Baranavichy

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Baranavichy
Баранавічы (Belarusian)
Барановичи (Russian)
City
Bank Baranavichy.jpg
Old Bank of Poland
Baranovichi, Belarus - panoramio (5).jpg
Railway museum
Budynak pazharnaga depo.jpg
Fire station
Baranavichy, Pakrouski sabor.jpg
Protection Church
BarSU.jpg
Baranavichy State University
Flag of Baranavichy.svg
Flag
Coat of arms Baranavicy.svg
Coat of arms
Belarus adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Baranavichy
Location in Belarus
Coordinates: 53°08′N26°01′E / 53.133°N 26.017°E / 53.133; 26.017
Country Belarus
Region Brest Region
First mentioned1706
City status1919
Area
 • Total
53.64 km2 (20.71 sq mi)
Elevation
193 m (633 ft)
Population
 (2025) [1]
 • Total
170,817
 • Density3,200/km2 (8,200/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code
225320
Area code +375 (0)163
Vehicle registration 1
Website www.baranovichy.by

Baranavichy or Baranovichi [a] is a city in the Brest Region of western Belarus. [2] It serves as the administrative center of Baranavichy District, though it is administratively separate from the district. [1] [2] As of 2025, it has a population of 170,817 and is the eighth largest city in the country. [1]

Contents

The city is home to an important railway junction and to Baranavichy State University. It is characterized by a favourable geographical position and is a major junction of the most important railways and highways. It is close to the main gas pipeline, has a developed system of energy and water supply, and a favourable climate. A number of large industrial enterprises are located in the city, which is one of the most important industrial, cultural, and educational centers of Belarus.

History

Early history

In the second half of the 17th century, the village of Baranavichy housed a Jesuit mission. In the second half of the 18th century, Baranavichy was the property of Massalski and Niesiołowski families. The village was administratively part of the Nowogródek Voivodeship until the Third Partition of Poland (1795) when it was annexed by Imperial Russia. In the 19th century, it belonged to the Countess E.A. Rozwadowski. It was part of the Novogrodek (now Navahrudak) okrug, which was part of Slonim Governorate, the Lithuania Governorate, the Grodno Governorate and then the Minsk Governorate.

Growth

The central railway station in the late 19th century Baranavicy Centralnyja. Baranavichy Tsentral'nyia (1880-89).jpg
The central railway station in the late 19th century

The town's history began on 17 November 1871 (O.S., 29 N.S.), the beginning of construction of a railway line to a new section of Smolensk-Brest. The name of the station arose during the construction of the nearby village, Baranavichy, whose first mention was in the testament of A.E Sinyavskaya in 1627. Then, in 1871, not far from the station, a locomotive depot was built.

In 1874, a railway junction appeared. In the wooden station buildings lived the railway workers of Baranavichy. The new railway linked Moscow with the western outskirts of Imperial Russia.

The impetus for more intensive settlement of the areas adjacent to the station from the south was the 27 May 1884 decision by the governor of Minsk to build a town, Rozvadovo, on the lands of the landlord, Rozwadowski. The town was built according to the governor's approved plan. The contained 120 houses and 500 people.

The plans approved by Emperor Alexander III assumed that there would also be one railway linking Vilnius, Luninets, Pinsk, and Rovno. Therefore, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) from the station, the Moscow-Brest railway crossed the track of the Vilnius-Rovno from Polesie railway. At the junction was another station, Baranavichy (according to Polesie Railways), which became the second centre of the city.

As before, workers and traders settled near the station. The new settlement was called New Baranavichy, unlike Rozvadovo, which became informally called Old Baranavichy. It was developed on the land owned by peasants of the villages near the new station (Svetilovichi, Gierow, and Uznogi). More convenient than the landlords' land, its lease terms and proximity to administrative agencies contributed to the rapid growth of this settlement.

20th century

At the beginning of World War I, Baranavichy was the location for the Stavka, the headquarters of the Russian General Staff, until the Great Retreat. [3]

Bank of Poland in Baranowicze in the 1930s Baranavicy, Marynskaja, Bank. Baranavichy, Marynskaia, Bank (1930-39).jpg
Bank of Poland in Baranowicze in the 1930s

After the settlement was left by the Germans, it was captured on 5 January 1919, by the Soviets. In the early stages of the Polish–Soviet War, it was briefly captured by the Poles on 18 March 1919 [4] and again captured, for a longer period, in April 1919, [5] five months after Poland regained independence. The Russians retook it on 17 July 1920, but the Poles took it again on 30 September 1920.

