Pinsk ( be, Пі́нск; russian: Пи́нск ;

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 ...

: Pińsk; ) is a city located in the Brest Region of Belarus, in the Polesia region, at the confluence of the Pina River and the Pripyat River. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk and is southwest of Minsk. The population is 138,415. The historic city has a restored city centre, with two-storey buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The centre has become an active place for youths of all ages with summer theme parks and a new association football stadium, which houses the city's football club, FC Volna Pinsk.

History

Timeline up to WWI

*In the 9th and 10th centuries, the town of Pinsk was majority

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

*1097 – the first mention of Pinsk * 1241 – transfer of the

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

diocese from Turov * 1316 – after this date, Pinsk was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania * 1396 – a Catholic church and a Franciscan monastery were erected * 1523 – Pinsk becomes a

royal city Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

, first owned by Queen Bona * 1569 – Pinsk becomes a seat of the poviat * 1581 – king Stephen Báthory grants Pinsk

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

* 1642–1646 - Saint Andrew Bobola stayed in the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

monastery in Pinsk and nearby, conducting evangelistic activity * 1648 – rebellion of the city and admission of

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

forces under the command of Colonel Maxim Hładki. The slaughter of burghers not of the Orthodox religion. The assault of Janusz Radziwiłł's troops on the city, under the command of the hetman Hrehory Mirski of about 1200–1300 people, ended with the capture of the city. The city was burned to the ground and about 1/3 – 1/2 of the inhabitants were killed (it is estimated that on the eve of the

Khmelnytsky Uprising The Khmelnytsky Uprising,; in Ukraine known as Khmelʹnychchyna or uk, повстання Богдана Хмельницького; lt, Chmelnickio sukilimas; Belarusian language, Belarusian: Паўстанне Багдана Хмяльніц ...

, Pinsk had about 10,000 inhabitants) * 1655 – Russians and

Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

attacked the city and murdered many inhabitants. * 1657 – in mid-May Zdanowicz's cossacks (about 2,000) destroyed the city and murdered many Roman Catholics. Jesuits, incl. Fr. Simon Maffon and Saint Andrew Bobola * 1660 – Cossacks attacked Pinsk, robbed a Jesuit college and church, and murdered, among others Fr. Eustachy Piliński * 1662 – return of the Jesuits to Pinsk, fire of the monastery after a year * 1666 – foundation of the Dominican monastery * 1690 – foundation of the Karolin settlement by Jan Karol Dolski * 1695 – construction of a church and castle in Carolina by Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki * 1706 – from May 5 to June 3. The capture of Pinsk by King of Sweden Charles XII. Blowing up the castle of Michał Serwacy Wiśniowiecki * 1707 – the occupation of Pinsk by the army of General Halast and General Hołowina * 1709–1710 and in 1716: a great epidemic with thousands of victims * 1717 – construction of the

Bernardine Bernardine is a Latinate diminutive of the given name " Bernard". It can be applied to men, notably Saint Bernadine, but is now much more often a female name. Bernadine and Bernadene are variant spellings of the female name. The nickname '' ...

monastery * 1734 – construction of a

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

monastery * 1756 – construction of the Mariavite Order emonastery * 1767 – construction of the Ogiński Channel * 1775 – construction of the Royal Canal * 1793 – the Second Partition of the Commonwealth. Pinsk now belongs to Russian Empire. * 1795 – establishment of the Catholic diocese of Pinsk (previously Pinsk was in the diocese of Lutsk) * 1799 – the incorporation of Karolina into Pinsk * 1796 – the liquidation of the Uniate diocese of Pinsk * 1799 – liquidation of the Pinsk Catholic diocese (it was moved to Minsk) * 1812 – in July, Pinsk was taken by Napoleon's army * 1850 – a candle and soap factory was established * 1882 – a railway line was brought from Żabinka and a match factory was opened * 1885 – construction of a river

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

in Leszcze * 1907–1909: a provincial circle of the Polish Education Association in Minsk operated in the city, which organized lectures on Polish literature and vocabulary, which, according to a report by the Russian police, "increased Polish national consciousness". * 1909 – during the local elections 22 Belarusians (orthodox), 7 Poles (catholics), 2 Jews and 1 representative of other nationalities were elected to the city council * 1915 – Russian authorities abandon the city escaping from advancing German forces

WWI and Polish–Soviet War

Pinsk was occupied by the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

on 15 September 1915, during the First World War. After the German defeat, Pinsk became the subject of dispute between the Belarusian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic, both short-lived. Pinsk was taken by the advancing Red Army on 25 January 1919, during the

