Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region,

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. It is situated on the Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it has a population of 79,285.

Nomenclature

The

Old East Slavic Old East Slavic (traditionally also Old Russian) was a language (or a group of dialects) used by the East Slavs from the 7th or 8th century to the 13th or 14th century, until it diverged into the Russian language, Russian and Ruthenian language ...

name, ''Polotesk'', derives from the Polota river, which flows into the neighboring

Western Dvina The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of t ...

. The

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

s rendered that name as ''Palteskja''.

Geography

Lakes

* Lake Babyna

Climate

History

Polotsk is one of the earliest mentioned cities of the

Eastern Slavs The East Slavs are the most populous subgroup of the Slavs. They speak the East Slavic languages, and formed the majority of the population of the medieval state Kievan Rus', which they claim as their cultural ancestor.John Channon & Robert Huds ...

. The ''

Primary Chronicle The ''Primary Chronicle'', shortened from the common ''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (, commonly transcribed ''Povest' vremennykh let'' (PVL), ), is a Rus' chronicle, chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been or ...

'' mentioned Polotsk in the year 862 (as Полотескъ, /poloteskŭ/), together with

Murom Murom (, ) is a historical types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the west bank of the Oka River. It borders Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and is situated from the administrative center Vladimir, ...

and

Belozersk Belozersk (), known as Beloozero () until 1777, is a town and the administrative center of Belozersky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the southern bank of Lake Beloye, from which it takes the name, northwest of Vologda, the admi ...

. However, an archaeological expedition from the Institute of History of the

National Academy of Sciences of Belarus The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB; ; , , ) is the national academy of Belarus. History Inbelkult - predecessor to the Academy The Academy has its origins in the Institute of Belarusian Culture (Inbelkult), a Belarusian acade ...

suggests that Polotsk existed in the first half of the 9th century. The first known prince of Polotsk was

Rogvolod Rogvolod (; ; 920978) was the first chronicled prince of Polotsk. He reigned until 978, when he and his two sons were killed by Vladimir the Great, then the prince of Novgorod, who took his daughter Rogneda as a wife. Name In the ''Primary Chro ...

(ruled 945–978). He had two sons and a daughter named

Rogneda Rogneda Rogvolodovna (; Christian name: ''Anastasia''; ), also known as Ragnhild (Ragnheiðr), is a person mentioned in the ''Primary Chronicle'' as having been a princess of Polotsk, the daughter of Rogvolod (Ragnvald), who came from Scandinav ...

. Rogvolod promised Rogneda to the

prince of Kiev The Grand Prince of Kiev (sometimes also Grand Duke) was the title of the monarch of Kievan Rus', residing in Kiev (modern Kyiv) from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prin ...

, Yaropolk, as a wife. But Yaropolk's brother,

Vladimir Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology ...

, had attacked Polotsk before Yaropolk came. He killed Rogvolod, his wife and sons, and married Rogneda. Vladimir and Rogneda had five children and the eldest of them, Izyaslav, became Prince of Polotsk (ruled 989–1001). Between the 10th and 12th centuries, the

Principality of Polotsk The Principality of Polotsk (obsolete spelling: ''Polock''; ; ), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality. The origin and date of the establishment of the state are uncertain. Chronicles of Kievan Rus' ...

emerged as the dominant center of power in what is now Belarusian territory, with a lesser role played by the

Principality of Turov The Principality of Turov, later called the Principality of Turov and Pinsk (; ; ), also known as Turovian Rus', was a medieval principality of Kievan Rus' from the 10th century on the territory of modern-day Belarus and northern Ukraine. The pri ...

to the south. It repeatedly asserted its sovereignty in relation to other centers of

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

, becoming a political capital, the

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

and the controller of

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...

territories among Balts in the west. Its most powerful ruler was Prince

Vseslav of Polotsk Vseslav Bryachislavich ( 1029 – 24 April 1101; also known as ''Vseslav the Sorcerer'' or ''Vseslav the Seer'') was Prince of Polotsk (1044–1101) and Grand Prince of Kiev (1068–1069). Together with Rostislav Vladimirovich and voivode Vys ...

, who reigned from 1044 to 1101. A 12th-century inscription commissioned by Vseslav's son Boris may still be seen on a huge boulder installed near St. Sophia Cathedral. During the

Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

, Polotsk avoided being invaded or paying tribute to the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

. But in 1240, it became a vassal of the Lithuanian princes. The

Grand Duke of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand duke, Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crown ...