Pre-war monument of Artur Buol Monument of Artur Buol in Baranavicy in 1930 (standing on stairs Laszlo Magashazy and Waclaw Szalewicz).JPG
Pre-war monument of Artur Buol

On 1 August 1919, as Baranowicze, Baranavichy received city rights and became the administrative centre of a powiat in the Polish Nowogródek Voivodeship. According to the 1921 census, the city had a population of 11,471, 56.2% Jewish, 25.5% Polish, 16.6% Belarusian and 1.5% Russian. [6] Soon, the city started to grow and became an important centre of trade and commerce for the area. The city's Orthodox cathedral was built in the Neoclassical style from 1924 to 1931 and was decorated with mosaics that had survived the demolition of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw. In 1930, a monument to Hungarian Lieutenant colonel Artur Buol, a hero of Polish fights in the Polish–Soviet War, was unveiled in Baranowicze. [7] In the interwar years, the grandparents and the father of Polish politicians Lech Kaczyński and Jarosław Kaczyński lived in Baranowicze. [8]

The city was also an important military garrison, with a KOP Cavalry Brigade, the 20th Infantry Division and the Nowogródzka Cavalry Brigade stationed there. Because of the fast growth of local industry, a local branch of the Polish Radio was opened in 1938. In 1939 Baranavichy had almost 30,000 inhabitants and was the biggest and the most important city in the Nowogródek Voivodeship.[ citation needed ]

During the invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, the Soviet Union took the city on 17 September 1939 and annexed it to the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The local Jewish population of 9,000 was joined by approximately 3,000 Jewish refugees from the Polish areas occupied by Germany. After the start of Operation Barbarossa, the city was seized by the Wehrmacht on 27 June 1941. It became part of Generalbezirk Weißruthenien in Reichskommissariat Ostland during the German occupation. In August 1941, the Baranavichy Ghetto was created in the city, with more than 12,000 Jews kept in terrible conditions in six buildings on the outskirts. From 4 March to 14 December 1942, the entire Jewish population of the ghetto was sent to various extermination camps and killed in gas chambers. Only about 250 survived the war. [9] Hugo Armann, head of a unit that arranged travel for soldiers and security police, saved six people from a murder squad and another 35 to 40 people who worked for him. [10] The Germans operated a subcamp of the Stalag 337 prisoner-of-war camp in the city. [11]

Soviet troops passing through Baranavichi, July 1944 Sovetskie chasti prokhodiat po osvobozhdionnomu gorodu Baranovichi Brestskoi oblasti.jpeg
Soviet troops passing through Baranavichi, July 1944

The city was recaptured by the Red Army on 8 July 1944. [12] It was the seat of the Baranavichy Voblast from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1944 to 1954. Meanwhile, intensive industrialization took place. In 1991, the city became part of independent Belarus.[ citation needed ]

Demographics

As of 2025, it has a population of 170,817. [1]

The population density is more than 2,000 people per 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi).

Geography

The city of Baranavichy is located on the Baranavichy Plain at the confluence of the Shchara River and a tributary, the Myshanka. The city is located on a straight line connecting the regional center Brest (206 kilometres (128 mi) distant) and Minsk (149 kilometres (93 mi)). Nearby cities include Lyakhavichy (17 kilometres (11 mi)), Slonim (42 kilometres (26 mi)), Nyasvizh (51 kilometres (32 mi)), Navahrudak (52 kilometres (32 mi)), and Hantsavichy (72 kilometres (45 mi)).

Baranavichy is located on flat terrain at an altitude of from 180 to 200 metres (590 to 660 ft) above sea level, with the altitude of the city itself being 193 metres (633 ft) above sea level. The city extends 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from west to east, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from south to north, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the southwest (from Brestskaya Street) to the northeast (to Fabrichnaya Street), and 6.3 kilometres (3.9 mi) from the north (Sovetskaya Street) to the southeast (Frolenkov street). The total area of the city is 80.66 square kilometres (31.14 sq mi; 8,066 ha), as of 12 August 2012).

The northernmost point of the city is Korolik Street, located to the north of the Baranovichsky automatic lines plant at 53°10' north latitude, and the southernmost is the village of Uznogi, located at 53°06' north latitude. The extreme western point is located in the vicinity of Badaka Street at 25°57' east longitude, and the extreme eastern point is located in the vicinity of the intersection of Egorov Street and Kashtanovaya Street at 26°04' east longitude. The geometric center of the city is Lenin Square. In total, the city has about five hundred streets and lanes with an overall length of 252.8 kilometres (157.1 mi), 129.8 kilometres (80.7 mi) of which are landscaped and 240 kilometres (150 mi) lighted.

