Belz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Belz (disambiguation).
Belz (Ukrainian: Белз, Polish: Bełz, Yiddish: בעלזא) is a small city in the Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, near the border with Poland, located at around .
The current estimated population is 2,408 (as of 2004).
Contents |
[edit] History
The town has existed since at least the 10th century, as one of the Red Towns (Ruthenian) strongholds under Bohemian and Polish rule. Since 981 it was part of Rus'-Ukraine (Duchy of Kiev, Duchy of Halych), except 1018-1031 when it belonged to Poland. In 1366 it became a permanent part of the Kingdom of Poland, until the First Partition of Poland in 1772.
It then passed to the Austrian Empire, later the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where it was a part of the region of Galicia and Lodomeria. During that time, the town became home to a Hasidic dynasty, which was named Belz after the town. Shalom Rokeach of Belz (1779 - 1855), also known as the Sar Shalom, was the first Belzer Rebbe from 1817 to 1855.
From 1919 to 1939 Belz was again part of Poland. Then from 1939 to 1944 it was occupied by Germany as a part of the General Government. Belz is situated on left, north waterside of the Solokiya river (affluent of the Bug river), which was German-Soviet border in 1939-1941. After the war it reverted to Poland until 1951 when, after a minor border readjustment, it passed to the Soviet Union (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic). Since 1991 it has been part of independent Ukraine.
[edit] Cultural trivia
The Yiddish song “Beltz, Mayn Shtetele” is a moving evocation of a happy childhood spent in a shtetl which bears similarly sounding name in Yiddish (belts), called Bălţi in Moldovan/Romanian, and is located in Bessarabia (presently the Moldova Republic)
Belz is also a very important place for Ukrainian Catholics and Polish Catolics as a place where the Black Madonna of Częstochowa is believed to have resided for several centuries until 1382, when Władysław Opolczyk, prince of Opplen, had taken the icon.[1].
[edit] People
- Vsevolod Mstislavich of Volhynia, knyaz of Belz (1170-1196)
- Jurij Narymuntowicz, Lithuanian, prince of Belz (ca.1326-ca.1377)
- Jaśko Mazowita, prefect of Belz (14th-15th centuries)
- Jan Kamieniecki (1463-1513), starost of Belz
- Jan Zamoyski (1542-1605), starost of Belz
- Yoel Sirkis (1561-1640), great Rabbi, one of Achronim
- Rafał Leszczyński (1579-1636), voivode of Belz
- Jakub Sobieski (1580-1646), voivode of Belz
- Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki (1753-1805), starost of Belz
- Shalom Rokeach (1779-1855), first Rebbe of Belz
- Yehoshua Rokeach (1825-1894), second Rebbe of Belz
- Yissachar Dov Rokeach (I) (1854-1926), third Rebbe of Belz
- Aharon Rokeach (1877-1957), fourth Rebbe of Belz
- Nissan Spivak (1824-1906), cantor [2]
[edit] See also
 |
Subdivisions of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine |  |
|
Raions: Brodivskyi | Buskyi | Drohobytskyi | Horodotskyi | Kamianka-Buzkyi | Mostyskyi | Mykolaivskyi | Peremyshlianskyi | Pustomytivskyi | Radekhivskyi | Sambirskyi | Skolivskyi | Sokalskyi | Starosambirskyi | Stryiskyi | Turkivskyi | Yavorivskyi | Zhovkivskyi | Zhydachivskyi | Zolochivskyi |
||
|
Cities: Belz | Bibrka | Boryslav | Brody | Busk | Chervonohrad | Dobromyl | Drohobych | Dubliany | Hlyniany | Horodok | Kamianka-Buzka | Khodoriv | Khyriv | Komarno | Lviv | Morshyn | Mostyska | Mykolaiv | Novoiavorivske | Novyi Kalyniv | Novyi Rozdil | Peremyshliany | Pustomyty | Radekhiv | Rava-Ruska | Rudky | Sambir | Skole | Sokal | Sosnivka | Staryi Sambir | Stebnyk | Stryi | Sudova Vyshnia | Truskavets | Turka | Uhniv | Velyki Mosty | Vynnyky | Yavoriv | Zhovkva | Zhydachiv | Zolochiv |
||