Vytenis Vytenis was Grand Duke of Lithuania from to . He became the first monarch of the Gediminid dynasty to sustain a long-lasting reign, establishing the dynasty’s continuity and long-term governance of Lithuania. In the early 14th century, his ...

annexed the city by military force in 1307, completing the process which the Lithuanian princes had begun in the 1250s. Polotsk received a charter of autonomy guaranteeing that the grand dukes "will not introduce new, nor destroy the old".The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 1300-c. 1415. pp.769-770 It was the earliest to be so incorporated into the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

. By doing so, the Lithuanians managed to firmly grasp the Dvina trade route in their hands, securing an important element for the surrounding economies.The New Cambridge Medieval History: c. 1300-c. 1415. p.706

Magdeburg law Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...

was adopted in 1498. Polotsk functioned as a capital of the

Połock Voivodship Polotsk or Połock Voivodeship (; ; , ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (Grand Duchy of Lithuania) since the 15th century until the partitions of Poland in 1793. History The voi ...

of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

until 1772. Captured by the

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

army of

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar of all Russia, Tsar and Grand Prince of all R ...

in 1563, it was returned to the

just 15 years later. It was again captured by Russia on 17 June 1654, but recaptured by Poland–Lithuania on 30 October 1660 during the Russo-Polish War (1654–67). In 1772, Russia seized Polotsk (then Połock) as part of the First Partition of the

. Since the Russian Empress

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

did not acknowledge the Papal

suppression of the Society of Jesus The suppression of the Society of Jesus was the removal of all members of the Jesuits from most of Western Europe and their respective colonies beginning in 1759 along with the abolition of the order by the Holy See in 1773; the papacy acceded ...

(1773–1814), the Jesuit branches in these lands were not disbanded, and Połock became the European centre of the Order, with a

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

opening in 1780, and with the arrival of distinguished Jesuits from other parts of Europe who brought with them valuable books and scientific collections. Jesuits continued their pastoral work and upgraded the Jesuit College in Polotsk (opened in 1580 by decree of the Polish king

Stefan Batory Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

, with the Jesuit

Piotr Skarga Piotr Skarga (less often Piotr Powęski, incorrectly: Pawęski; 2 February 1536 – 27 September 1612) was a Polish Jesuit, preacher, hagiographer, polemicist, and leading figure of the Counter-Reformation in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealt ...

(1536–1612) as its first rector) into the

Połock Academy Polotsk () or Polatsk () is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the Western Dvina, Dvina River and serves as the administrative center of Polotsk District. Polotsk is served by Polotsk Airport and Borovitsy air base. As of 2025, it ...

(1812–1820), with three faculties (Theology, Languages and Liberal Arts), four libraries, a printing house, a bookshop, a theatre with 3 stages, a science museum, an art gallery and a scientific and literary periodical, and a medical-care centre. The school was also the patron of the college in Petersburg, the mission to

Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...

and an expedition to Canton. During the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...

the district saw two battles, the First Battle of Polotsk (August 1812) and the

Second Battle of Polotsk The Second Battle of Polotsk (18–20 October 1812) took place during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. In this encounter the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein attacked and defeated a Franco-Bavarian force under Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr ...

(October 1812). In 1820, pressure from the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

influenced the Russian Emperor Alexander I to exile the Jesuits and to close the Polock Academy, there were 700 students studying there. The Russian authorities also broke up the Academy's library of 40,000–60,000 volumes, the richest collection of 16th- to 18th-century books — the books went to St. Petersburg, Kiev and other cities, 4000 volumes (along with books from other closed Jesuit schools) going to the St. Petersburg State University Scientific Library. Polotsk came under occupation by the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

between 25 February 1918 and 21 November 1918 during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, by Poland between 22 September 1919 and 14 May 1920 in the

Polish–Soviet War The Polish–Soviet War (14 February 1919 – 18 March 1921) was fought primarily between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, following World War I and the Russian Revolution. After the collapse ...

. and by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

between 16 July 1941 and 4 July 1944 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In August 1944, there were serious considerations to transfer Polotsk and its surrounding areas (18,000 square kilometers) with ~400,000 people from the

Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and ...

to the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

, however

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, persuaded by

Panteleimon Ponomarenko Panteleimon Kondratyevich Ponomarenko (, ; ; 18 January 1984) was a Soviet Union, Soviet statesman and politician and one of the leaders of Belarusian resistance during World War II, Soviet partisan resistance in Belarus. He served as an administ ...

, eventually rejected to approve the already prepared transferring documents and subsequently Polotsk functioned as the center of Polotsk Region between 20 September 1944 and 8 January 1954. A reorganisation of the area between

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

and Molodechno Regions left Polotsk part of the former.