Climate

Climate data for Baranavichy (1991–2020, extremes 1940–present)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)13.0
(55.4)		15.1
(59.2)		25.5
(77.9)		29.0
(84.2)		31.5
(88.7)		34.3
(93.7)		34.7
(94.5)		35.7
(96.3)		33.5
(92.3)		25.5
(77.9)		17.8
(64.0)		11.4
(52.5)		35.7
(96.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)−1.5
(29.3)		−0.2
(31.6)		5.2
(41.4)		13.3
(55.9)		19.1
(66.4)		22.5
(72.5)		24.4
(75.9)		24.1
(75.4)		18.2
(64.8)		11.2
(52.2)		4.3
(39.7)		−0.1
(31.8)		11.7
(53.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)−3.8
(25.2)		−3
(27)		1.2
(34.2)		8.1
(46.6)		13.6
(56.5)		17.0
(62.6)		18.9
(66.0)		18.3
(64.9)		13.0
(55.4)		7.2
(45.0)		2.0
(35.6)		−2.2
(28.0)		7.5
(45.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)−6.0
(21.2)		−5.6
(21.9)		−2.1
(28.2)		3.3
(37.9)		8.2
(46.8)		11.8
(53.2)		13.6
(56.5)		12.9
(55.2)		8.5
(47.3)		3.9
(39.0)		0.0
(32.0)		−4.2
(24.4)		3.7
(38.7)
Record low °C (°F)−34.5
(−30.1)		−35.4
(−31.7)		−28.8
(−19.8)		−9.6
(14.7)		−4.1
(24.6)		0.9
(33.6)		3.9
(39.0)		−0.5
(31.1)		−3.4
(25.9)		−11.2
(11.8)		−19.5
(−3.1)		−29.9
(−21.8)		−35.4
(−31.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)41
(1.6)		36
(1.4)		37
(1.5)		38
(1.5)		68
(2.7)		77
(3.0)		96
(3.8)		53
(2.1)		55
(2.2)		47
(1.9)		43
(1.7)		45
(1.8)		636
(25.0)
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches)6
(2.4)		8
(3.1)		4
(1.6)		0
(0)		0
(0)		0
(0)		0
(0)		0
(0)		0
(0)		0
(0)		1
(0.4)		4
(1.6)		8
(3.1)
Average rainy days978111515151213141310142
Average snowy days16161130.10000281571
Average relative humidity (%)87847969687374737983888979
Source: Pogoda.ru.net [13]

Transport

Former Baranavichy Law Institute is now a constituent part of Baranavichy State University Baranovichi Law Institute.jpg
Former Baranavichy Law Institute is now a constituent part of Baranavichy State University
Baranavichy. Fountain at Central Square Baranovichi Fountain at Central Square.jpg
Baranavichy. Fountain at Central Square
Ballistic missile on display in Baranavichy Belarus-Baranavichy-Ballistic Missile Monument.jpg
Ballistic missile on display in Baranavichy

The city is on the main east–west highway in Belarus, the M1, which forms a part of European route E30. As of 1 January 2019, 81,829 passenger cars are registered in Baranavichy. Almost every second citizen of the city owns a passenger car.

The first rail line through the city opened in around 1870. Additional railways helped the city become an important rail junction.

The large airbase, south of the city, is used by the Belarusian Air Force.

Attractions

As a fairly young city, Baranavichy does not have many cultural heritage monuments. Most are buildings erected in the interwar period, including the Catholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the former Bank of Poland building, the building of the Polish Radio Baranowicze station, the fire station and the Orthodox Church of the Protection of the Holy Virgin. A few old houses from the early 20th century are preserved. There is a railway museum in the city.

Twin towns – sister cities

Baranavichy is twinned with: [14]

In 2022 Jelgava, Latvia (2006) suspended the cooperation agreements with Baranavichy due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [15]

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ /bəˈrɑːnəvɪtʃi/ bə-RAH-nə-vitch-ee; Belarusian: Баранавічы, romanized: Baranavičy, IPA: [baˈranavʲitʂɨ] ⓘ ; Russian: Барановичи, romanized: Baranovichi [bɐˈranəvʲɪtɕɪ] ; Yiddish: באַראַנאָוויטש; Polish: Baranowicze.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Численность населения на 1 января 2025 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2024 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 Gaponenko, Irina Olegovna (2010). Назвы населеных пунктаў Рэспублікі Беларусь: Брэсцкая вобласць. Minsk: Тэхналогія. p. 60. ISBN   978-985-458-198-9.
  3. ↑ Massie, Robert (1967). Nicholas and Alexandria. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 300. ISBN   9780345438317.
  4. ↑ Lech Wyszczelski, Wojna polsko-rosyjska 1919–1920, Bellona, Warsaw, 2010, p. 70 (in Polish)
  5. ↑ Paweł Wlezień. "Baranowicze – Nowogródek kwiecień 1919". Historia Wojskowa (in Polish). Archived from the original on 17 September 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  6. ↑ Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Tom VII. Część I (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1923. p. 3.
  7. ↑ Sławek Zagórski (12 August 2015). "Artur Buol - węgierski bohater Wojska Polskiego". Menway w Interia.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "Kim był ojciec Jarosława i Lecha Kaczyńskich?". Fakt24.pl (in Polish). 17 April 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Jewish Heritage Research Group in Belarus". jhrgbelarus.org. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  10. ↑ "Armann Hugo". Yad Vashem . Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  11. ↑ Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 333. ISBN   978-0-253-06089-1.
  12. ↑ Soviet General Staff, Operation Bagration, ed. & trans. R. W. Harrison, Helion & Co., Ltd., Solihull, UK, 2016, Kindle ed., vol. 2, ch. 10
  13. ↑ "Weather and Climate-The Climate of Baranavichy" (in Russian). Weather and Climate. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Города-побратимы". baranovichy.by (in Russian). Baranovichy. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  15. ↑ Jelgava suspends cooperation agreement with twin cities Magadan (Russia) and Baranovichi (Belarus)
  16. ↑ Belarus: Scathing sentence for opposition leader following politically motivated case
  17. ↑ "Lithuania (M2TW-K-TC faction)". wiki.totalwar.com. Retrieved 27 November 2019.

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