Information About ™Minsk |
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Minsk or '''Miensk''' (; ; ) is the Capital and a major city of Belarus with a population of 1,780,000 (2006 estimate}. Minsk is also a headquarters of the Commonwealth Of Independent States . As a capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is also the capital of Minsk Voblast ( Province ) and Minsk Raion . Minsk is situated by the Svislach and Niamiha rivers, at . Minsk's area is 266,8 sq km; highest point is 280.4 m above Sea Level . The timezone in Minsk is GMT +2. The oldest mentions of Minsk date back to the 11th Century (1067). In 1242 Minsk became a part of the Grand Duchy Of Lithuania and received its Town Privileges in 1499 . From 1569 it was a capital of the Minsk Voivodship in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . It was annexed by Russia in 1793 as a consequence of the Second Partition Of Poland . During 1919 – 1991 Minsk was the capital of the Byelorussian SSR . GEOGRAPHY Minsk is located on the southeastern slope of Minsk Hills - a country of rolling hills running from the southwest (upper reaches of river Niemen ) to the northeast - to the Lukomskae lake in northwestern Belarus. Average altitude above Sea Level is 220 m. Landscapes of Minsk were formed during the two most recent Ice Age s. Svislach River which flows across the city from the northwest to the southeast is located in the ''urstrohmtal'', ancient river valley, formed by water flowing from melting ice sheets at the end of the last Ice Age. Minsk was initially founded on the hills, however in the 20th Century it grew to relatively flat plains in the southeast. Western parts of the city are the most hilly. Minsk is located in the area of Mixed Forest s typical for most of Belarus . Pinewood and mixed forests are still present at the edge of the city (especially, in the north and east). Some of the forests were turned into Park s (for instance, the Chelyuskinites Park ) as the city grew. Minsk had moderate climate. It is located on the border of strong influence of the moist air of the Atlantic Ocean and of the dry air of the landmass of Eurasia . Its weather is unstable and tends to change often. Average January temperature is -6,1° Celsius , average July temperature is +17,8° Celsius. The lowest temperature was recorded on 17 January 1940 (-40 °C), the warmest - on 29 July 1936 (+35 °C). Air is often moist, with Humidity at 80-90%, especially during the cold season. There are on average 135 humid days a year, compared with only 6 dry days. This results in often fogs, which are common in the autumn and spring. Minsk receives annual Precipitation of 646 mm, of which third falls during the cold period (as Snow and Rain ) and two thirds - in the warm period. Throughout the year most winds are westerly and northwesterly, bringing cool and moist air from the Atlantic. HISTORY (''See main article'': History Of Minsk ) Early history The area of today's Minsk was settled by the Early East Slavs by the 9th Century . The valley of Svislach River was settlement boundary between two Early East Slavs ' tribal unions - Krivich and Dregovichs . By 980 the area was incorporated into the early medieval Principality Of Polatsk , one of the earliest East Slav states. Minsk was first mentioned (as ''Mensk'') in the Primary Chronicle in 1067 . 1067 is now widely attributed as a founding year of Minsk, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) should had existed for some time. In the early 12th Century Principality Of Polatsk disintegrated into smaller fiefs. Principality Of Minsk was established by one of the Polatsk dynasty princes. In 1129 Principality Of Minsk was annexed by Kiev , the dominant city of Kievan Rus , however in 1146 the Polatsk dynasty regained control of the principality. By 1150 Minsk has rivaled Polatsk as the major city in the former Principality Of Polatsk . Princes of Minsk and Polatsk were engaged in years of struggle trying to unite all lands previously under the rule of Polatsk . Lithuanian and Polish rule Minsk escaped the Mongol Invasion Of Rus in 1237-1239. However, in later years it was attacked by nomadic invaders from the Golden Horde , who turned many principalities of disintegrated Kievan Rus into their vassal states. Trying to avoid the Tatar Yoke , the Principality of Minsk sought protection from Lithuanian princes further north, who had been consolidating their power in the region. In 1242 Minsk became a part of the expanding Grand Duchy Of Lithuania . It was annexed peacefully and local elites enjoyed high ranking in the society of the Grand Duchy. In 1413 the Grand Duchy Of Lithuania and Kingdom Of Poland entered a personal union. Minsk became centre of Minsk Voivodship (province). In 1441 Lithuanian prince Kazimierz IV Jagiellon included Minsk into a list of cities enjoying certain privileges. During the reign of his son Aleksander Jagiellon Minsk received its Town Privileges ( Magdeburg Law ) in 1499 . In 1569 after the Union Of Lublin the Grand Duchy Of Lithuania and Kingdom Of Poland merged into a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . Since then, a Polish community settled in Minsk - government clerks, officers and craftsmen. By the middle of the 16th Century Minsk was an important economic and cultural centre of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . Minsk was an important centre for Eastern Orthodox Church . After the Union Of Brest there was a rise of influence of both Uniate Church and Roman Catholic Church . In 1654 Minsk was conquered by troops of Tsar Alexei of Russia . Russians governed the city until 1667 , when it was regained by Jan Kasimir , King of Poland . By the end of the Polish-Russian war Minsk had only about 2,000 residents and just 300 houses. The second wave of devastation occurred during the Great Northern War when Minsk was occupied in 1708 and 1709 - by the Swedish army of Charles XII and then by the Russian army of Peter The Great . The last decades of the Polish rule were indicated by decline or very slow development. Minsk was a small provincial town of little economic or military significance. By 1790 it had population of 6,500-7,000 and was slowly rebuilding to the city limits of 1654 . Most of Minsk residents were Jews and Poles , while Belarusians where a minority. Russian rule Minsk was annexed by Russia in 1793 as a consequence of the Second Partition Of Poland . In 1796 it became centre of the Minsk Guberniya (province). All Polish street names have been changed to Russian ones, however spelling of the city name remained unchanged. Throughout