Slawharad or Slavgorod ( be, Слаўгарад; russian: Славгород, pl, Sławograd) is a town in the Mogilev Region, Eastern Belarus. It is located in the east of the Region, on the banks of the Sozh River at the confluence with the Pronya River, and serves as the administrative center of the Slawharad District. As of 2009, its population was 7,992.

History

Slawharad was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1136 as Prupoy. It was also mentioned later under the names of Proposhensk, Propolsk, and Propoysk. In the 14th century, Propoysk became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where it was a part of Mstsislaw Voivodeship. From 1569 to 1772, Propoysk, like the rest of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, were part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Propoysk was badly damaged during the

Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) The Russo-Polish War of 1654–1667, also called the Thirteen Years' War and the First Northern War, was a major conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Between 1655 and 1660, the Swedish invasion was a ...

. In September 1772, as a result of the First Partition of Poland, the town was transferred to the Russian Empire and became a part of Mogilev Governorate. It was the center of Propoyskaya Volost of Bykhovsky Uyezd. As of 1881, the population of Propoysk was 3,400. In the 19th century, the town was one of major centers of iron production, however, the production stopped in 1872. It was also an important river port.

20th century

In 1919, Mogilev Governorate was abolished, and Slawharad was transferred to Gomel Governorate. On 17 July 1924, the governorate was abolished as well, and Propoysk became the administrative center of Propoysk Raion, which belonged to

Mogilev Okrug Mogilev (russian: Могилёв, Mogilyov, ; yi, מאָלעוו, Molev, ) or Mahilyow ( be, Магілёў, Mahilioŭ, ) is a city in eastern Belarus, on the Dnieper River, about from the border with Russia's Smolensk Oblast and from the bo ...

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

. On 15 January 1938, the raion was transferred to Mogilev Region. In January 1939, the population of Propoysk included 1,038 Jews, 22 percent of the total population. During the Second World War, the town was occupied by German troops and severely damaged. The Jews of the town were murdered in several operations in November 1941. On May 23, 1945, Propoysk was renamed Slawharad (Slavgorod), and Propoysk Raion was renamed Slawharad Raion. In 1986, it was considerably affected by the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

Economy

Industry

The industry in Slawharad produces food and serves local agriculture.

Transportation

The town is located on the highway connecting Roslavl in Russia with Bobruysk. There are also road connections with Mogilev, Chavusy, and Bykhaw.

Culture and recreation

The Propoysk Castle did not survive, but its location, the Castle Hill, between the Sozh and the Pronya, is an archaeological monument. There are several monuments of architecture which were built in the 18th and the 19th century. The most notable one is the Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos (1791–1793), located close to the Castle Hill.

References

External links

*
The murder of the Jews of Slawharad
during World War II, at Yad Vashem website. {{Authority control Towns in Belarus Populated places in Mogilev Region Slawharad District Radimichs Mstislaw Voivodeship Bykhovsky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Belarus