Slutsk Слуцк | |
|---|---|
 Memorial to Princess Anastasia Slutskaya | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Slutsk Location of Slutsk | |
| Coordinates:53°02′N27°34′E / 53.033°N 27.567°E /53.033; 27.567 | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Minsk Region |
| District | Slutsk District |
| Founded | 1116 |
| Area | |
• Total | 24.6 km2 (9.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Population (2025)[1] | |
• Total | 59,450 |
| • Density | 2,420/km2 (6,260/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
| Postal code | 223610 |
| Area code | +375 1795 |
| License plate | 5 |
| Website | Official website[dead link] |
Slutsk[a] is a town inMinsk Region, in centralBelarus. It serves as the administrative center ofSlutsk District,[1] and is located on theSluch River 105 km (65 mi) south of the capitalMinsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 59,450.[1]
The city is situated in the south-west of Minsk Region, 26 km (16 mi) north ofSalihorsk.
| Climate data for Slutsk (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 5.7 (42.3) | 13.7 (56.7) | 22.9 (73.2) | 27.4 (81.3) | 29.9 (85.8) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.3 (88.3) | 26.4 (79.5) | 20.0 (68.0) | 12.3 (54.1) | 6.4 (43.5) | 31.6 (88.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −1.6 (29.1) | −0.4 (31.3) | 5.2 (41.4) | 13.6 (56.5) | 19.4 (66.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.4 (75.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 11.3 (52.3) | 4.3 (39.7) | −0.2 (31.6) | 11.8 (53.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) | −3.4 (25.9) | 0.9 (33.6) | 8.0 (46.4) | 13.6 (56.5) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.0 (66.2) | 18.2 (64.8) | 12.9 (55.2) | 7.0 (44.6) | 1.8 (35.2) | −2.5 (27.5) | 7.4 (45.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.8 (19.8) | −6.4 (20.5) | −2.8 (27.0) | 2.8 (37.0) | 7.8 (46.0) | 11.3 (52.3) | 13.2 (55.8) | 12.3 (54.1) | 7.9 (46.2) | 3.4 (38.1) | −0.5 (31.1) | −4.8 (23.4) | 3.1 (37.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.5 (−4.9) | −18.4 (−1.1) | −11.9 (10.6) | −3.6 (25.5) | 0.4 (32.7) | 4.6 (40.3) | 7.8 (46.0) | 6.1 (43.0) | 0.3 (32.5) | −4.5 (23.9) | −9.8 (14.4) | −15.7 (3.7) | −20.5 (−4.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 41.2 (1.62) | 34.6 (1.36) | 37.5 (1.48) | 36.8 (1.45) | 64.1 (2.52) | 79.7 (3.14) | 88.8 (3.50) | 61.1 (2.41) | 47.3 (1.86) | 49.7 (1.96) | 43.0 (1.69) | 44.1 (1.74) | 627.9 (24.72) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10.5 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 7.5 | 9.8 | 9.5 | 10.3 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 10.6 | 109.0 |
| Source:NOAA[2] | |||||||||||||
.jpg)
Slutsk was first mentioned in writing in 1116. It was initially part of thePrincipality of Turov and Pinsk but in 1160 became the capital ofa separate principality. From 1320–1330, it was part of the domain of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania.Casimir IV Jagiellon vested it withMagdeburg town rights in 1441.[3] It was aprivate town, owned by theOlelkovich andRadziwiłł families, which transformed it into a center of thePolish Reformed Church with agymnasium and a strongfortress.
The first Jewish residents arrived by the late 16th century, expanding in population over the following centuries until the town was majority Jewish from the 19th century until World War II.[4] In the mid-17th century,Scottish immigrants settled in the town.[5]
Following the 17th century, the city became famous for manufacturingkontusz belts, some of the most expensive and luxurious pieces of garment of theszlachta. Because of the popularity of the cloths made here, belts worn over theżupan were often calledof Slutsk despite their real place of origin.
In 1778, it became a county seat within theNowogródek Voivodeship.[5] Slutsk was part of theRussian Empire after theSecond Partition of Poland in 1793. It was occupied byGermany in 1918 and byPoland between 1919 and 1920 duringPolish–Soviet War. In 1920, it was the centre of a major anti-bolshevik uprising known as theSlutsk defence action.
UntilWorld War II and theSlutsk Affair, the city was predominantlyJewish; however, now the population includes no more than 100 Jews.
Slutsk was occupied by theGerman Army on 26 June 1941, and placed under the administration ofReichskommissariat Ostland. The Germans operated the Stalag 341prisoner-of-war camp and a subcamp of the Stalag 337 POW camp in the city.[6] The period of German occupation ended on 30 June 1944, when troops of the1st Belorussian Front recaptured the town during theMinsk Offensive of theRed Army.
On 2 October 1967, a riot occurred during which the local court building was set on fire, resulting in the death of a judge and a police officer. The riot, unprecedented in post-WW2 Soviet Belarus, was triggered by the conduct of a murder trial, which was perceived to be unjust by the local residents.[7]
The first indication of Jews in Slutsk is from 1583 when the city was part of Lithuania.[4] Formal recognition came in 1601. By 1623, Jews owned 16 homes. In 1691, Slutsk became one of the five leading communities of the Lithuanian Jewish Council.[4] By 1750 there were 1,593 Jewish people, accounting for one third of the population. In economic life, Jewish people were concentrated in commerce; three-fourths of the town's merchants were Jewish, and a similar share of people in the alcohol business were Jewish.[4] After annexation by Russia in 1793, growth of the city slowed, in part due to it being bypassed by the railroad. By 1897 the Jewish community numbered 10,264 inhabitants, or 77% of the city population.[4] They played a central role in the city's markets, particularly in agricultural produce.
