business were Jewish.[4] After annexation by Russia in 1793, growth of the city slowed, in part due to it being bypassed by the railroad. By 1897 the Jewish community numbered 10,264 inhabitants, or 77% of the city population.[4] They played a central role in the cities markets, particularly in agricultural produce.

Cold Synagogue (Y. Krouger, 1921)

Slutsk was important in terms of Torah study. Among the rabbinic figures who served there were Yehudah Leib Pohovitser, Chayim ha-Kohen Rapoport, Yosef Dov Ber Soloveichik (1865–1874), and Isser Zalman Meltzer.[4] The famous Slutsk-Kletsk Yeshiva was founded in Slutsk in 1883 by Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky. Another outstanding scholar of learning in the Talmud and Torah who was also a Hebrew poet and became a Hebrew educator in the United States was Ephraim Eliezer Lisitzky, who was born and grew to his teens in Slutsk before emigrating to the U.S. According to legend the Baal Shem Tov visited Slutsk in 1733 at the invitation of Shmuel Ickowicz.[4] Despite this, the town was known for its anti-hasidic misnagdim. The Haskalah and modern Jewish political parties also were represented among the population.[4]

Massacre of Jews

During the German occupation of Slutsk, the Jewish inhabitants were systematically targeted for killing.[7] The first Jewish victims were killed in the garden on Monakhov Street during the initial days immediately following the arrival of the Germans on 27 June 1941. The victims numbered between 70 and 120, according to different sources.[8]

Memorial to Holocaust victims

Four months later, on 27 and 28 October 1941, one of the largest single massacres occurred, known as the Slutsk affair, when Jews were herded towards pits in the Gorovakha ravine, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Slutsk, where they were shot. According to German sources the total number of victims was 3,400, while Soviet sources cite 8,000.[9] These killings were carried out by two companies of the German 11th Reserve Order Police Battalion and the Lithuanian 2nd Battalion, which was a German-sponsored Schutzmannschaft or Auxiliary Police formation established in Kaunas, soon after the Nazi occupation of Lithuania.[10]

A further massacre was carried out over several days during the spring of 1942, when the inhabitants of the "field ghetto" of Slutsk were taken to the forest near the village of Bezverkhovichi, 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Slutsk, where they were shot or murdered in gas vans. According to survivors, the victims were driven to the execution site in two to four trucks on Mondays and Saturdays. The last Jews of the field ghetto were murdered on the Passover, 2–3 April 1942. The total number of Jews murdered at Bezverkhovichi is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 4,000.[11]

One of the last significant massacres of Jews occurred on 8 February 1943, with the liquidation of the "town ghetto" of Slutsk. The Jews were driven in trucks to the former estate of Mokhart, popularly called Mokharty, 5 km (3.1 mi) east of Slutsk, where they were shot from behind in mass graves by personnel of the Minsk security police office. During the liquidation, some Jews fought back, shooting at the German and Latvian soldiers. In response, the Germans burnt the ghetto to the ground. Postwar court proceedings cite a minimum of 1,600 victims, of which 1,200 were murdered at the graves at Mokharty, the rest in the ghetto itself.[12]

Notable people

Twin towns — sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Belarus

Slutsk is twinned with:[14]

Former twin towns:

On 8 March 2022, the Polish city of Tczew ended its partnership with Slutsk as a response to the Belarusian involvement in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[15]

  • Slutsk train station
    Slutsk train station
  • Slutsk bus depot in the 1920s
    Slutsk bus depot in the 1920s
  • Slutsk Homeland Museum
    Slutsk Homeland Museum
  • Cinema-Theatre "Belarus"
    Cinema-Theatre "Belarus"
  • Commercial college
    Commercial college
  • Painting of the Slutsk Defence Action
    Painting of the Slutsk Defence Action
  • Slutsk high school
    Slutsk high school
  • The high school, "The oldest school in Slutsk"
    The high school, "The oldest school in Slutsk"
  • Native Belarusian man
    Native Belarusian man
  • Studying Talmud in Slutsk
    Studying Talmud in Slutsk
  • The Slutsk River
    The Slutsk River

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Official transliteration.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  2. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Slutsk". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom X (in Polish). Warszawa. 1889. p. 838.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Adam Teller, "Slutsk," YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, (19 October 2010), accessed 25 January 2015.
  5. ^ a b Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom X (in Polish). Warszawa. 1889. p. 839.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ 52 гады таму жыхары Слуцку ўзбунтаваліся, спалілі суд разам з судзьдзёй. Новы паварот справы (52 years ago the residents of Slutsk rioted and set on fire the court building together with a judge. New turn of this case
  7. ^ "The Untold Stories - Slutsk". Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
  8. ^ "Garden on Monakhov Street in Slutsk". Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
  9. ^ "Gorovakha Ravine". Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
  10. ^ MacQueen, Michael (2004). "LITHUANIAN COLLABORATION IN THE "FINAL SOLUTION"" (PDF). CENTER FOR ADVANCED HOLOCAUST STUDIES UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM. p. 5.
  11. ^ "Bezverkhovichi (Gas Vans)". Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
  12. ^ "Former Mokharty Estate". Yad Vashem, The World Holocaust Remembrance Center.
  13. ^ "Фабіян Шантыр: Аўтар "Нашай нівы" і першая ахвяра бальшавіцкага тэрору ў беларускай палітыцы і літаратуры" [Fabijan Šantyr: An author of "Nasha Niva" and the first victim of Bolshevik terror in Belarusian politics and literature].Archived 2021-08-09 at the Wayback Machine baj.by (in Belarusian).
  14. ^ "Внешнеэкономическая деятельность". slutsk.minsk-region.by (in Russian). Slutsk. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
  15. ^ "Tczew zrywa współpracę z miastami partnerskimi z Rosji i Białorusi" (in Polish). Retrieved 13 March 2022.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Slutsk.

Further reading

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