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122-597: The library was the first Polish public library, the largest library in Poland, and one of the earliest public libraries in Europe. After the Kościuszko Uprising (1794), Russian troops, acting on orders from Czarina Catherine II , seized the library's holdings and transported them to her personal collection at Saint Petersburg , where a year later it formed the cornerstone of the newly founded Imperial Public Library . In

244-627: A Nazi prison in the city. Since 1945, the city has been a centre of one of the provinces of the Byelorussian SSR , now of the independent Republic of Belarus. Most of the Polish inhabitants were expelled or fled to Poland in 1944–1946 and 1955–1959 . However, in 2019 Poles are still the second-most numerous nationality in the city (22%), after Belarusians. The Grodno Old Town was severely damaged during World War II and post-war authorities lacked will to preserve its heritage. The Church of

366-422: A career in administration or the military - the traditional career paths of Polish nobles. It also meant that they could not own any land, another blow to their former noble status. But for Orthodox Christian peasants of Western Ukraine and Belarus , the partition may have brought the decline of religious oppression by their formal lords, followers of Roman Catholicism . However, Orthodox Christians were only

488-621: A constitution", elaborating that a strong Commonwealth would likely demand the return of the lands Prussia acquired in the First Partition . The Constitution was not adopted without dissent in the Commonwealth itself, either. Magnates who had opposed the constitution draft from the start, namely Franciszek Ksawery Branicki , Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki , Seweryn Rzewuski , and Szymon and Józef Kossakowski , asked Tsaritsa Catherine to intervene and restore their privileges such as

610-829: A convention took place in Grodno on border disputes between Lithuania and the Polish Duchy of Masovia . Since 1385 Grodno formed part of the Polish–Lithuanian union . The famous Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas was the prince of Grodno from 1376 to 1392, and he stayed there during his preparations for the Battle of Grunwald (1410). During the Lithuanian Civil War of 1389–1392 , the city was captured by Władysław II Jagiełło in 1390, and then by Vytautas in 1391, with Vytautas-allied Konrad von Wallenrode committing

732-474: A large and lavishly decorated reading room located on the second floor, and was topped with a small tower containing an astronomical observatory . Following the library's looting and closure, its original seat was used for flour storage after 1807, and was subsequently altered into a tenement house in 1821. The building was destroyed by the Germans during World War II . After the war, the original building

854-705: A massacre of 15 Polish prisoners-of-war. After the Ostrów Agreement of 1392, Vytautas expelled the Teutonic Knights, who in revenge captured the city, burned the castle and took 3,000 prisoners. The city was attacked one more time by the Teutonic Knights in 1402. Since 1413, Grodno had been the administrative center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship . Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło often stopped in Grodno, including in 1414, 1416, 1418 and 1425. In 1425, Polish-Teutonic talks concerning

976-491: A prayer in the intention of the Załuski brothers. The library initially lended out its collection items, but soon reversed this policy by prohibiting to take the books outside the library, as the book theft became a growing problem, to an extent that the bishop patrons decided to ask the pope for help. Responding to their request, in 1752 pope Benedict XIV issued a papal bull that threatened to excommunication individuals taking

1098-596: A roundup for a deportation to Treblinka. Several local Jews were rescued by Poles who either hidden them in the city or transported them to other locations. On 2 November 1942 the deportations to the death camps began and during 5 days in February 1943, 10,000 Jews were sent to Auschwitz . Later, on 13 February, 5,000 Jews were sent to Treblinka . During the deportations, many synagogues were looted and some people were murdered. The last Jews were deported in March 1943. By

1220-661: A short-lived state to be set up there, the first one with a Belarusian name—the Belarusian People's Republic . This declared its independence from Russia in March 1918 in Minsk (known at that time as Mensk), but then the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic had to leave Minsk and fled to Grodno and later to the temporary Lithuanian capital Kaunas . All this time the military authority in

1342-590: A significant Jewish population before the Holocaust : according to Russian census of 1897 , out of the total population of 46,900, Jews constituted 22,700 (around 48%, or almost half of the total population). After the outbreak of World War I, Grodno was occupied by Germany (3 September 1915) and ceded by Bolshevist Russia under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918. After the war the German government permitted

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1464-543: A small minority in Eastern Belarus at that time; the prevailing majority of the country's population was Eastern rite Catholics . Peasants were flogged just for mentioning the name of Kościuszko and his idea of abolishing serfdom . Platon Zubov , who was awarded estates in Lithuania, was especially infamous, as he personally tortured to death many peasants who complained about worsening conditions. Besides this,

