Zelva (Belarusian: Зэльва, romanized: Zеĺva;[a] Russian: Зельва; Polish: Zelwa; Yiddish: זעלווא) is an urban-type settlement in Grodno Region, in western Belarus.[1] It serves as the administrative center of Zelva District.[1][2] It is situated by the Zelvyanka River. As of 2024, it has a population of 6,296.[1]
Zelva
| |
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Coordinates: 53°09′N 24°49′E / 53.150°N 24.817°E | |
Country | Belarus |
Region | Grodno Region |
District | Zelva District |
First mentioned | 1258 |
Area | |
• Total | 15 km2 (6 sq mi) |
Elevation | 138 m (453 ft) |
Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 6,296 |
Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
Area code | +375-1564 |
History
editInitially Zelwa was a private possession of various nobles, by the mid-16th century it became a possession of the Polish Crown, and in the 17th century it became again a private possession of nobility, including the Sapieha, Połubiński, Radziwiłł, Jarmołowicz and Konarzewski families.[3] In 1720 weekly markets and annual fairs were established.[3] In 1739 a Piarist monastery was founded.[3]
In the interbellum, it was administratively located in the Wołkowysk County in the Białystok Voivodeship of Poland. According to the 1921 census, the population was 63.4% Jewish, 31.1% Polish and 5.3% Belarusian.[4]
Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, it was first occupied by the Soviet Union until 1 July 1941, and then by Nazi Germany until 12 July 1944 and administered as a part of Bezirk Bialystok. When the Germans entered the town, they killed 40 to 50 Jewish men and kept the Jews of the town imprisoned in a ghetto in very harsh conditions. In November 1942, the Jews were deported and murdered at the Treblinka extermination camp.[5]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ Gaponenko, Irina Olegovna (2004). Назвы населеных пунктаў Рэспублікі Беларусь: Гродзенская вобласць. Minsk: Тэхналогія. p. 205. ISBN 985-458-098-9.
- ^ a b c Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XIV (in Polish). Warszawa. 1895. pp. 566–567.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Tom V (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1924.
- ^ "History - Jewish community before 1989 - Zelwa - Virtual Shtetl". www.sztetl.org.pl. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02.