Dzyarzhynsk,<!--See WP:BELARUSIANNAMES--> or Dzerzhinsk, formerly known as Koydanava until 1932, is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Dzyarzhynsk District. Koidanova became the site of a new Hasidic Jewish dynasty in 1833 when Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Perlow (1797–1862) became the first Koidanover Rebbe. He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Boruch Mordechai Perlow (1818&ndash;1870), grandson, Rabbi Aharon Perlow (1839&ndash;1897), and great-grandson, Rabbi Yosef Perlow of Koidanov-Minsk (1854-1915), who was the last Koidanover Rebbe to live in the town. After World War I, the dynasty was moved to Baranovichi, then in Poland.

In 1847, Koidanova had 2,497 Jewish inhabitants.

Inter-war period

thumb|The People's House in Dzyarzhynsk, capital of the Dzierżyńszczyzna, in 1932

In May 1932, it was granted the status of a city and was renamed Koidanau () or Koydanov (). In June of that year it was renamed again as Dziaržynsk by the Communist authorities, in honour of Felix Dzerzhinsky (1877–1926), a famous Bolshevik creator and chief of the "Extraordinary Commission" (CHEKA) – the Soviet secret police - who was born in a Dziaržynava estate not far from the city, although on the other side of the then Polish-Soviet border. As it is reported in The Complete Black Book of Russian Jewry: "For three hours the earth covering the mass grave would move; people still alive were trying to crawl out of their grave." The city was liberated by the Soviet Red Army on 6 July 1944.

Now part of Belarus, the name Kojdanava () is becoming popular again (it is the official name for the railway station of Dzyarzhynsk), but the official name remains unchanged.

Geography

The highest point of Belarus, Dzyarzhynskaya Hara, is several kilometers from Dzyarzhynsk.

Transport

There is a rail route across the city from Minsk Passazhirsky to Baranovichi Polesskie.

There is only one bus route in Dziarzhynsk; there are 18 stops.

Sport

The local football club is the Arsenal Dzerzhinsk, playing in the Belarusian First League. Its home ground is the City Stadium.

Notable residents

Source:

  • Avrom Reyzen (1876–1953), Yiddish writer, poet, and editor
  • Joseph Schlossberg (1875–1971), American labor union activist
  • Aharon Perlow (1839&ndash;1897) &ndash; third rebbe of Koidanov
  • Karol Hutten-Czapski, Leliwa coat of arms, (1860-1904). Polish Count and philanthropist. President of Minsk, Lithuania (1890-1901)
  • Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, Leliwa coat of arms, (1828–1896). Polish Count, scholar, ardent historical collector and numismatist
  • Adam Globus (born 1958). Belarusian writer, poet, artist, and publisher.
  • Abram Krol (1913 – 1990). Belarusian painter. He worked in the landscape and thematic genres. He was an experimentalist in landscape painting. He used a spatula, creating soft, colored and achromatic stretches, and made extensive use of individual brushstrokes.
  • Nikolai Savik (born 1937). Belarusian cyberneticist and publicist. He participated in the creation of the first multiprogram computing system in the USSR, Minsk-22. The equipment developed with his participation functioned on spacecraft and space stations.
  • Artur Volsky (1924 – 2002). Belarusian novelist, screenwriter, poet, translator, and playwright. Author of poetry collections, plays, fairy tales, and a film script. Author of poetry, prose, and children's fairy tales. He translated from Russian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Latvian, German, and Hebrew.
  • Nikolai Mitskevich (1914–1991). Belarusian physical chemist. His scientific works focused on the kinetics of organic matter oxidation processes. He developed methods for synthesizing diatomic phenols and halogenated aromatic acids.
  • Iosif Livshits (1904–1997). Belarusian hydrologist. He conducted research on the hydrology of rivers and wetlands, as well as the water balance of Belarus. He also authored scientific and methodological works.
  • Anatoly Kozhushkov (1921–1992). Belarusian historian and PhD in history. He studied the development of capitalist relations in Belarusian agriculture and the development of university education in the Byelorussian SSR. He authored several monographs on the history of Belarusian State University.
  • Ivan Shpilevsky (1891 – 1941). Belarusian historian and local historian. His works were published in publications such as "Krasny Flot," "Nash Krai," and others. He also wrote several works on the history of the city of Dzerzhinsk.
  • Alexander Kulikovsky (born 1906). Belarusian scientist specializing in peat extraction mechanization. He researched the production of granulated peat-mineral fertilizers.

Notes

References

  • Dzerzhinsk (in Russian)
  • Photos on Radzima.org
  • Map of Dziaržynsk