Dzyarzhynsk or Dzerzhinsk, formerly Koidanova or Koydanava ( be, Дзяржы́нск, Dziaržynsk, formerly , ; russian: Дзержи́нск, Dzerzhinsk, formerly , ; pl, Kojdanów; yi, קוידאַנאָוו, Koydanov; lt, Kaidanava), in the
Dzyarzhynsk District
Dzyarzhynsk District is one of the districts of Belarus, located in Minsk Oblast, Belarus. The capital of the town is Dzyarzhynsk. In Dzyarzhynsk Raion (Dzerzhinsky district) the highest point of Belarus is situated. It is 345 meters above level s ...
of
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, is a city with a history dating to the 11th century.
History
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, the village belonged to the
Radziwiłłs, a
Polish–Lithuanian aristocratic family.
Jewish community
Jews lived in Koidanova as early as 1620.
Koidanova became the site of a new
Hasidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
in 1833 when Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Perlow (1797–1862) became the first
Koidanover Rebbe
A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...
.
He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Boruch Mordechai Perlow (1818–1870), grandson, Rabbi
Aharon Perlow (1839–1897), and great-grandson, Rabbi Yosef Perlow of Koidanov-
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
(1854-1915), who was the last Koidanover Rebbe to live in the town. After World War I, the dynasty was moved to
Baranovichi
Baranavichy ( ; be, Бара́навічы, Łacinka: , ; russian: Бара́новичи; yi, באַראַנאָוויטש; pl, Baranowicze) is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus, with a population (as of 2019) of 179,000. It is not ...
, then in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
.
In 1847, Koidanova had 2,497 Jewish inhabitants.
In 1897 the city had a total population of 4,744, of whom 3,156 were Jews.
Inter-war period
In May 1932 it was granted the status of a city and was renamed Koidanau ( be, Ко́йданаў, Kojdanaŭ) or Koydanov (russian: Ко́йданов, Koydanov). In June of that year it was renamed again as Dziaržynsk by the
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
authorities, in honour of
Felix Dzerzhinsky
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky ( pl, Feliks Dzierżyński ; russian: Фе́ликс Эдму́ндович Дзержи́нский; – 20 July 1926), nicknamed "Iron Felix", was a Bolshevik revolutionary and official, born into Poland, Polish n ...
(1877–1926), a famous Bolshevik creator and chief of the "Extraordinary Commission" (
CHEKA
The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə), abbreviated ...
) – the Soviet secret police - who was born in a Dziaržynava estate not far from the city, although on the other side of the then Polish-Soviet border.
The city was the capital of the short-lived
Dzierzynszczyzna
Polish National Districts (called in Russian "полрайоны", ''polrajony'', an abbreviation for "польские национальные районы", "Polish national raions") were in the interbellum period possessing some form of a na ...
Polish Autonomous District
Polish National Districts (called in Russian "полрайоны", ''polrajony'', an abbreviation for "польские национальные районы", "Polish national raions") were in the interbellum period possessing some form of a na ...
during 1932–38.
World War II
It fell under
German occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
during World War II. It was captured on 28 June 1941.
The
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
n Twelfth
Schutzmannschaft
The ''Schutzmannschaft'' or Auxiliary Police ( "protective, or guard units"; plural: ''Schutzmannschaften'', abbreviated as ''Schuma'') was the collaborationist auxiliary police of native policemen serving in those areas of the Soviet Union and ...
(auxiliary police) Battalion's 1st Company, led by Lieutenant Z. Kemzura, massacred approximately 1,600 Jews from the city on 21 October 1941, shooting them and throwing them into a pit; many were buried alive.
As it is reported in ''The Complete Black Book of Russian Jewry'': "For three hours the earth covering the mass grave would move; people still alive were trying to crawl out of their grave."
On 1–2 March 1942 the
Einsatzgruppen
(, ; also ' task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the im ...
transported several thousand Jews from throughout Belarussia and murdered them in Koidanov. The city was liberated by the Soviet
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
on 6 July 1944.
Modern day
In 1998, the city had 24,700 inhabitants.
Now part of Belarus, the name Kojdanava ( be, Койданава) is becoming popular again (it is the official name for the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
of Dziarzhynsk), but the official name remains unchanged.
Geography
The highest point of Belarus,
Dziaržynskaja Hara, is several kilometers from Dziaržynsk.
Transport
There is a rail route across the city from
Minsk Passazhirsky
Minsk-Pasažyrski ( be, Мінск-Пасажырскі, russian: link=no, Минск-Пассажирский) is the main passenger railway station in Minsk, Belarus. It is located in the centre of Minsk. It is sometimes called ''Minsk Ploshchad ...
to Baranovichi Polesskie.
There is only one bus route in Dziarzhynsk; there are 18 stops.
Sport
The local football club is the
Arsenal Dzerzhinsk, playing in the
Belarusian First League
The Belarusian First League is the second tier of professional football in Belarus. It was created in 1992, following the Belarusian independence.
History and format
The typical format of the league involves 16 clubs playing a double round-robin t ...
. Its home ground is the
City Stadium.
Notable residents
*
*
Avrom Reyzen
Avrom Reyzen (Yiddish: אַבֿרהם רייזען; April 8, 1876 – April 2, 1953), known as Abraham Reisen, was a Yiddish writer, poet and editor, and the elder brother of the Yiddishist Zalman Reisen.
Reyzen was born in Koidanov (Minsk, ea ...
(1876–1953), Yiddish writer, poet, and editor
*
Joseph Schlossberg Joseph Schlossberg (May 1, 1875 – January 15, 1971) was a Belorussian-born Jewish-American labor activist. Life
Schlossberg was born on May 1, 1875 in Koidanovo, Minsk Governorate, Russia, the son of Max Schlossberg and Bessie Feldman. He immig ...
(1875–1971), American labor union activist
*
Aharon Perlow (1839–1897) – third
rebbe
A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...
of
Koidanov
Dzyarzhynsk or Dzerzhinsk, formerly Koidanova or Koydanava ( be, Дзяржы́нск, Dziaržynsk, formerly , ; russian: Дзержи́нск, Dzerzhinsk, formerly , ; pl, Kojdanów; yi, קוידאַנאָוו, Koydanov; lt, Kaidanava), in t ...
*
Karol Hutten-Czapski
Count Karol Jan Alexander Hutten-Czapski, coat of arms Leliwa (b. 15 of August, 1860 in Stankow, Minsk Governorate , d. 30 January 1904 in Frankfurt am Main) was a Polish philanthropist. He was Mayor of Minsk between 1890 and 1901.
Family
Karo ...
,
Leliwa coat of arms
Leliwa is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several hundred szlachta families during the existence of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and remains in use today by many of the descendants of these families. The ...
, (1860-1904).
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
and philanthropist. President of
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
(1890-1901)
*
Emeryk Hutten-Czapski
Emeryk Hutten-Czapski ( be, Эмерык Гутэн-Чапскі), Leliwa coat of arms (17 October 1828 – 23 July 1896) was a Polish Count, scholar, ardent historical collector and numismatist.
Hutten-Czapski was born Emeryk Zachariasz Mikołaj ...
,
Leliwa coat of arms
Leliwa is a Polish coat of arms. It was used by several hundred szlachta families during the existence of the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and remains in use today by many of the descendants of these families. The ...
, (1828–1896).
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
, scholar, ardent historical collector and
numismatist
A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...
References
External links
*
Dzerzhinsk (in Russian)
{{Minsk Voblast
Cities in Belarus
Populated places in Minsk Region
Dzyarzhynsk District
Minsk Voivodeship
Minsky Uyezd