Mazyr ( be, Мазыр, ; russian: Мозырь ''Mozyr'' , pl, Mozyrz ,
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 v ...
: מאזיר) is a city in the
Gomel Region 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 ...
on the
Pripyat River about east of
Pinsk and northwest of
Chernobyl. It is located at approximately . The population is 111,770 (2004 estimate). The total
urban area
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...
, including the town of
Kalinkavichy
Kalinkavičy ( be, Калі́нкавічы, russian: Калинковичи, pl, Kalinkowicze) is a town in the Gomel Region of south-eastern Belarus. Kalinkavičy is located beside the Netech' River, opposite the town of Mazyr, and is the s ...
across the river, has a population of 150,000. Mazyr is known as a center of oil refining, salt extraction, machine building, and food processing in Belarus. It is home to one of the largest
oil refineries in Belarus, pumping out 18 million metric tons per year, and is served by a tram line. The
Druzhba pipeline carries crude oil from Russia, splitting in two at Mazyr. One pipeline branch is directed into
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
and the other one to
Ukraine.
Jewish community
Jews were first mentioned in chronicles in the second half of the 17th century. It is known that there were three synagogues in the city as of 1856. R. Kugel, a prominent Jewish community figure, had been the chief Rabbi of Mazyr since 1861. He was also the head of the local Jewish literacy school.
During this period Jews were mostly engaged in craftsmanship and trading. Part of Mazyr's industry, the match factory and the wood sawing factory were owned by Jews.
There were eight active synagogues, a
yeshiva, Jewish school and Talmud-Torah school in the wake of the 20th century. All of the facilities had been closed down by 1939.
Thousands of Jews were
executed by the Nazis in the local ghetto during World War II. After the mass execution, almost no Jews remained in the city, whereas before the war 30% of the population within the city was Jewish. On August 31, 1941, hundreds of Jews gathered inside a house at Malo-Pushkin street. They poured kerosene on the building walls and set it alight, while the people huddled inside. The mass suicide was an attempt to escape execution by the Nazis. The incident is known as the "Belarusian Masada".
After the war some Jews returned to Mazyr. Although they refused to take back the partially-destroyed synagogue building, an official Jewish community was registered in 1946. A few years later, authorities denied the organization's right to exist. The community organization was re-established officially in 1989, when a revival began in the city. A synagogue and a Jewish culture club were opened.
Places of interest
• A monument for Jews at the place of a mass grave
• A monument composed of black polished granite, commemorating the aforementioned "Belarusian Masada"
• A monument placed at the point of mass executions
• The Mazyr Castle, dating back to 16th century
• The Pkhov river port, the biggest port of Belarus
Population
Transport
Mazyr has a tram service, which commenced operation on 1 August 1988. The line starts at the tram depot and terminates at the oil refinery, with four turning loops located along the route. It is designed to server Mazyr Oil Refinery (MNPZ) and is owned by the refinery. Services on the tram line are coordinated with shifts at the refinery; service throughout the day is every 25-95 minutes while during the peaks it is 3-12 minutes, though those services pass suburban stops without stopping. Most passengers are workers, though it also serves residents living near the line. The total length of the line is 20.3 km, with a full trip time of 40 minutes. The line has a high-speed layout, with radius of minimum 400 meters. There were plans for a second tram line, but this has not come to fruition. The rolling stock is mainly
71-605 and its derivative vehicles. VD Bolshoi Bokov airfield is located south of Mazyr and was used by Russian military aircraft during the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Educational Centers
*
I.P. Shamyakin State Pedagogical University
*State Politehnikum (Technical College)
*Medical College
*Music College
*Art School
*State Lycee
*Gomel State School of Olympic Reserve
Twin towns – sister cities
Mazyr is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...
with:
*
Chojnice, Poland
*
Severodvinsk, Russia
Notable residents
*
Siarhiej Dubaviec
Siarhiej Dubaviec (''Сяргей Дубавец'', ; born. September 17, 1959 in Mazyr) is a Belarusian journalist and writer.
Graduated from the Belarusian State University journalism faculty.
Worked for the Belarusian Soviet Encyclopaedia p ...
(b. 1959) – Belarusian journalist and writer
[Дубавец Сяргей Іванавіч]
*
George de Mohrenschildt – geologist and friend of
Lee Harvey Oswald
*
Isaac Don Levine was born there
*
Zbigniew Morsztyn – Polish
nobleman of
Leliwa coat of arms,
poet of the
Baroque era, soldier, member of the
Polish Brethren,
Miecznik
Swordbearer ( Polish: ''miecznik'') was a court office in Poland. Responsible for the arsenal of the King and for carrying his sword.
Since the 14th Century an honorable title of the district office, in Kingdom of Poland and after Union of Lubl ...
of Mazyr. Cousin and co-worker of
Jan Andrzej Morsztyn.
*
Ksenia Sitnik – singer and winner of the
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005
*
Dzyanis Laptsew
Denis Igorevich Laptev ( be, Дзяніс Ігаравіч Лапцеў, russian: Денис Игоревич Лаптев, ''Denis Igorevich Laptev''; born 1 August 1991) is a Belarusian footballer who plays as a Forward (Association football), ...
– footballer
*
Hesya Helfman – member of ''
Narodnaya Volya'', who was implicated in the
assassination of Tsar Alexander II
References
External links
Satellite photo of Mazyr(from Google Maps). Ravines can be seen very clearly.
FC Slavia-Mozyr Official Site - www.slaviya.infoFC Slavia - www.slavia-mozyr.comСайт горада Мазыр Cities of Belarus:MozyrThe murder of the Jews of Mazyrduring
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, at
Yad Vashem website
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Gomel Region
Cities in Belarus
1155 establishments in Europe
Dregovichs
Kiev Voivodeship
Minsk Voivodeship
Mozyrsky Uyezd
Mazyr District