Site Information:  Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union

Title:         
Belarus

Public Affairs

Source:         Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Public
                 Communication

Description:    Washington, DC

Date:           May 27, 19925/27/92

Category:       Site Information

Region:         Eurasia

Country:        Belarus, USSR (former)

Subject:        History, Democratization, Trade/Economics,
                 Cultural Exchange

Map: Central, Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Republics

[TEXT]

Overview

According to archeological evidence, Belarus has been inhabited
since prehistoric times, although the first recorded settlements
date back to the 6th century AD.  Small towns, most of which were
founded by the end of the 12th century, dotted the region, and
gradually came under the control of the princes of Kiev.  They ruled
Belarus until the invasion of the Mongols in 1240, when most of the
towns were destroyed.

        The region came under the control of powerful Lithuanians and,
later, under the Lithuanian-Polish Jagiellon Dynasty in 1386.  For
centuries, the Poles and the Muscovites struggled bitterly over
Belarus.  In 1772, Catherine the Great gained control over part of
the country, and, by 1795, Russia ruled all of Belarus.

        During the 19th and 20th centuries, the country again became a
European battleground.  Napoleon passed through Belarus-and fought
there-in 1812, and the Germans fought the Russians on Belarussian
territory in World War I.   Although a Soviet Socialist Republic was
proclaimed in January 1919, fighting with Poland continued until
1921.

        Belarus suffered heavy losses in World War II, but experienced
a great post-war rebirth.  The residents of Minsk quickly rebuilt
railways, institutes, and schools.  Because of these efforts, Minsk's
economic output doubled in the 10 years between 1940 and 1950.
Belarus declared its independence on August 25, 1991.

Minsk-The Heart of White Russia

Minsk, the capital of Belarus, was first mentioned in 1067 as a
trading center on the route from Russia to Poland.  It became
capital of the region in 1101 and was annexed to Lithuania in 1326.

        Starting in 1569, Minsk was joined to Poland, an arrangement
that expired with the second partition of Poland in 1793, when
Russia claimed suzerainty.

         Despite its economic success, Minsk has not always prospered.
Many disasters have affected the city from the 1505 sacking by the
Crimean Tatars to the French, German, and Polish occupations that
occurred between 1812 and 1920.  This destruction climaxed during
World War II, when 300,000 people were killed, and 74% of the
city's housing was destroyed.

        In addition to being the capital, Minsk is also the cultural
center of Belarus.  Entertainment and arts events are provided by
small theaters, a music conservatory, and a theater of opera and
ballet.

        Because of the massive wartime destruction, little of Minsk's
historical past remains.  The most notable architectural sites in
Minsk today are the Ekaterina Cathedral and Bernardine Convent,
both built in the 17th century.  Modern Minsk was rebuilt in the
utilitarian designs favored by the early Soviet leadership.