Soviet westward offensive of 1918–19 The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

. It was retaken by Polish troops on 5 March 1919 during the Polish–Soviet War but was retaken by the Red Army on 23 July 1920 and finally retaken by the Polish on 26 September 1920. Pińsk became part of the reborn Poland in 1920 when the Polish-Soviet War ended with the Peace of Riga, signed in March 1921. Like many other cities in Eastern Europe, Pinsk had a significant Jewish population before World War II. According to the

Russian census of 1897 The first general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897 (Russian alphabet#Letters eliminated in 1917–18, pre-reform Russian: ) was the first and only nation-wide census performed in the Russian Empire (the Grand Duchy of Fi ...

, out of the total number of 28,400 inhabitants, Jews were approximately 74% of the population (21,100 persons), making it one of the most Jewish cities under tsarist rule. During the Polish-Soviet War, 35 Jewish civilians from Pinsk were executed by the Polish Army in April 1919 after being accused of collaborating with Russian Bolsheviks. The incident, known as the

Pinsk massacre The Pinsk massacre was the mass execution of thirty-five Jewish residents of Pinsk on April 5, 1919, by the Polish Army. The Polish commander "sought to terrorize the Jewish population" after claiming to being warned by two Jewish soldiers about ...

, created a diplomatic crisis noted at the Versailles Conference.''Best of the memory books'', Marcin Wodzinski, ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

'', Books, February 2009, pp. 28–30

Interwar period

Pińsk was the initial capital of the Polesie Voivodeship, but it moved to Brześć-nad-Bugiem (now

Brest, Belarus Brest ( be, Брэст / Берасьце, Bieraście, ; russian: Брест, ; uk, Берестя, Berestia; lt, Brasta; pl, Brześć; yi, בריסק, Brisk), formerly Brest-Litovsk (russian: Брест-Литовск, lit=Lithuanian Br ...

) after a citywide fire on 7 September 1921. The population of the city grew rapidly in interwar Poland from 23,497 in 1921 to 33,500 in 1931. Pińsk became a bustling commercial centre, and 70% of the population was Jewish, in spite of considerable migration.

Second World War

Following the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, Pinsk and the surrounding area was annexed to the

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

. It was the seat of the Pinsk Oblast from 1940. After Operation Barbarossa, Germany occupied Pinsk from 4 July 1941 to 14 July 1944, as part of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine. Most Jews were killed in late October 1942 during the liquidation of the

Pińsk Ghetto The Pińsk Ghetto ( pl, Getto w Pińsku; be, Пінскае гета) was a Nazi ghetto created by Nazi Germany for the confinement of Jews living in the city of Pińsk, Western Belarus. Pińsk, located in eastern Poland, was occupied by the Red ...

by the German '' Ordnungspolizei'' and the Byelorussian Auxiliary Police, 10,000 being murdered in one day. In 1945, after postwar border adjustments of Poland, Pinsk again became part of the

Post-WWII: USSR; Belarus state

In 1954 it became part of the Brest Voblast. Pinsk has formed part of

the Republic 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 ...

since Belarusian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Landmarks

Three main sights of the town are lined along the river: the Assumption Cathedral of the Monastery of the

Greyfriars Greyfriars, Grayfriars or Gray Friars is a term for Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, in particular, the Conventual Franciscans. The term often refers to buildings or districts formerly associated with the order. Former Friaries * Greyfriars, Be ...

(1712–1730), with a campanile from 1817, the Jesuit collegium (1635–1648); a large Mannerist complex, whose cathedral was demolished after World War II by communists; and the Butrymowicz Palace (1784–1790), built for Mateusz Butrymowicz, an important political and economical figure of Pinsk and Polesie. The Church of St. Charles Borromeo (1770—1782) and St. Barbara Cathedral of the Monastery of the St. Bernard Order (1786–1787) are placed near historic centre in the former Karolin suburb, which is now part of Pinsk. The foremost modern building is the black-domed Orthodox Cathedral of St. Theodore. File:Pinsk-Rynak.jpg, Old Market Square File:Pinsk, Nabiarežnaja-Rynak. Пінск, Набярэжная-Рынак (1920).jpg, Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and church of St. Dominic File:%D0%9Fi%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA,%D0%9A%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%86%D1%91%D0%BB.JPG, Cathedral of Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary File:%D0%9F%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA._%D0%91%D1%8B%D0%B2%D1%88%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%80%D1%8C_%D1%84%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B5%D0%B2..JPG, Monastery of the Greyfriars File:Цэнтр Пінска 12.jpg, Jesuit collegium File:Church_of_St._Charles_Borromeo,_Pinsk.JPG, Church of St. Charles Borromeo File:%D0%9Fi%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA,%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D1%86%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B2%D0%B0.JPG, St. Barbara Cathedral File:Pinsk Saint-Feodor-Cathedral.jpg, St. Theodore Cathedral File:Synagogue_in_Pinsk.jpg, Old Synagogue File:%D0%9F%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%86_%D0%91%D1%83%D1%82%D1%80%D1%8B%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%87%D0%B0_3.jpg, Butrymowicz Palace

