Coat of Arms
(
Polatsk, , , , ) is a historical city in
Belarus, situated on the
Dvina river. It is the center of Polotsk district in
Vitsebsk Voblast. Its population is approximately 79,000. It is served by
Polotsk Airport and during the
Cold War was home to
Borovitsy air base.
History
The
Old East Slavic name,
Polotesk, is derived from the
Polota river, that flows into the
Dvina nearby. The
Vikings rendered that name as
Palteskja, or
Paltejsborg.Polotsk is one of the most ancient cities of the
Eastern Slavs. It was mentioned for the first time by the
Primary Chronicle in 862 (as Полотескъ, /poloteskŭ/), together with
Murom and
Beloozero. The
Norse sagas describe the city as the most heavily fortified in all of
Rus.
View of Polotsk in 1912
Between the 10th and 12th centuries, the
Principality of Polotsk emerged as the dominant center of power in what is now Belarusian territory, with a lesser role played by the principality of
Turaŭ to the south. It repeatedly asserted its sovereignty in relation to other centers of
Kievan Rus, becoming a political capital, the
episcopal see and the controller of
vassal territories among
Balts in the west. Its most powerful ruler was prince
Vseslav Bryachislavich, 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 the St. Sophia Cathedral. For a full list of Polotsk rulers, please see
List of Belarusian rulers.
Polotsk became part of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1307, and it is said to have been the main center of trade in the state. The
Magdeburg law was adopted in 1498. Polotsk was a capital of
Połock Voivodship of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1772. Captured by the
Russian army of
Ivan the Terrible in 1563, it was returned to
Lithuania just 15 years later.
That period of warfare started the gradual decline of the city. After the
first partition of Poland, Polotsk degraded to have the status of a small provincial town of the
Russian Empire. During the
French invasion of Russia in 1812, it was the site of two battles: see
First battle of Polotsk and
Second battle of Polotsk for details.
Cultural heritage
Saint Sophia Cathedral in 2006
The city's
Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Polotsk (1044-1066) was a symbol of the independent-mindedness of Polotsk, rivaling churches of the same name in
Novgorod and
Kiev and referring to the original
Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople (and thus to claims of imperial prestige, authority and sovereignty). The building of the cathedral had been ruined by the troops of
Peter I of Russia. Hence the by
Johann Christoph Glaubitz dates from the mid-18th century. Some genuine 12th-century architecture 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 Euphrosyne," a national symbol and treasure lost during
World War II), and the prolific, original
Church Slavonic sermons and writings of Bishop
Cyril of Turaw (1130-1182).
Belarusian first printer
Francysk Skaryna was born in Polotsk around 1490. He is famous for the first printing of the
Bible in an East Slavic language (in
Old Belarusian) in 1517, several decades after the first-ever printed book by
Johann Gutenberg 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 opened 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 professor Paval Siemchanka, who has been studying
Cyrillic scripts for many years.
Sports
The city has produced players to the
Belarusian national bandy team.
Notable People
