Polatsk
Polatsk (Belarusian: По́лацак, По́лацк; Polish: Połock, also spelt as Polacak; Russian: По́лоцк, also transliterated as Polotsk, Polotzk, Polock) is a city in Belarus. It is the center of Polatsk district in Vitsebsk voblast. It is situated by the Dvina river. The population is approximately 79,000 residents.
History
Polatsk is one of the most ancient sities of the Slavs. Mentioned for the first time in 862 in ancient documents the name is also spelt as Polotesk, Polteks, Paltejsborg. Its name derives from the Polota river, that flows into Dvina at Polatsk.
Between the 9th and 12th centuries, the principality of Polatsk (now northern Belarus) emerged as the dominant center of power on Belarusian territory, with a lesser role played by the principality of Turaw in the south. It repeatedly asserted its sovereignty in relation to other centers of Ruthenia, becoming a political capital, the episcopal see of a bishopric and the controller of vassal territories among Balts in the west. Polatsk becomes a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as of 1307, and it is said to have been the main center of trade in the state. The Magdeburg law was adopted in 1498. However it did not remain independent for long as it was captured by the Russian army of Ivan IV of Russia in 1563. Although liberated by the Polish Army in 1579, this period saw the gradual decline of the city.
After the first partition of Poland Polatsk degraded to the status of a small provincial town of the Russian Empire.
Cultural heritage
The city's Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom (1044-1066) was a symbol of the independent-mindedness of Polatsk, rivaling churches of the same name in Novgorod and Kyiv and referring to the original Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (and thus to claims of imperial prestige, authority and sovereignty).
Cultural achievements of the Polatsk period include the work of the nun Euphrosyne of Polatsk (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 stolen during World War II), and the prolific, original Church Slavonic sermons and writings of Bishop Cyril of Turaw (1130-1182).
Belarusan first printer Francysk Skaryna was born in Polatsk around 1490. He is famous for the first printing of the Bible in an East Slavic language, an Old Belarusian (or Old Ruthenian) 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 Polacak, 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 fonts for many years.
Various
A crater on Mars is named Polotsk.
See also
External links
- Polacak (http://www.belarusguide.com/cities/polacak.html)
- Photos on Radzima.org (http://radzima.org/pub/miesta.php?miesta_id1=vipopola)
be:Полацак pl:Połock