Dziatłava
Encyclopedia
Dzyatlava is a town in Belarus
in the Hrodna voblast
, about 165 km southeast of Hrodna
. It is a railway station on the line between Baranavičy and Lida
. The population is 8,900 (1995).
Dzyatlava was first referenced in documents from 1498, when it was granted to Prince Konstantin Ostrogski, who later built a wooden castle there. In the 17th century the settlement was owned by Lew Sapieha
, who ordered a Catholic church to be erected on the main city square. The church was consecrated in 1646, renovated after a fire in 1743 and still stands. In January 1708 Peter I of Russia
visited Diatłowo during the Great Northern War
and stayed there for a week. In the 18th century, the town was owned by Stanisław Sołtyk, who built a Baroque residence for himself in 1751.
Until World War II
, Zdzięcioł belonged to the eastern part of the Second Polish Republic
. It was the seat of Gmina
Zdzięcioł in Nowogródek Voivodeship. The population was predominantly Jewish. The old Jewish cemetery is considered a minor landmark. During the Holocaust, about 1,500 Jews were killed near the town during the Diatłowo massacres of 1942.
. It drew the attention by many prominent linguists, such as Christian Schweigaard Stang
, Vladimir Toporov
, Kazimieras Būga
and Juozas Balčikonis
. In 1886, 1156 people in nearby villages signed as Lithuanians, however the real number might have been much greater. Until World War II
there was a Lithuanian
minority in surrounding villages. Only one woman (Kotryna Žukelytė-Jodienė) identified herself as Lithuanian in 1959 and at present the Lithuanian population is virtually extinct. The Vocabulary of Zietela Dialect has been published in Lithuania.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
in the Hrodna voblast
Hrodna Voblast
Hrodna Voblast or Grodno Oblast is a voblast in northwestern Belarus.The capital - Grodno is the biggest city of the province. It lies on the Neman River. Grodno's existence is attested to from 1127. Two castles dating from the 14th - 18th centuries are located here on the steep right bank of...
, about 165 km southeast of Hrodna
Hrodna
Grodno or Hrodna , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 327,540 inhabitants...
. It is a railway station on the line between Baranavičy and Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
. The population is 8,900 (1995).
Dzyatlava was first referenced in documents from 1498, when it was granted to Prince Konstantin Ostrogski, who later built a wooden castle there. In the 17th century the settlement was owned by Lew Sapieha
Lew Sapieha
Lew Sapieha . He was born in Astrouna , near Vitsebsk, Belarus. He became Great Secretary of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1580, Great Clerk of the Grand Duchy in 1581, Court Chancellor of the GDL in 1585, Grand Chancellor of the GDL from 1589 until 1623, Voivode of Vilnius in 1621, Great...
, who ordered a Catholic church to be erected on the main city square. The church was consecrated in 1646, renovated after a fire in 1743 and still stands. In January 1708 Peter I of Russia
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
visited Diatłowo during the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
and stayed there for a week. In the 18th century, the town was owned by Stanisław Sołtyk, who built a Baroque residence for himself in 1751.
Until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Zdzięcioł belonged to the eastern part of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. It was the seat of Gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
Zdzięcioł in Nowogródek Voivodeship. The population was predominantly Jewish. The old Jewish cemetery is considered a minor landmark. During the Holocaust, about 1,500 Jews were killed near the town during the Diatłowo massacres of 1942.
Lithuanian heritage
Being 80 kilometers south of present day Lithuania, environs of Dzyatlava had been known by linguists as the outermost indigenous Lithuanian speaking "island" apart from the contiguous Lithuanian language territory. The Lithuanian-speakers spoke a unique dialect, known as "Zietela dialect"; it has been speculated that the ancestors of its speakers might have been Lituanized JotvingiansYotvingians
Yotvingians or Sudovians were a Baltic people with close cultural ties to the Lithuanians and Prussians...
. It drew the attention by many prominent linguists, such as Christian Schweigaard Stang
Christian Schweigaard Stang
Christian Schweigaard Stang was a Norwegian linguist, Slavicist and Balticist, professor in Balto-Slavic languages at the University of Oslo from 1938 until shortly before his death...
, Vladimir Toporov
Vladimir Toporov
Vladimir Nikolayevich Toporov was a leading Russian philologist associated with the Tartu-Moscow semiotic school. His wife was Tatyana Elizarenkova....
, Kazimieras Būga
Kazimieras Buga
Kazimieras Būga was a Lithuanian linguist and philologist. He was a professor of linguistics, who mainly worked on the Lithuanian language.He was born at Pažiegė, near Dusetos, then part of the Russian Empire...
and Juozas Balčikonis
Juozas Balcikonis
Juozas Balčikonis was a Lithuanian linguist and teacher, who contributed to the standardization of the Lithuanian language.- References :...
. In 1886, 1156 people in nearby villages signed as Lithuanians, however the real number might have been much greater. Until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
there was a Lithuanian
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
minority in surrounding villages. Only one woman (Kotryna Žukelytė-Jodienė) identified herself as Lithuanian in 1959 and at present the Lithuanian population is virtually extinct. The Vocabulary of Zietela Dialect has been published in Lithuania.
People
- Jacob ben Wolf Kranz of Dubno, der "Dubner maggidMaggidMaggid , sometimes spelled as magid, is a traditional Eastern European Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A preacher of the more scholarly sort was called a "darshan", and usually occupied the official position of rabbi...
" (1741–1804) - Yisrael Meir KaganYisrael Meir KaganYisrael Meir Poupko , known popularly as The Chofetz Chaim, was an influential Eastern European rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Jewish life...
(Chofetz Chayim) - Zvi Yosef ResnickZvi Yosef ResnickRabbi Zvi Yosef HaKohen Resnick was a well-known orthodox Russian rabbi and Rosh yeshivah , also known as Rebbe Hirsch Meitsheter .-Life and work:Resnick lived in Zhetel , a town in Belarus, and at least one of his children was born...
, rabbiRabbiIn Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and rosh yeshivah (1841–1912) - Mnachem RisikoffMnachem RisikoffMnachem HaKohen Risikoff , was an orthodox rabbi in Russia and the United States, and a prolific author of scholarly works, written in Hebrew. Risikoff used a highly stylized and symbolic pen-name, יאמהדנונחהים, made up of the Hebrew letters of his first name, the Hebrew word for Lord, and the...
, rabbi and scholar (1866–1960), born in Dziatlava - Baruch SorotzkinBaruch SorotzkinRephoel Baruch Sorotzkin was the Rosh Yeshiva of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders.Sorotzkin was born on February 5, 1917 in Zhetl, Lithuania...
- Tamara LazakovichTamara LazakovichTamara Vasilyevna Lazakovich , born 11 March 1954 in village Gusevo in the Pravdinskiy rayon of the Kaliningrad region of Russia, was an Soviet gymnast whose competed at the European, World, and Olympic level during the early 1970s.Described as a "perky sparrow" with a "purity of line", Lazakovich...
, European All-Around Co-Champion (1971) and Olympic medalist (1972)Gymnastics at the 1972 Summer OlympicsAt the 1972 Summer Olympics, fourteen different artistic gymnastics events were contested, eight for men and six for women. All events were held at the Sports Hall in Munich from August 27 through September 1.-Format of competition:...
in gymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...