1586-753: A veteran of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War , announced the general uprising in a speech in the Kraków town square and assumed the powers of the Commander in Chief of all of the Polish forces. He also vowed not to use these powers to oppress any person, but to defend the integrity of the borders of Poland, regain the independence of the nation, and to strengthen universal liberties. In order to strengthen

1708-479: Is a city in western Belarus . It is one of the oldest cities of Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River , 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Minsk , about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the border with Poland , and 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the border with Lithuania . Grodno serves as the administrative center of Grodno Region and Grodno District , though it is administratively separated from

1830-507: The Battle of Terespol (19 September), the new army started its march towards Warsaw. Trying to prevent both Russian armies from joining up, Kościuszko mobilised two regiments from Warsaw and with General Sierakowski's 5,000 soldiers, engaged Fersen's force of 14,000 on 10 October in the Battle of Maciejowice . Kościuszko was wounded in the battle and was captured by the Russians, who sent him to Saint Petersburg . The new commander of

1952-665: The Council of Lithuania and representation in the Government of Lithuania by Lithuanian Ministry for Belarusian Affairs ). After the outbreak of the Polish–Bolshevik War , the German commanders of the Ober Ost feared that the city might fall to Soviet Russia, so according to the 1919 Treaty of Białystok on 27 April 1919 they passed authority to Poland, which just regained independence several months earlier. The city

2074-645: The East Slavs to the Grodno Region in the 10th–11th centuries, the area was inhabited by Baltic tribe Yotvingians , who were heavily Lithuanized in the 5th-7th centuries already and especially during the formation of the State of Lithuania in the 13th century, and subsequently for a long time Grodno and its area was a part of the Ethnographic Lithuania (e.g. even in the 19th century

2196-793: The Lithuanian Wars of Independence , thus large amount of its members were awarded with the highest state award of Lithuania – Order of the Cross of Vytis . In accordance with an agreement between Lithuania and Belarus (Rada BNR), the Grodno Region was joined to Lithuania. According to Lithuanian president Antanas Smetona , the Lithuanians considered granting an autonomy to the Belarusian territories within Lithuania (as requested by Belarusian side; there were Belarusian members in

2318-494: The Old Grodno Castle was started in 2017 and also received criticism due to the lacking of historical authenticity. For instance, the contemporary viewpoint was added near the central gates. Some specialists disputed the restoration project, they found significant mistakes in documentation that appeared because the constructor could not read historical inventory descriptions written in Polish and German. For example,

2440-773: The Ottoman Empire (the Russo-Turkish War, 1787–1792 and the Austro-Turkish War, 1787–1791 ); the Russians also found themselves simultaneously fighting in the Russo-Swedish War, 1788–1790 . A new alliance between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Prussia seemed to provide security against Russian intervention, and on 3 May 1791 the new constitution was read and adopted to overwhelming popular support. With

2562-878: The Polish Revolution of 1794 , was an uprising against the Russian and Prussian influence on the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland-Lithuania and the Prussian partition in 1794. It was a failed attempt to liberate the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from external influence after the Second Partition of Poland (1793) and the creation of the Targowica Confederation . By

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2684-625: The Polish-Lithuanian Union in 1385. Grodno faced numerous invasions, most notably by the Teutonic Knights . The city was a key trade, commerce, and cultural center in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , and one of its royal residences, and de facto capital in the 1580s. The grand dukes allowed the creation of a Jewish commune in 1389, and the city received its charter in 1441. Grodno was

2806-637: The Renaissance Batorówka Palace. The Old and New Castles were often visited by the Commonwealth monarchs. Kings Casimir IV Jagiellon and Stephen Báthory died there, and the latter was initially buried at the local Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary . Grodno was one of the places where the Sejms of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were held, incl. the last Sejm in the history of the Commonwealth in 1793. The city

2928-478: The gentry and on the third of May 1791 turned into a revolution and a conspiracy." The Confederates declared an intention to overcome this revolution. We "can do nothing but turn trustingly to Tsarina Catherine, a distinguished and fair empress, our neighboring friend and ally", who "respects the nation's need for well-being and always offers it a helping hand", they wrote. The Confederates aligned with Catherine and asked her for military intervention. On 18 May 1792

3050-400: The " Proclamation of Połaniec ", in which he partially abolished serfdom in Poland, granted civil liberty to all peasants and provided them with state help against abuses by the nobility. Although the new law never fully came into being and was boycotted by much of the nobility, it also attracted many peasants to the ranks of the revolutionaries. It was the first time in Polish history that

3172-506: The "scythemen". To destroy the still weak opposition, Russian Empress Catherine the Great ordered the corps of Major General Fiodor Denisov to attack Kraków. On 4 April both armies met near the village of Racławice . In what became known as the Battle of Racławice Kościuszko's forces defeated the technically superior opponent. After the bloody battle the Russian forces withdrew from

