Sharkawshchyna
Sharkawshchyna (Ша́ркаўшчына; official transliteration: Šarkaŭščyna, also Sharkovshchina Шарковщина; Szarkowszczyna; שאַרקוישטשינע Sharkoyshtchine) is a town in Vitebsk Region of Belarus and the center of Sharkawshchyna District. The population is 6,900 (2010).
Within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Sharkawshchyna was part of Vilnius Voivodeship. In 1793, the town was acquired by the Russian Empire as a result of the Second Partition of Poland.
From 1921 until 1939, Sharkawshchyna was part of the Second Polish Republic. In September 1939, Sharkawshchyna was occupied by the Red Army and, on 14 November 1939, incorporated into the Byelorussian SSR.
From 30 June 1941 until 1 July 1944, Sharkawshchyna was occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Weißruthenien of Reichskommissariat Ostland. In October 1941, 1,900 Jews of the town and surroundings were kept imprisoned in a ghetto. Many died of disease and starvation. On July 17, 1942, 1200 Jews were murdered in a mass execution perpetrated by an einsatzgruppen, some managed to escape when the Judenrat instructed them to run through the lines of the police coming at them. Several days later, most of the survivors, even though they knew their ultimate fate, joined the Jews of the nearby ghetto at Glebokie. This was used by several Holocaust researchers from the "Israel school" of holocaust research, as a study case showing the futility of Jewish resistance in those years.
Within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Sharkawshchyna was part of Vilnius Voivodeship. In 1793, the town was acquired by the Russian Empire as a result of the Second Partition of Poland.
From 1921 until 1939, Sharkawshchyna was part of the Second Polish Republic. In September 1939, Sharkawshchyna was occupied by the Red Army and, on 14 November 1939, incorporated into the Byelorussian SSR.
From 30 June 1941 until 1 July 1944, Sharkawshchyna was occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Weißruthenien of Reichskommissariat Ostland. In October 1941, 1,900 Jews of the town and surroundings were kept imprisoned in a ghetto. Many died of disease and starvation. On July 17, 1942, 1200 Jews were murdered in a mass execution perpetrated by an einsatzgruppen, some managed to escape when the Judenrat instructed them to run through the lines of the police coming at them. Several days later, most of the survivors, even though they knew their ultimate fate, joined the Jews of the nearby ghetto at Glebokie. This was used by several Holocaust researchers from the "Israel school" of holocaust research, as a study case showing the futility of Jewish resistance in those years.
Map - Sharkawshchyna
Map
Country - Belarus
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| Flag of Belarus | |
Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including Kievan Rus', the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, different states arose competing for legitimacy amid the Civil War, ultimately ending in the rise of the Byelorussian SSR, which became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. After the Polish-Soviet War, Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland. Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II. During World War II, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945, the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYN | Belarusian ruble | Br | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| BE | Belarusian language |
| RU | Russian language |