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Turov Turaw | |
|---|---|
 Town Hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Turov | |
| Coordinates:52°4′12″N27°44′24″E / 52.07000°N 27.74000°E /52.07000; 27.74000 | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Gomel Region |
| District | Zhytkavichy District |
| Population (2025)[1] | |
• Total | 2,761 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
| Postal code | 247980 |
| Area code | +375 2353 |
| License plate | 3 |
Turov, orTuraw,[a] is a town inZhytkavichy District,Gomel Region,Belarus. As of 2025, it has a population of 2,761.[1]
It served as the capital of thePrincipality of Turov during the Middle Ages.
Turov was an ancient capital of theDregovich tribe - one of the threeEastern Slavic tribes that are considered ancestors of the modernBelarusian people (the others beingKrivichs andDrevlians). Turov was first mentioned in theTale of Bygone Years from 980. It is located in the southern part of Belarus, in the historical region ofPolesia.
According to legend, the city was founded at the crossing of Yazda and Strumen rivers by Duke Tur - hence the name Turov. Other etymology draws the name fromTur, the Slavic name of theAurochs. Both rivers join with thePripyat river, which in turn flows into theDnieper and then leads to theBlack Sea. This river route was known toVikings, who used it extensively for communication and during their frequent raids toConstantinople.
TheVarangian dynasty ofRuriks became dukes in the neighboring Duchy ofKiev. Soon Turov also came under the dominion of a local branch of dukes of theRurik Dynasty and particularly ofIzyaslav I, son ofYaroslav the Wise. In that period the town of Turaŭ was not only an important trade center within theKievan Rus', due to its proximity to major trade routes running from theBaltic Sea to the Byzantine Empire, but also one of the most important cities of the Rus amongKiev,Chernihiv,Novgorod, andPereyaslav. ThePrince of Turov, the main contender to the throne of theKievan Rus' before their subjugation to theMonomakhs considerably influenced the early politics of the neighboringDuchy of Poland in the 11th century having together an intertwined history.
Thanks to the towns' strategic location, many different crafts were developed and practiced in Turov. It was also home to bishopsCyril of Turov and Laverentiy of Turov. In 1005 the firstRoman Christian bishopric on the territory of Belarus was founded in Turov. The town's period of prosperity ended with a number of feudal conflicts in the 12th century. Soon afterwards Turaŭ lost much of its importance as well as its autonomy.
In 1320 Turov became a part of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania having closely assimilated with thePrince of Minsk. In 1430 it became aprivate town of theGrand DukeSvitrigaila. In the end of the 15th century Turaŭ became a property of Grand Court Marshal of LithuaniaMichal Glinski. In 1502 it was damaged by aTatar invasion. After Glinski's betrayal and escape toGrand Duchy of Moscow in 1508, Turov was confiscated by the family ofKonstanty Ostrogski, who started the reconstruction, but the town was yet again destroyed by the Tatars in 1521. TheOstrogski family owned the town for more than a century, until it was given as adowry to theSapieha and thenPotockimagnate families. DuringThe Deluge the town was taken by Muscovy, but was soon retaken byJanusz Radziwiłł. After the period of constant wars with Muscovy, the town was severely damaged. By 1667, Turov had only 111 households left of the 401 there in 1648.
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The town never fully recovered. After theSecond Partition of Poland in 1793 it was annexed by Russia and remained a small, provincial town for most of the 19th century. From that time onwards it shared the fate of the nearby town ofGomel.
in 1810, the wooden Orthodox Church of All Saints was built in Turov. It has survived down to this day, never having been rebuilt. Inside the church are kept the weeping icon of St Nicholas, and two old Christian crosses covered in legends and stories. The church remains as a centre of Orthodox life in the town.
Theshtetl (Jewish community) in Turov began in the 16th century. The population of Jewish people reached its peak at the end of the 19th century. After that time they began to emigrate to larger cities and to other countries. Turov was subjected topogroms (violence against Jewish communities), but the Jewish population managed to hang on throughWorld War I and theRussian Revolution. Even after theBolsheviks took over, the Jewish population continued to carry on their traditions and there was a degree of tolerance among the non-Jewish population of Turov. Greater efforts to suppress religious activity began in the 1930s.[2]
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In 1921 two schools opened in Turov, both a general school and aYiddish school; both were attended by Jewish students. There were three synagogues in Turov, one Misnagdim and two Hasidic. All three closed in the early 1930s.[2]
The Jewish population in Turov was wiped out duringWorld War II. Some Jews volunteered to join the Soviet army to fight the Germans. The first German army units to come through Turov, in July 1941, did nothing to the Jewish population. The Holocaust began with the arrival of later units. Very few families returned after the war and as of 2003 there were only three Jewish people living in Turov.[2]
The Turov Flag was accepted by town's council on September 27, 2001 and was included in Belarus' coats of arms registry on January 23, 2002.
Additionally, it has a rectangular form with width to length ratio equal 1 : 2, and consists of three horizontal bands: blue (6/9 of width), white (1/9 of width) and red (2/9 of width).
Media related toTurov at Wikimedia Commons
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