Kobryn | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Kobryn,c. 2010 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Kobryn Location in Belarus | |
| Coordinates:52°13′0″N24°22′0″E / 52.21667°N 24.36667°E /52.21667; 24.36667 | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Brest Region |
| District | Kobryn District |
| First mentioned | 1287 |
| Government | |
| • Chairman | Mikhail Grishkevich |
| Area | |
• Total | 26 km2 (10 sq mi) |
| Population (2024)[1] | |
• Total | 52,635 |
| • Density | 2,000/km2 (5,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
| Postal code | 225301—225306, 225860 |
| Area code | +375 1642 |
| License plate | 1 |
| Website | Official website(in Russian) |
Kobryn (Belarusian:Кобрын;Polish:Kobryń;Ukrainian:Кобринь;Yiddish:קאָברין) orKobrin (Russian:Кобрин), is a town inBrest Region,Belarus. It serves as the administrative center ofKobryn District.[1] It is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus, where theMukhavets river andDnieper–Bug Canal meet. The town lies about 52 kilometres (32 mi) east of the city ofBrest. As of 2024, it has a population of 52,635.[1]
In the early times, it was inhabited by the ancientBalticYotvingian tribe. At various times, the city belonged toKingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, theRussian Empire, theSecond Polish Republic, theByelorussian SSR, and theRepublic of Belarus.
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In the 10th century, the area became part of the emergingPolish state under first rulerMieszko I of Poland.[2] Later, the area was part of theKievan Rus' and theKingdom of Galicia–Volhynia.[2] Kobryn was first mentioned in 1287.[2] In the early 14th century the town formed part of theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, after theUnion of Krewo (1385) in thePolish–Lithuanian Union. It became the capital of a feudal principality within the Polish–Lithuanian realm, existing from 1387 to 1518.[2] In 1500, princess Anna Kobryńska founded the Catholic church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.[2] After 1518, Kobryn was ruled by QueenBona Sforza, who contributed to its development and visited it several times.[2]
A seat of apowiat, in between 1589 and 1766 it was aroyal city of thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, located onMagdeburg Law. This allowed for a large number ofJews to settle in the area following the 16th century. The Jewish population in 1900 was 6,738.[3] In Kobryń was held the countySejmik of the Mozyrz County during theRussian occupation ofMozyrz in 1659.[4] In the years 1774–1784 a canal was built connecting theMukhavets River with thePina River, named theRoyal Canal after Polish KingStanisław August Poniatowski, who opened it, and as a result a water route was created connecting theBaltic Sea and theBlack Sea.[2]
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After thePartitions of Poland of 1795, the town was annexed byImperial Russia.Catherine II gave Kobryn to Field MarshalAlexander Suvorov for his war merits, especially for the suppression of the PolishKościuszko Uprising.[2]At Kobrin the first significant Russian victory over the French occurred during theFrench invasion of Russia. After the unsuccessfulJanuary Uprising anti-Polish repressions intensified: estates were confiscated, insurgents and landowners weredeported toSiberia (see:sybirak) and a ban on land acquisition by ethnicPoles was introduced.[2] Kobryn was occupied byGermany duringWorld War I.
Kobryń came under Polish control in February 1919,[5] four months after the reestablishment ofindependent Poland.[2] During thePolish–Soviet War it was the site of the victoriousBattle of Kobryń in September 1920. Polish rule was confirmed under the terms of theTreaty of Riga in 1921 and Kobryń became a seat of a powiat within thePolesie Voivodeship. After the war, crafts, small industry and trade developed again, and small factories were established.[2] In 1923, the StateGymnasium was founded, which three years later received the name ofMaria Rodziewiczówna, a Polish writer living nearby, who co-financed the construction of the school.[2]
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During the 1939Invasion of Poland, Kobryn was the battle scene of theBattle of Kobryń between thePolish 60th Infantry Division of ColonelAdam Epler and the German 19th Panzer Corps of GeneralHeinz Guderian. After three days of fighting, the Poles withdrew southwards and the Germans entered the town, which they three days later handed over to the Soviets in accordance with theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact. On 14 November 1939, Kobryn was incorporated into theByelorussian SSR.
From 23 June 1941 until 20 July 1944, Kobryn wasoccupied by Nazi Germany and administered as a part of the Generalbezirk Wolhynien-Podolien ofReichskommissariat Ukraine. During the latter period, the majority of Jewish inhabitants were first amassed in a ghetto and then murdered by the Nazis in their extermination camps.
Two Polish priests,The Reverend Władysław Grobelny and Jan Wolski from Kobryń near Brześć, arrested for helping the Jews, were executed on October 15, 1942 together with a number of Jews from the Brześć ghetto.[6][7]
In 1944, the town was captured by theRed Army. Since 1991, it is a part of theRepublic of Belarus.
Among the historical monuments of the city are the Catholic Church of the Dormition,Baroque Monastery of the Transfiguration, a park founded byAntoni Tyzenhauz in 1768, the Orthodox church of St. Alexander Nevsky, the building of the pre-war PolishMaria Rodziewiczówna State Gymnasium, the building of the pre-war town hall and the Catholic cemetery, where the family of the Polishnational poetAdam Mickiewicz is buried.
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