Slutsk was important in terms of Torah study. Among the rabbinic figures who served there were Yehudah Leib Pohovitser, Chayim ha-Kohen Rapoport,Yosef Dov Ber Soloveichik (1865–1874), andIsser Zalman Meltzer.[4] The famousSlutsk-Kletsk Yeshiva was founded in Slutsk in 1883 by RabbiYaakov Dovid Wilovsky. Another outstanding scholar of learning in theTalmud andTorah who was also a Hebrew poet and became a Hebrew educator in the United States wasEphraim Eliezer Lisitzky, who was born and grew to his teens in Slutsk before emigrating to the U.S. According to legend theBaal Shem Tov visited Slutsk in 1733 at the invitation of Shmuel Ickowicz.[4] Despite this, the town was known for its anti-hasidicmisnagdim. TheHaskalah and modern Jewish political parties also were represented among the population.[4]
During the German occupation of Slutsk, the Jewish inhabitants were systematically targeted for killing.[8] The first Jewish victims were killed in the garden on Monakhov Street during the initial days immediately following the arrival of the Germans on 27 June 1941. The victims numbered between 70 and 120, according to different sources.[9]
Four months later, on 27 and 28 October 1941, one of the largest single massacres occurred, known as theSlutsk affair, when Jews were herded towards pits in the Gorovakha ravine, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Slutsk, where they were shot. According to German sources the total number of victims was 3,400, while Soviet sources cite 8,000.[10] These killings were carried out by two companies of the German 11th ReserveOrder Police Battalion and the Lithuanian 2nd Battalion, which was a German-sponsoredSchutzmannschaft or Auxiliary Police formation established inKaunas, soon after the Nazi occupation ofLithuania.[11]
A further massacre was carried out over several days during the spring of 1942, when the inhabitants of the "field ghetto" of Slutsk were taken to the forest near the village of Bezverkhovichi, 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Slutsk, where they were shot or murdered in gas vans. According to survivors, the victims were driven to the execution site in two to four trucks on Mondays and Saturdays. The last Jews of the field ghetto were murdered on thePassover, 2–3 April 1942. The total number of Jews murdered at Bezverkhovichi is estimated to have been between 3,000 and 4,000.[12]
One of the last significant massacres of Jews occurred on 8 February 1943, with the liquidation of the "town ghetto" of Slutsk. The Jews were driven in trucks to the former estate of Mokhart, popularly called Mokharty, 5 km (3.1 mi) east of Slutsk, where they were shot from behind in mass graves by personnel of theMinsk security police office. During the liquidation, some Jews fought back, shooting at the German and Latvian soldiers. In response, the Germans burnt the ghetto to the ground. Postwar court proceedings cite a minimum of 1,600 victims, of which 1,200 were murdered at the graves at Mokharty, the rest in the ghetto itself.[13]
The Museum of the History of Slutsk Belts is dedicated to the symbol of the city – a woven garment with incredibly beautiful patterns, using gold and silver threads. The museum is open to visitors every day except Monday.
The church was consecrated in 2000 by Cardinal Kazimierz Sviontak, a very important figure for Catholic believers and the first Belarusian cardinal. Not only is the church active – the monastery is also active. While strolling nearby, you're likely to encounter the nuns who live there.The only decoration on the church's façade are the stained-glass windows. The interior of the church is austere, decorated primarily with wooden sculptures and bas-reliefs. A functioning monastery is located adjacent to the church.
This church is the oldest surviving church in the city. The first mentions of this monument of Belarusian wooden architecture date back to the 14th century, and it was reconstructed in the 18th century. The church is entirely wooden, combining classical and baroque features.
The monument was unveiled on September 24, 2000, in a park on M. Bogdanovich Street. The monument is dedicated to the last representative of the ancient princely family of Olelkovich-Slutsky, Sophia Slutskaya, who was canonized by the Belarusian Orthodox Church in 1984.
The monument was designed by sculptor Mikhail Inkov and architect Nikolai Lukyanchik. The monument consists of a bronze figure of the saint, as well as a tall arch behind the princess, consisting of three "petals." A key detail in the composition is the gesture of Sophia's left hand. It urges us to pause and reflect for a moment on the transience of existence, on the purpose and life of man. The white arch behind her symbolizes the Christian church.
Documentary records indicate that the Church of St. Barbara formerly stood on the site of the chapel in Slutsk. At the end of the 18th century, it was severely damaged in a fire and destroyed. The church's name and all that survived were transferred to a new church, which was rebuilt in a cemetery in another part of the city. The new church stood until it suffered the same fate as the first. In 1962, the church burned down. In 1996, a wooden chapel dedicated to St. Barbara was built on the site of the original shrine.
 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2022) |
Brovary Raion, Ukraine
Kalevalsky District, RussiaMoshenskoy District, RussiaRyazansky (Moscow), RussiaRzhev, RussiaSerpukhovsky District, Russia
Shaki, Azerbaijan
Sisian, ArmeniaStaromaynsky District, RussiaFormer twin towns:
Tczew, PolandOn 8 March 2022, the Polish city of Tczew ended its partnership with Slutsk as a response to the Belarusian involvement in the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[17]
.jpg)
.jpg)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| Districts (raiony) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Cities and towns | ||
1 Administrative center of Minsk Region but administratively separated | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
