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Vitebsk (Ві́цебск), Belarus

Marc Chagall Home Museum, VitebskThe Marc Chagall Home Museum in Vitebsk
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BY_Vitebsk_Mark_Chagall_Home_Museum1.jpg
Author: Paju
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Vitebsk (Belarusian: Ві́цебск, Russian: Ви́тебск), in northeastern Belarus, is the fourth largest city in the country. Located not far from the border with Russia, the city has a population of 345,000 people (2011 estimate). It is located by the Vitba River.

Vitebsk is said to have been founded in AD 947, though the story of its founding is based on legend. The earliest recorded mention of the city appeared in 1021. Vitebsk was a seat of a minor principality in the 12th and 13th century, before being incorporated, in 1320, into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

When Poland and Lithuania formed a union in 1569, Vitebsk became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Over the centuries, the Commonwealth declined in power, until it was eventually partitioned between Russia, Prussia and Austria. Vitebsk became part of the Russian Empire following the First Partition of Poland in 1772.

Vitebsk, BelarusView of Lenin Street in Vitebsk, Belarus
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BY_Vitebsk_central_Lenin_Street.jpg
Author: Paju
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By the turn of the 20th century, Vitebsk had a sizable Jewish population. Perhaps the most famous Jew to come out of Vitebsk was the famous painter Marc Chagall. The Jewish population was to drop significantly during the Second World War, as the Nazis implemented widescale genocide. Many also perished in the Vitebsk Ghetto massacre on 11 July 1941.

After the Second World War, Vitebsk became part of the Soviet Union, under the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. When the Soviet Union collapsed, it became a city within the independent state of Belarus.

Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, VitebskChurch of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, Vitebsk
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vitebsk-blagoveschcerkov.jpg
Author: Andrey Schelkunov
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Despite the upheavals of the past century, Vitebsk has managed to restore and preserve many of its historic buildings which are now getting the attention of tourists to the city.

Visiting Vitebsk

The most practical way to reach Vitebsk is to take a train from Minsk.

Sights & Attractions in Vitebsk

  1. Church of the Annunciation of Virgin Mary
    This six-pillared church dating to the 1140s is one of the oldest structures in Belarus. It has been rebuilt several times, the last in 1992.

  2. Resurrection Church
    An Orthodox cathedral dedicated tot he Intercession of the Theotokos. It was first built in 1772 but was destroyed and rebuilt.

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About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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