Cultural heritage

The city's

Saint Sophia Cathedral Saint Sophia Cathedral may refer to: * Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin, the Russian Orthodox cathedral in Harbin, China * Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine * Saint Sophia Cathedral, London, United Kingdom * Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod ...

(1044–1066) was a symbol of the independent-mindedness of Polotsk, rivaling churches of the same name in

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

and

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. The name referred to the original ''

Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia (; ; ; ; ), officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (; ), is a mosque and former Church (building), church serving as a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. The last of three church buildings to be successively ...

'' in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, and thus claims imperial prestige, authority and sovereignty. The cathedral had been ruined by the troops of

Peter I of Russia Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned jointly with his half-brother Ivan V until 1696. From this year, ...

. Hence th
present baroque building
by Johann Christoph Glaubitz dates from the mid-18th century. Some genuine 12th-century architecture (notably Transfiguration Church) survives in the Convent of Saint Euphrosyne, which also features a neo-Byzantine cathedral, designed and built in 1893—1899 by Vladimir Korshikov. Cultural achievements of the medieval period include the work of the nun Euphrosyne of Polotsk (1120–1173), who built monasteries, transcribed books, promoted literacy and sponsored art (including local artisan Lazarus Bohsha's famous " Cross of Saint Euphrosyne," a national symbol and treasure lost during

), and the prolific, original

Church Slavonic Church Slavonic is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia. The ...

sermons and writings of Bishop

Cyril of Turaw Cyril of Turov, alternately Kirill of Turov (, , ; 1130–1182) was a bishop and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was one of the first and finest theologians of Kievan Rus'; he lived in Principality of Turov, now southern Belarus. His f ...

(1130–1182). The first Belarusian printer,

Francysk Skaryna Francysk Skaryna (alternative transcriptions of his name: ''Francišak Skaryna'' or ''Francisk Skaryna''; , ; , ; 1470 – 1551/29 January 1552) was a Belarusian humanist, physician, and translator. He is known to be one of the first book ...

, was born in Polotsk around 1490. He is famous for being the first to print the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

in the

Old Belarusian Ruthenian (see also other names) is an exonymic linguonym for a closely related group of East Slavic linguistic varieties, particularly those spoken from the 15th to 18th centuries in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in East Slavic regions o ...

language (East Slavic language) in 1517, several decades after the first-ever printed book by

Johann Gutenberg Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg ( – 3 February 1468) was a German inventor and craftsman who invented the movable-type printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia, Gutenberg's invention of the printing ...

and just several years after the first Czech Bible (1506). In September 2003, as " Days of Belarusian Literacy" were celebrated for the 10th time in Polotsk, city authorities dedicated a monument to honor the unique Cyrillic Belarusian letter Ў, which is not used in any other Slavic language. The original idea for the monument came from the Belarusian

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

professor Paval Siemchanka, who has been studying

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...

scripts for many years.

Sports

The city has produced players for the Belarus national bandy team. In October 2011, the team planned to participate in the Russian Cup in

rink bandy Rink bandy is a variant of the larger sport of bandy. Unlike bandy which is played on a large bandy field, rink bandy is played on significantly smaller ice hockey-sized ice rinks. While a bandy field is about the same size as a football pi ...

, but did not after all.

Notable people

Uładzimir Arłou Uładzimir Arłou, known as U. A. Arlou (, ; born 25 August 1953 in Polotsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Belarusian historian, writer, politician, and poet. He is chairman of the Belarusian PEN International PEN International ( ...

(b. 1953), Belarusian historian and writer * Lyavon Barshchewski (b. 1958), Belarusian philologist and politicianLyavon Barshchewski: “I could become а prime minister. But not a president. And not a member of parliament. (Лявон Баршчэўскі: «Я прэм’ер-міністрам мог бы стаць. Але не прэзыдэнтам. І не дэпутатам»)
*

Boris Galerkin Boris Grigoryevich Galerkin (, surname more accurately romanized as Galyorkin; –12 July 1945) was a Soviet mathematician and an engineer. Biography Early life Galerkin was born on in Polotsk, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire, now part of ...

Andrei of Polotsk Andrei of Polotsk (; ; ; – 12 August 1399) was the eldest son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his first wife Maria of Vitebsk. He was the Prince of Pskov (through his deputy Yuri, 1342–1348) and Polotsk (1342–1387). As the ...

Bryachislav of Polotsk Bryachislav Iziaslavich (, ) (c. 997 – 1044) was the prince of Polotsk between 1001 and 1044. His name, possibly, may have been of something in approximation to Vratislav or Wroclaw. He was son of Iziaslav of Polotsk. During his reign Polotsk ...