3294-542: The 14th century after the approval given to them by the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas . During the next years, their status had changed several times and in 1495 the Jews were deported from the city and banned from settling in Grodno (the ban was lifted in 1503). In 1560 there were 60 Jewish families in Grodno. They were concentrated on the "Jewish street" with their own synagogue and "hospital". In

3416-634: The 1920s the government of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic returned some of the former Załuski Library holdings to the recently established Second Polish Republic following the Treaty of Riga , and they were later included in the National Library ( Biblioteka Narodowa ), founded in 1928 (hence, the latter considers itself the continuation of the Załuski Library). The majority of

3538-579: The Blessed Virgin Mary , which because of its founder (14th century) was commonly referred to as Vytautas ' Church , was first turned into a warehouse and eventually in 1961 was blown up by a decision of the Grodno Executive Committee. The Grodno Town Hall (constructed in 1513) was demolished to expand Savieckaja Square . The early 17th century Baroque style Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Bernardine Monastery

3660-921: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Byelorussia , Panteleimon Ponomarenko , the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia, narrated during the meeting that previously he discussed with the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin the issue of the territorial transfers between the Byelorussian SSR and the Lithuanian SSR and Stalin said to him that if he will not transfer territories where there are many Lithuanians he will be punished. On 23 June 1941,

3782-511: The Commonwealth's government for over a century. The idea of reforming the Commonwealth gained traction starting from the mid-17th century. It was, however, viewed with suspicion not only by its magnates but also by neighboring countries, which were content with the deterioration of the Commonwealth and abhorred the thought of a resurgent and democratic power on their borders. With the Commonwealth Army reduced to around 16,000, it

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3904-429: The Commonwealth's territory. This event reduced Poland's population to only one-third of what it was before the partitions began in 1772 . The rump state was garrisoned by Russian troops and its independence was strongly curtailed. Such an outcome was a giant blow for the members of the Targowica Confederation , who saw their actions as a defense of the centuries-old privileges of the magnates, but now were regarded by

4026-1148: The Constitution, the Army was reduced to about 36,000. In 1794 Russians demanded a further downsizing of the army to 15,000. The dissent in the Polish Army was one of the sparks that would lead to the coming conflict. The King's capitulation was a hard blow for Kościuszko, who had not lost a single battle in the campaign. By mid September he was resigned to leave the country, and he departed Warsaw in early October. Kościuszko settled in Leipzig , where many other notable Polish commanders and politicians formed an émigrée community. Soon he and some others began preparing an uprising against Russian rule in Poland. The politicians, grouped around Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Kołłątaj , sought contacts with similar opposition groups formed in Poland and by spring 1793 had been joined by other politicians and revolutionaries, including Ignacy Działyński . While Kołłątaj and others had begun planning for

4148-632: The French led by Jérôme Bonaparte . The entry of the allied Polish and French troops was met with enthusiasm by the population, the Accession to the Confederation of the inhabitants of the Grodno district was announced, Napoleon 's name day was officially celebrated and an obelisk was erected in honour of the French. In 1833, following the unsuccessful November Uprising , notable local Polish independence activist and insurgent Michał Wołłowicz

4270-594: The German occupation of the city, on 1 November 1942 the Jews were concentrated in 2 ghettos. 15,000 men were confined to the old part of the city where the main synagogue was located. A high wall of 2 meters was built around the ghetto. The second ghetto was located in the Slovodka part of the city with 10,000 inhabitants. The head of the Judenrat was appointed Dr. Braur (or Brawer), the school's headmaster, who served in this duty until his execution in February 1943 during

4392-638: The Lithuanian-inhabited areas were still nearby the present-day suburbs of Grodno city). The modern city of Grodno originated as a small fortress and a fortified trading outpost maintained by the Rurikid princes on the border with the lands of the Baltic tribal union of the Yotvingians. The first reference to Grodno dates to 1005. The official foundation year is 1128. In this year Grodno

4514-767: The Partitioning Powers for 133 years, and has continued to officially state the year 1747 as its date of foundation, as well as to number and celebrate its anniversaries accordingly. In World War II , the German soldiers deliberately destroyed the collection (held in the Krasiński Library at the time) during the planned destruction of Warsaw in October 1944, after collapse of the Warsaw Uprising. Only 1800 manuscripts and 30,000 printed materials from

