Klyetsk Клецк | |
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  Klyetsk Location of Klyetsk in Belarus | |
| Coordinates:53°3′49″N26°38′14″E / 53.06361°N 26.63722°E /53.06361; 26.63722 | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Minsk Region |
| District | Klyetsk District |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Population (2025)[1] | |
• Total | 11,169 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
| Postal code | 222531 |
| Area code | +375 1793 |
| License plate | 5 |
| Website | http://www.kletsk.minsk-region.by/ |
Klyetsk orKletsk[a] is a town inMinsk Region,Belarus. It serves as the administrative center ofKlyetsk District.[1] Klyetsk is located on theLan River. As of 2025, it has a population of 11,169.[1]
The town was founded in the 11th century by theDregoviches, who erected a large fort and a tribal centre there. In the 14th century the town became part of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania and then part of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the wake of thePolish–Lithuanian Unions. In the 1506Battle of Kleck, the Polish-Lithuanian forces underMichał Gliński defeated theTartar armies and saved the town from being pillaged. Soon afterwards, the town became a property of theRadziwiłłmagnate family, who started to attract Jewish settlers to the area.
The earliest known mention of the local Jewish community is a document dated 5 September 1522, issued by KingSigismund I the Old of Poland. In it, the monarch awarded for three years to Isaac Jesofovitch, a Jew ofBrest, for the sum of300 times sixtygrosz a lease of the inns and other sources of revenue in Klyetsk. The next mention of the Kletzk community, as it was known inYiddish, is found in a document dated 21 January 1529, which imposes military duties on its inhabitants, as well as on those of other towns. On 15 June 1542 the boyar Grishko Kochevich brought suit against Zachariah Markovich, a Jew of Kletzk, the latter's oxen having broken into Grishko's field and injured the growing grain; the court awarded to Grishko twelve "ruble groschen" damages.
A census taken in 1552-55 shows that the Jewish householders lived chiefly on Wilna street, on the Sloboda, and owned gardens in the suburbs. Kletzk is mentioned in the assessment on the Lithuanian communities in 1566, and from its small proportionate assessment it appears that the community was not important at that time.
In 1586 the town became the capital of Radziwiłł'sordynacja, which sparked the gradual development of the town into a regional centre of commerce. By the end of the following century the number of Jews grew significantly; the town was also one of the notable centre ofCalvinism, sponsored by the Radziwiłł family.
The first rabbi of Kletzk was Judah ben Löb, who also had under his jurisdiction the community ofMechit. He was succeeded by Michael ben Meïr Eisenstadt, who in turn was followed, about 1762, by his son Moses Eisenstadt (died 25 October 1795). According to a local legend, the philosopherSalomon Maimon had lived there for several years, and was intimate with Moses Eisenstadt.
Until 1623 the town was a part of thepowiat ofBrześć; after that date it was transferred, together with the neighbouring towns, to the district ofPinsk. According to tradition, the town originally was located on the opposite bank of the river, on the road leading to Lyakhovichy; but after the destructive fire of 1705 it was rebuilt, at the instance of the governor, on its present site.
In 1793, Klyetsk was acquired by theRussian Empire as a result of theSecond Partition of Poland. The town was repeatedly destroyed by fire in the 19th century, including in 1817, 1845, 1865, and 1886. In 1903 Klyetsk had a total population of about 8,000, of which about 6,000 were Jews.
From 1921 until 1939, Klyetsk (Kleck) was part of theSecond Polish Republic. The town was a parish (gmina) centre inNieśwież county (powiat) ofNowogródek Voivodeship.
On 17 September 1939, Klyetsk wasoccupied by the Red Army and, on 14 November 1939, incorporated into theByelorussian SSR.
From 26 June 1941 until 4 July 1944, Klyetsk wasoccupied by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of theGeneralbezirk Weißruthenien ofReichskommissariat Ostland. During the German occupation, a large massacre of local Jews took place in the town on 6 October 1941, with about 4,000 people murdered.[2] The remaining Jews of the area (approximately 2,000 people) were massed in a localghetto and then sent to variousextermination camps by 21 August 1942. TheHolocaust brought an end to a vibrant Jewish life. Among the monuments of the Jewish past destroyed duringWorld War II were theJewish cemetery, a large synagogue[3] founded by Prince Radziwiłł in 1796; theSlutsk-Kletsk Yeshiva, abet ha-midrash built in the early 18th century; and fifteen smaller houses of prayer.
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After the liberation of Klyetsk by the Red Army on 4 July 1944, the town resumed its status as a part of theByelorussian SSR. Since 1991, it has been a part of the independentRepublic of Belarus.
Thecoat of arms of the town of Klyetsk inMinsk Region,Belarus, was officially adopted in its current version in 1999.[4]
Theducal crown symbolizes the special status Klieck had as the centre of theDuchy of Klieck which was in direct ownership of theGrand Dukes of Lithuania in the 14th and 15th century.[5]
The hunting horn symbolizes theRadzivil magnate family which owned Klieck since 1588. The horn is an element of the Radzivils'Traby coat of arms.
Before the last war, the town's oldest building was the mid-16th-century Trinity cathedral. It was seriously damaged duringWorld War II and eventually blown up by the Soviets in the 1950s. Its ruins are still visible, however. Currently, the town's main architectural landmark is the Church of the Resurrection, which was built in the provincial Baroque style in 1683.
In Klyetsk, there is the Museum of the History of Kletchina with 10.7 thousand museum items of the main fund. In 2016 it was visited by 12.3 thousand people.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "KLETZK".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. (Kletsk in Jewish Encyclopedia) byHerman Rosenthal,J. G. Lipman, Benzion Eisenstadt
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1 Administrative center of Minsk Region but administratively separated | ||
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