* Euphrosyne of Polotsk *

Gabriel Lenkiewicz Gabriel Lenkiewicz-Ipohorski, SJ (15 March 1722, Polotsk – 21 November 1798, Polotsk) was a Polish-Lithuanian Jesuit priest, and ''Temporary Vicar General'' of the Society of Jesus from 1785 until 1798, at a time when under papal suppression in a ...

Izyaslav of Polotsk Iziaslav Vladimirovich (978–1001) was the son of Vladimir I of Kiev and Rogneda of Polotsk. He was the progenitor of the Polotsk branch of Rurikid princes known as the ''Iziaslavichi''. Biography When his father converted to Christianity in ...

Josaphat Kuntsevych Josaphat Kuntsevych, OSBM ( – 12 November 1623) was a Basilian hieromonk and archeparch of the Ruthenian Uniate Church who served as Archbishop of Polotsk from 1618 to 1623. On 12 November 1623, he was beaten to death with an axe ...

(c.1580-1623) Basilian monk, Archeparch of Polotsk and Vitebsk, and Saint in the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

* Mary Antin *

Rogneda of Polotsk Rogneda Rogvolodovna (; Christian name: ''Anastasia''; ), also known as Ragnhild (Ragnheiðr), is a person mentioned in the ''Primary Chronicle'' as having been a princess of Polotsk, the daughter of Rogvolod (Ragnvald), who came from Scandinav ...

Rogvolod Vseslavich Rogvolod Vseslavich, baptismal name Boris, was the Prince of Drutsk and Polotsk. He was the son of Vseslav of Polotsk, Grand Prince of Rus. Rogvolod probably was named in honor of his ancestor Rogvolod. Some historians, including Mikhail Pogodin ...

Sophia of Minsk Sophia of Minsk or Sophia of Polotsk (died 5 May 1198) was a Danish queen consort by marriage to King Valdemar I of Denmark, and a landgravine of Thuringia by marriage to Louis III, Landgrave of Thuringia. Life Origin Sophia was the daughter of ...

, Queen of Denmark * Symeon of Polotsk *

* Vyacheslav Gordanov *

Marina Osman Marina Vasilieva Starostenkova Osman (; born 1965 in Polotsk, Belarus), is a Belarusian classical and jazz concert pianist. Biography Early life and studies Marina Vasilieva was born in 1965 in Polotsk, Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, ...

Igor Shitov Igor Sergeyevich Shitov, sometimes written Ihar Shytaw (; ; born 24 October 1986) is a Belarusian football coach and a former right back. He is an assistant coach with Minsk. Career Club On 5 July 2016, Shitov signed a two-year contract with Ka ...

Natalya Kochanova Natalia Ivanovna Kochanova (née Tolkachiova; born 25 September 1960) is a Belarusian politician who has been Speaker of the Council of the Republic of Belarus since December 2019. Early life and career Kochanova was born on 25 September 196 ...

(b. 1960), speaker of the

Council of the Republic of Belarus The Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus (; ) is the upper house of the parliament of Belarus. History It was established after the Constitution of Belarus was amended in 1996 following a referendum, r ...

Gallery

File:Belarus-Polatsk-Cathedral of Sophia-2.jpg, Saint Sophia Cathedral File:Belarus-Polatsk-Cathedral of Sophia-3.jpg, Saint Sophia Cathedral File:Belarus-Polatsk-Boris Stone.jpg, Boris stone File:Belarus-Polatsk-Monastery of Epiphany-2.jpg, Bogoyavlensky Convent File:Bog-2.jpg, Bogoyavlensky Cathedral File:Polatsk-St. Euphrosine4.JPG, Convent of Saint Euphrosyne File:Polatsk-St. Euphrosine3.JPG, Convent of Saint Euphrosyne File:Dzvina Hotel and Frantsyska Skaryny Avenue in Polack.jpg, Polotsk main square with Hotel Dzvina File:Belarus-Polatsk-Railway Station-3.jpg, Railway station File:Білорусь 041.jpg, Former Lutheran church File:Belarus-Polatsk-Church of Protection of Holy Virgin-8.jpg, Church of Protection of Holy Virgin File:Belarus-Polatsk-Church of Andrew Babola-4.jpg, Church of Andrew Babola

Notes

References

External links

Polotsk
*
Photos on Radzima.orgWeather PolotskePOLOTSK.com
* {{Authority control Populated places in Vitebsk region Polochans Rus' settlements Magdeburg rights Trading posts of the Hanseatic League Populated places in Belarus