Climate

Notable residents

Aaron of Pinsk Aaron of Pinsk, also Aharon Kretinger, was a rabbi in Kretinga, in the Kovno Governorate, and afterward in Pinsk, where he died in 1841. He wrote ''Tosafot Aharon'', in which he attempted to solve the questions of the Tosafists in various Talmudic ...

(died 1841), rabbi *

Matheus Butrymowicz Matheus Butrymowicz (1745–1814) was a Polish-Lithuanian statesman and landlord from Pinsk and a liberal member of the Great Sejm or Diet assembled in Warsaw from 1788 to 1792. A descendant of one of the oldest families of Lithuania and Samog ...

(1745–1814), Polish-Lithuanian statesman, reformer of Polesye *

Vladimir Chub Vladimir Fyodorovich Chub (russian: Владимир Фёдорович Чуб; born 24 July 1948) is a Russian politician who served as Governor of Rostov Oblast from 1991 until 2010. He was appointed governor in October 1991 and later that yea ...

(1948–), governor of Rostov Oblast in Russia *

Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich Vintsent Dunin-Marcinkievič ( be, Вінцэнт (Вінцук) Дунін-Марцінкевіч; pl, Wincenty Dunin-Marcinkiewicz; February 8, 1808 – December 21, 1884) was a Polish- Belarusian writer, poet, dramatist and social activis ...

, (1808–1884), Belarusian writer, poet, dramatist and social activist, author of the play ''Pinskaya shlyakhta' * Baruch Epstein (1860–1941), bookkeeper, rabbi and prolific Jewish scholar, best known for his Torah Temimah commentary on the Torah *

William Moses Feldman Dr William Moses Feldman FRSE FRCP (1880–1939) was a Russian-born expert on child health in Britain. Life He was born on 11 November 1880 in Pinsk in Russia the son of Israel Feldman. The family came to London in 1889 and William was then educ ...

(1880–1939), child physiologist, born in Pinsk * Semyon Furman (1920–1978), Chess grandmaster and trainer of World Champion Anatoly Karpov *

Olga Govortsova Olga Alekseyevna Govortsova ( be, Вольга Аляксееўна Гаварцова (Volha Alyakseyeuna Havartsova); ; born 23 August 1988) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. On 23 June 2008, she achieved a career-high singles ranki ...

, (1988–) Belarusian tennis player * Chaim Kanievsky (1928–2022), prominent Rabbi * Ryszard Kapuściński (1932–2007), Polish writer and reporter *

Igor Kolb Igor Kolb (born June 6, 1977 in Pinsk, Belarus) is a principal dancer of Mariinsky Ballet. He graduated Byelorussia State Ballet School, and joined Mariinsky ballet in 1996. He became a soloist in 1998, and promoted to principal dancer in 2003. He ...

(1977–), principal dancer of Mariinsky Ballet * Andrzej Kondratiuk (1936–2016), Polish film director, screenwriter, actor, and cinematographer *

Simon Kuznets Simon Smith Kuznets (; rus, Семён Абра́мович Кузне́ц, p=sʲɪˈmʲɵn ɐˈbraməvʲɪtɕ kʊzʲˈnʲɛts; April 30, 1901 – July 8, 1985) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1971 Nobel Memorial Pr ...

(1901–1985), 1971 Nobel laureate in economics * parents of

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...

, American fashion designer lived in Pinsk before moving to the U.S.A * Golda Meir (1898–1978), fourth prime minister of Israel, born in Kiev, lived two years of her childhood in Pinsk *

Shabsay Moshkovsky Shabsay Davidovich Moshkovsky (1895—1982) �абсай Давидович Мошковскийwas a Soviet physician, infectious disease scientist and epidemiologist with a particular interest in malaria. Biography Moshkovsky was born on Jul ...

