Belyov (russian: Белёв) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

Belyovsky District Belyovsky District (russian: Белёвский райо́н) is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-three in Tula Oblast, Russia.Law #954-ZTO Within the framework of municipal divisions, it is incorporated as Belyovsky Municip ...

Tula Oblast Tula Oblast (russian: Ту́льская о́бласть, ''Tulskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia. It is geographically in the European Russia region of the country and is part of the Central Federal District, covering ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, located on the left bank of the

Oka River The Oka (russian: Ока́, ) is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its ...

. Population: 13,180 (2018);

History

As is the case with many other towns in the former

Upper Oka Principalities In Russian historiography the term Upper Oka Principalities (russian: Верховские княжества - literally: "Upper Principalities") traditionally applies to about a dozen tiny and ephemeral polities situated along the upper course of ...

, Belyov was first mentioned in a chronicle in 1147. After the disintegration of the

Principality of Chernigov The Principality of Chernigov ( orv, Чєрниговскоє кънѧжьство; uk, Чернігівське князівство; russian: Черниговское княжество) was one of the largest and most powerful states within ...

in the wake of the

Mongol invasion of Rus' The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered Kievan Rus' in the 13th century, destroying numerous southern cities, including the largest cities, Kiev (50,000 inhabitants) and Chernihiv (30,000 inhabitants), with the only major cities escaping de ...

, Belyov became a seat of a local princely dynasty in 1468. The princes of Belyov fluctuated between the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

and the Grand Duchy of Moscow, until they moved to the latter state. During World War II, Belyov was occupied by the German Army in October, 1941, but was liberated by elements of 10th Army on December 31, during the Soviet counteroffensive phase of the Battle of Moscow. Following an incident where a local Jewish families were accused of murdering a child to use his blood to bake

matzah Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which ''chametz'' ( leaven an ...

, there was a rise in anti-Jewish propaganda by Communist Party members. These allegations that Jews used the blood of Christians in rituals was embarrassing to the Communist Party when it came from Party Members, and a

pogrom A pogrom () is a violent riot incited with the aim of massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe 19th- and 20th-century attacks on Jews in the Russia ...

was narrowly averted in this instance. Some press sources from that time, most in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

, condemned the inaction against the prominent community members and demanded adherence to Communist party policies on antisemitism.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Belyov serves as the

.Law #954-ZTO As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Belyovsky District as Belyov Town Under District Jurisdiction.Law #954-ZTO defines a town under district jurisdiction as a town which is a part of one of the districts of the oblast.

OKATO Russian Classification on Objects of Administrative DivisionThe English name of the document is given per the English title included on the document's first page. (russian: Общеросси́йский классифика́тор объе́кт ...

lists the town of Belyov as a part of Belyovsky District and separately from other administrative divisions of the district. As a municipal division, Belyov Town Under District Jurisdiction is incorporated within Belyovsky Municipal District as Belyov Urban Settlement.Law #543-ZTO

Architecture

The town contains one of the oldest churches in

Economy

Belyov is home to Transmash railroad equipment factory. It is also famous for

pastila __NOTOC__ Pastila (russian: пастила́) is a traditional Russian fruit confectionery ('' pâte de fruits''). It has been described as "small squares of pressed fruit paste" and "light, airy puffs with a delicate apple flavor". In Imperial ...

whose production started in 1888 and was revived in 2010s.

Notable people

Zinaida Gippius Zinaida Nikolayevna Gippius (Hippius) (; – 9 September 1945) was a Russian literature, Russian poet, playwright, novelist, editor and religious thinker, one of the major figures in Russian symbolism. The story of her marriage to Dmitry Merezhk ...

Alexei Osipov Alexei Osipov (born March 31, 1938, Belev, Tula oblast, Russia) - well known Russian Orthodox theologian, professor and lecturer from Moscow Orthodox Theological Seminary. He is also a widely popular Orthodox pedagogue, publicist and defender of R ...

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

Official website of Belyov

Belyov Business Directory
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Tula Oblast Belyovsky Uyezd