Bobruisk District Historical Economic Summaries

Provided by
The Minsk Historical Genealogy Group
Oleg Perzashkevich, Director

Village of Svisloch

by Oleg Perzashkevich

Svisloch before 1917

History

End XI - beg. XII century - Svisloch was founded as a castle on the bank of Svisloch river in Minsk-Zaslavl Princedom.

End XIII century - Svisloch became a castle in Great Lithuanian Princedom.

1367 - after Prince Yavnut son of Godemin, who was that time owner of Zaslavl Princedom (including Svisloch) died, his heritage was separated among his sons. Svisloch became a possession of Yavnut's 2nd son Semen. He became the Duke of Svisloch.

1387 - Svisloch became a possession of Great Lithuanian Prince Yagaylo, who gave it to his brother Svidrigaylo. Late XV century - Jewish population appeared.

1506 - Svisloch was attacked by Crimean Tatars.

1506 - 1791 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Rechitsa District of Minsk Province of Great Lithuanian Princedom. In XVI century Svisloch was State-owned.

1506 - 1527 - during the wars between Great Lithuanian Princedom and Moscovy Russia Muscovites destroyed Svisloch several times.

Oct. 2, 1511 - Polish King and Lithuanian Great Prince Sighizmund I Old awarded Svisloch citizens to pay all the taxes directly to the State Treasury, without District and Province Mediators.

1535 - during the war between Great Lithuanian Princedom and Moscovy Russia Muscovites destroyed Svisloch several times.

July 19, 1540 - Polish King and Lithuanian Great Prince Sighizmund II August confirmed Svisloch privilege to pay all the taxes directly to the State Treasury, without District and Province Mediators.

1600 - Nicole Haraburda - Abdank, high military official of Minsk Province got Svisloch as an award. Mid. XVII century - Haraburda owners built in Svisloch the wooden Brest Union Orthodox church of St. Nicholas.

1653 - 1667 - Svisloch suffered seriously from Muscovites invasions.

XVIII - early XX centuries - Svisloch was a possession of Zavisha - Lebed, then Nezabytovsky - Lubech noble families.

Mid. XVIII - Svisloch owner Barbara Zavisha - Nezabytovskaya rebuilt the Orthodox church of XVII century.

1791-1793 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Polish Kingdom.

Since 1793 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Russian Empire.

1797 - Jesuits built wooden Roman Catholic church in Svisloch.

1801-1917 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Bobruisk District of Minsk Province.

1812 - during the Napoleon war in Russia Napoleon General Yan Khenrik Dombrovsky kept his headquarters in Svisloch.

Vital Statistics

Jewish Life

Traditional activities of local Jewish population were trade with timber, grain and salt. Since early time Svisloch river was the main road and trade way for local inhabitants. Local Christian population was traditionally busy with chopping and river transport of wood, fishing, collecting of wild honey and agriculture there.

The shtetle became to develop as a State-owned shtetle in the XVIth century. But the events of the XVII-XVIII centuries stopped the development of Svisloch economy and the Shtetle fell in decay for about 100 years.

Here is the major business and trade enterprises of Svisloch and the Subdistrict in 1902.

Also there were 3 flour mills and 4 taverns there.

In 1909 in Svisloch there were 190 wooden houses.

General cultural information