(1895–1982), noted physician, research scientist and malariologist * Adam Naruszewicz (1733–1796), Polish-Lithuanian poet, historian, bishop * Narymunt, (1277–1348), Prince of Pinsk *

Theodore Odrach Theodore Odrach (February 13, 1912 – October 7, 1964), born Theodore Sholomitsky, was a Ukrainian writer of novels, short stories and memoirs. He is generally known as the "writer of the Pinsk Marshes." Early life Odrach was born in Misiatic ...

(1912–1964), Ukrainian and Polesian writer of novels, short stories and memoirs *

Napoleon Orda Napoleon Mateusz Tadeusz Orda ( be, Напалеон Орда; lt, Napoleonas Orda; 11 February 1807 – 26 April 1883) was a Polish-Lithuanian musician, pianist, composer and artist, best known for numerous sketches of historical sites of the ...

(1807–1883), Polish-Lithuanian musician, pianist, composer and artist *

Sławomir Rawicz Sławomir Rawicz (; 1 September 1915 – 5 April 2004) was a Polish Army lieutenant who was imprisoned by the NKVD after the German-Soviet invasion of Poland. In a ghost-written book called ''The Long Walk'', he claimed that in 1941 he and six o ...

(1915–2004), Polish Army lieutenant, claimed to have walked from Siberia to India during World War II *

Bona Sforza Bona Sforza d'Aragona (2 February 1494 – 19 November 1557) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as the second wife of Sigismund I the Old, and Duchess of Bari and Rossano by her own right. She was a surviving member of ...

, (1494–1557), Queen consort of Poland and Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania, Princess of Pinsk *

Yauhen Shatokhin Yauhen Shatokhin ( be, Яўген Шатохін, French transliteration: Iaouguene Chatokhine; February 25, 1947 in Pinsk – January 22, 2012 in Pinsk) was a Belarusian painter and political activist. Shatokhin graduated from the Pedagogic ...

(1947–2012), Belarusian painter and political activist *

Izya Shlosberg Izya Shlosberg (born November 4, 1950) is an American artist, writer and philosopher, well known for expressing his philosophical and scientific ideas through his paintings. Born in 1950 in Pinsk, Belarus, Izya moved to the United States in 199 ...

(1950–), Jewish American artist, born in Pinsk and lived in Pinsk for 44 years * Sir

Isaac Shoenberg Sir Isaac Shoenberg (1 March 1880 – 25 January 1963) was a British electronic engineer born in Belarus who was best known for his role in the history of television. He was the head of the EMI research team that developed the 405-line (Marconi-EM ...

(1880–1963), electrical engineer born in Pinsk, principal inventor of the first high-definition television system, as used by the BBC *

Helena Skirmunt Helena Skirmunt (sometimes Skirmuntt or Skirmuntowa; be, Гелена Скірмунт; 5 November 1827 – 1 February 1874) was a Polish painter and sculptor. She was mostly self-taught though she briefly studied under several German and Italia ...

(1827–1874), Polesian painter and sculptor * Raman Skirmunt (1868–1939), Belarusian and Polesian statesman, aristocrat and landlord * Kazimierz Świątek (1914–2011), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Metropolitan Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev and Apostolic Administrator of Pinsk * Chaim Weizmann (1874–1952), first president of Israel, born in Motal, near Pinsk and educated in Pinsk *

Tatiana Woollaston Tatiana Woollaston (born Tatiana Torchilo, alternative spelling Tatiana Tarchyla, be, Таццяна Тарчыла, 8 November 1986 in Pinsk, Soviet Union)

(1986–), professional snooker referee, born in Pinsk * Leo Zeitlin (1884–1930), composer, born in Pinsk before studying in Odessa and later moving to the U.S.A. *

Ivan Zholtovsky Ivan Vladislavovich Zholtovsky (russian: Иван Владиславович Жолтовский, be, Іван Уладзіслававіч Жалтоўскі; November 27, 1867 – July 16, 1959) was a Soviet and Russian architect and educator ...

(1867–1959), Soviet architect and educator

References

External links

Yad Yisroel - Pinsk

"The Jews of Pinsk"
by Jeremy Rosen. ''The Algemeiner'', July 28, 2013.
Jewish Community in Pinsk on Virtual Shtetl

Photos on Radzima.org

* ttp://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=338&letter=P&search=Pinsk "Pinsk" ''

Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...

''
Images of the Assumption Cathedral

News from Pinsk
* {{Authority control Brest Litovsk Voivodeship Cities in Belarus Holocaust locations in Belarus Pinsky Uyezd Polesie Voivodeship Populated places established in the 11th century Populated places in Brest Region Shtetls Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust