Barysaw
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Barysaw (Belarusian: Бары́саў also transliterated as Barysau, IPA: [ba'rɨsau̯]; Russian: Бори́сов, Borisov) (population 150,700 as of 1999) is a town in Belarus situated near the Berezina River.
Barysaw was founded (as Borisov) in 1102 by Polotsk prince Boris Vseslavovich. In 1812 Napoleon's troops were defeated while crossing the Berezina river. In 1871, the railroad between Brest and Moscow passed near Barysaw, and a railroad station was built there. In 1900 the area around the station was annexed to Barysaw. In November 1917 it became a part of the Soviet Union. From 1918 to 1920 it was occupied by Germany and then Poland. After they were evicted, the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic was established.
During World War II, Barysaw was occupied by Nazi Germany from July 2, 1941, to July 1, 1944, and most of the city was destroyed. More than 33,000 people were killed in six death camps which were constructed around the town.
After the war Barysaw became a major industrial centre, and as of 2002 there are 41 large factories, whose goods are exported to Russia, the CIS, and abroad. The railroad is still an important artery, but now it is powered by overhead electric lines.
Most enterprises are still owned and operated by the government.[citation needed]
As usual for this region, families live mostly in flats in large, modern apartment buildings, but there are some single-family homes on the outskirts, some of which do not yet have indoor plumbing. The water comes from an artesian well and is very clean and healthy.
[edit] Famous people born in Borisov
