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Baranavichy | |
|---|---|
 Old Bank of Poland .jpg) Railway museum  Fire station  Protection Church  Baranavichy State University | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  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 mentioned | 1706 |
| City status | 1919 |
| Area | |
• Total | 53.64 km2 (20.71 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 193 m (633 ft) |
| Population (2025)[1] | |
• Total | 170,817 |
| • Density | 3,185/km2 (8,248/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
| Postal code | 225320 |
| Area code | +375 (0)163 |
| Vehicle registration | 1 |
| Website | www |
Baranavichy orBaranovichi[a] is a city in theBrest Region of westernBelarus.[2] It serves as the administrative center ofBaranavichy 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]
The city is home to an importantrailway 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.
In the second half of the 17th century, the village of Baranavichy housed aJesuit mission. In the second half of the 18th century, Baranavichy was the property ofMassalski andNiesiołowski families. The village was administratively part of theNowogródek Voivodeship until theThird Partition of Poland (1795) when it was annexed byImperial Russia. In the 19th century, it belonged to theCountess E.A. Rozwadowski. It was part of the Novogrodek (nowNavahrudak)okrug, which was part ofSlonim Governorate, the Lithuania Governorate, theGrodno Governorate and then theMinsk Governorate.
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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 ofA.E Sinyavskaya in 1627. Then, in 1871, not far from the station, a locomotive depot was built.
In 1874, a railwayjunction appeared. In the wooden station buildings lived the railway workers of Baranavichy. The new railway linkedMoscow 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 EmperorAlexander III assumed that there would also be one railway linkingVilnius,Luninets,Pinsk, andRovno. 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.
At the beginning of World War I, Baranavichy was the location for theStavka, the headquarters of the Russian General Staff, until theGreat Retreat.[3]
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After the settlement was left by the Germans, it was captured on 5 January 1919, by the Soviets. In the early stages of thePolish–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 afterPoland regained independence. The Russians retook it on 17 July 1920, but the Poles took it again on 30 September 1920.
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On 1 August 1919, as Baranowicze, Baranavichy receivedcity rights and became the administrative centre of apowiat in the PolishNowogródek 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 theNeoclassical style from 1924 to 1931 and was decorated with mosaics that had survived the demolition of theAlexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw. In 1930, a monument toHungarianLieutenant colonel Artur Buol, a hero of Polish fights in thePolish–Soviet War, was unveiled in Baranowicze.[7] In the interwar years, the grandparents and the father of Polish politiciansLech Kaczyński andJarosław Kaczyński lived in Baranowicze.[8]
The city was also an important militarygarrison, with aKOP Cavalry Brigade, the20th Infantry Division and theNowogródzka Cavalry Brigade stationed there. Because of the fast growth of local industry, a local branch of thePolish Radio was opened in 1938. In 1939 Baranavichy had almost 30,000 inhabitants and was the biggest and the most important city in theNowogródek Voivodeship.[citation needed]
During theinvasion of Poland at the start ofWorld War II, theSoviet Union took the city on 17 September 1939 and annexed it to theByelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The local Jewish population of 9,000 was joined by approximately 3,000 Jewish refugees from the Polish areas occupied byGermany. After the start ofOperation Barbarossa, the city was seized by theWehrmacht on 27 June 1941. It became part ofGeneralbezirk Weißruthenien inReichskommissariat Ostland during theGerman occupation. In August 1941, theBaranavichy 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 variousextermination camps and killed ingas 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 337prisoner-of-war camp in the city.[11]
The city was recaptured by theRed Army on 8 July 1944.[12] It was the seat of theBaranavichy Voblast from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1944 to 1954. Meanwhile, intensive industrialization took place. In 1991, the city became part of independentBelarus.[citation needed]
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).
The city of Baranavichy is located on the Baranavichy Plain at the confluence of theShchara River and a tributary, the Myshanka. The city is located on a straight line connecting the regional centerBrest (206 kilometres (128 mi) distant) andMinsk (149 kilometres (93 mi)). Nearby cities includeLyakhavichy (17 kilometres (11 mi)),Slonim (42 kilometres (26 mi)),Nyasvizh (51 kilometres (32 mi)),Navahrudak (52 kilometres (32 mi)), andHantsavichy (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 data for Baranavichy (1991–2020, extremes 1940–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| 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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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 days | 9 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 142 |
| Average snowy days | 16 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 71 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 87 | 84 | 79 | 69 | 68 | 73 | 74 | 73 | 79 | 83 | 88 | 89 | 79 |
| Source: Pogoda.ru.net[13] | |||||||||||||
The city is on the main east–west highway in Belarus, theM1, which forms a part ofEuropean 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 largeairbase, south of the city, is used by theBelarusian Air Force.
As a fairly young city, Baranavichy does not have many cultural heritage monuments. Most are buildings erected in theinterwar period, including theCatholic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the former Bank of Poland building, the building of thePolish Radio Baranowicze station, the fire station and theOrthodox 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.
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Baranavichy istwinned with:[14]
Biała Podlaska, Poland
Chibi, China
Kaliningrad, Russia
Karlovo, BulgariaKineshma, Russia
Konyaaltı, TurkeyMagadan, RussiaMytishchi, Russia
Nacka, Sweden
Poltava, UkraineSolntsevo (Moscow), Russia
Stockerau, AustriaSulęcin County, PolandVasileostrovsky (Saint Petersburg), RussiaYeysky District, RussiaIn 2022Jelgava,Latvia (2006) suspended the cooperation agreements with Baranavichy due to theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[15]
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