the 19th Century the city grew and significantly improved. In the 1830s major streets and squares of Minsk have been cobbled and paved. A first public library was opened in 1836 , a fire brigade was put into operation in 1837 . In 1838 first local newspaper, ''Minskie gubernskie vedomosti'' (“Minsk province news”) went into circulation. First theatre was established in 1844 . By 1860 Minsk was an important trading city with population of 27,000. There was a construction boom which led to building 2- and 3-storey brick and stone houses in ''Upper Town''. Development of the city was boosted by improvements in transportation. In 1846 Moscow - Warsaw road was laid though Minsk. In 1871 railway link between Moscow and Warsaw ran via Minsk, and in 1873 a new railway from Romny in Ukraine to the Baltic Sea port of Libava ( Liepaja ). Thus Minsk became an important rail junction and a manufacturing hub. Municipal water supply was introduced in 1872 , telephone - in 1890 , horse tram - in 1892 , and first power generator - in 1894 . By 1900 Minsk had 58 factories employing 3,000 workers. The city had theatres, cinemas, newspapers, schools and colleges, as well as numerous monasteries, churches, synagogues and a mosque. According to the 1897 Russian census the city had 91,494 inhabitants, about one third of them Jews . 20th century In the early years of the 20th Century Minsk was a major centre for the worker's movement in Belarus . It was also one of the major centres of Belarusian national revival, alongside with Vilnia . The First World War affected development of Minsk tremendously. By 1915 Minsk was a battle-front city. Some factories were closed down, and residents began evacuating to the east. Minsk became the headquarters of the Western Front of the Russian army. It also housed military hospitals and military supply bases. The Russian Revolution had an immediate effect in Minsk. A Worker's Soviet was established in Minsk in October 1917 , drawing much of its support from disaffected soldiers and workers. After the Treaty Of Brest-Litovsk German forces occupied Minsk in February 1918 . On 25 March 1918 Minsk was proclaimed capital of the Belarusian People's Republic . The republic was short-lived; in December 1918 Minsk was taken over by the Red Army . In January 1919 Minsk was proclaimed the capital of Byelorussian SSR . In 1919 , and again in 1920 , the city was controlled by the Second Polish Republic in the course of the Polish-Bolshevik War . Under the terms of the Peace Of Riga , Minsk was handed to Soviet Russia and became the capital of the Byelorussian SSR , one of the constituent republics of the Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics . A programme of reconstruction and development was started in 1922 . By 1924 there were 29 factories in operation; schools, museums, theatres, libraries were also opening. Throughout the 1920s and the 1930s , Minsk saw rapid development with dozens of new factories being built, and new schools, colleges, higher education establishments, hospitals, theatres and cinemas being opened. Throughout the 1920s and the early 1930s Minsk was a centre for the development of both Belarusian language and culture. Before World War II Minsk had a population of 300,000 people. After Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 as part of Operation Barbarossa , Minsk came immediately under attack. The city was bombed on the first day of the invasion and taken over by the German Army four days later. However, some factories, museums and tens of thousands of civilians had been evacuated to the east. The Germans made Minsk the administrative centre of ''Reichskomissariat Ostland'' and treated the local population harshly. Communists and sympathisers were killed or imprisoned; thousands were forced into slave labour, both locally and after being transported to Germany . Homes were expropriated to house German occupying forces. Thousands starved as food was seized by the German Army and paid work was scarce. At the same time, some residents supported the Germans, especially at the beginning of the occupation. By 1942 Minsk had become a major centre of the Soviet Partisan resistance movement against the German occupation, it what is known as the '' Great Patriotic War ''. For this role Minsk was awarded the title '' Hero City '' in 1974 . Minsk was the site of one of the largest Nazi-run Ghettos in World War II , with over 100,000 Jews . Minsk was re-taken by Soviet troops on 3 July 1944 during ''Operation Bargation''. The city was the centre of German resistance to the Soviet advance and saw heavy fighting in the first half of 1944. Factories, municipal buildings, power stations, bridges, most roads and 80% of houses were reduced to rubble. In 1944 Minsk's population was reduced to a mere 50,000. After World War II Minsk was rebuilt, but not reconstructed. The historical centre was substituted in the 1940s and 1950s by Stalinist Architecture , which favoured grand buildings, broad avenues and wide squares. In the following years the city grew rapidly as a result of massive industrialisation. Since the 1960s Minsk's population has also grown apace, reaching 1 million in 1972 and 1.5 million in 1986 . This rapid population growth was primarily driven by mass migration of young unskilled workers from from rural areas of Belarus , as well as by migration of skilled workers from other parts of the Soviet Union . To house the expanding population, Minsk spread beyond its historical boundaries. Its surrounding villages were absorbed and rebuilt as ''mikroraions'', districts of high-density apartment housing. Recent developments Throughout the 1990s the city continued to change. Becoming the capital of a newly independent country saw it quickly acquire the attributes of a capital city. Embassies were opened, and a number of Soviet administrative buildings were turned over into government buildings. During the early and mid-1990s Minsk was hit by an economic crisis and many development projects were halted, resulting in high unemployment and underemployment. Since the late 1990s there have been improvements in transport infrastructure and the arrival of a housing boom, especially after 2002 . On the outskirts of Minsk, new ''mikrorayons'' of residential development have been built. Metro lines have been extended, and the road system (including the Minsk ring road) has been improved. Due to the small size of the private sector in Belarus, most development has been financed by the government. Historical names
DEMOGRAPHICS Population growth
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