4636-418: The Poles that Prussia did not support the constitution and refused to help the Commonwealth in any form, even as a mediator, as it was not in Prussia's state interest to see the Commonwealth strengthened as it could threaten Prussia in the future. The Prussian statesman Ewald von Hertzberg expressed the fears of European conservatives: "The Poles have given the coup de grâce to the Prussian monarchy by voting

4758-423: The Polish border to conduct personal observations, and to meet some sympathetic high-ranking officers in the remaining Polish Army, including general Józef Wodzicki . The preparations in Poland were slow and he decided to postpone the outbreak, and left for Italy, planning to return in February. However, the situation in Poland was changing rapidly. The Russian and Prussian governments forced Poland to again disband

4880-441: The Polish borders and joined the 9,000 Russian soldiers operating in northern Poland. On 6 June Kościuszko was defeated in the Battle of Szczekociny by a joint Russo-Prussian force and on 8 June General Józef Zajączek was defeated in the Battle of Chełm . Polish forces withdrew towards Warsaw and started to fortify the city under directions from Kosciuszko and his 16,000 soldiers, 18,000 peasants and 15,000 burghers. On 15 June

5002-405: The Polish community, a Polish school was built in 1995, where all subjects are taught in Polish and students are able to pass exams to get accepted into Polish universities . The town was planned to be dominated by the Old Grodno Castle , first built in stone by Grand Duke Vytautas and thoroughly rebuilt in the Renaissance style by Scotto from Parma at the behest of Stefan Batory , who made

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5124-476: The Polish forces, Kościuszko issued an act of mobilisation, requiring that every 5 houses in Lesser Poland delegate at least one able male soldier equipped with carbine , pike , or an axe . Kościuszko's Commission for Order in Kraków recruited all males between 18 and 28 years of age and passed an income tax. The difficulties with providing enough armament for the mobilised troops made Kościuszko form large units composed of peasants armed with scythes , called

5246-415: The Polish leftist movement. Many prominent Polish politicians who were active during the uprising became the backbone of Polish politics, both at home and abroad, in the 19th century. Also, Prussia had much of its forces tied up in Poland and could not field enough forces to suppress the French Revolution , which added to its success and briefly restored a Polish state . In the lands of partitioned Poland,

5368-425: The Praga massacre; the number includes both military personnel and civilians. Zajaczek fled wounded, abandoning the Polish army. On 16 November, near Radoszyce , Wawrzecki surrendered. This marked the end of the uprising. The power of Poland was broken and the following year the third partition of Poland took place, after which Austria , Russia and Prussia annexed the remainder of the country. The uprising

5490-432: The Prussian army captured Kraków unopposed. Warsaw was besieged by 41,000 Russians under General Ivan Fersen and 25,000 Prussians under King Frederick William II of Prussia on 13 July. On 20 August, an uprising in Greater Poland started and the Prussians were forced to withdraw their forces from Warsaw. The siege was lifted by 6 September when the Prussians and Russians had both withdrawn their troops. Although

5612-409: The Prussian lines, forcing the Prussians to withdraw most of their forces from central Poland. However, the Poles did not stay long in Prussian territories, and soon retreated to Central Poland. Meanwhile, the Russians equipped a new corps commanded by General Aleksandr Suvorov and ordered it to join up with the corps under Ivan Fersen near Warsaw. After the Battle of Krupczyce (17 September) and

5734-450: The Russian ambassador to Poland, Yakov Bulgakov , delivered a declaration of war to Polish Foreign Minister Joachim Chreptowicz . Russian armies entered Poland and Lithuania on the same day, starting the Polish–Russian War of 1792 . The war ended without any decisive battles, with a capitulation signed by Polish King Stanisław August Poniatowski , who hoped that a diplomatic compromise could be worked out. King Poniatowski's hopes that

5856-538: The Russian authorities conducted heavy recruiting for the Russian army among the population, which meant a practically lifelong service. Since the conditions of serfdom in former Poland due to the exploitation by nobility and arendators were already severe, discussion exists on how partitions influenced the life of common people. Grodno Grodno ( Russian : Гродно [ˈɡrodnə] ; Polish : Grodno [ˈɡrɔdnɔ] ) or Hrodna ( Belarusian : Гродна , IPA: [ˈɣrɔdna] )

5978-469: The Russian-guaranteed Cardinal Laws abolished under the new statute. To that end these magnates formed the Targowica Confederation . The Confederation's proclamation, prepared in St. Petersburg in January 1792, criticized the constitution for contributing to, in their own words, "contagion of democratic ideas" following "the fatal examples set in Paris". It asserted that "The parliament ... has broken all fundamental laws, swept away all liberties of

6100-478: The St. Petersburg court. It is estimated that 650,000 former Polish serfs were transferred to Russian officials in this manner. Some among the nobility, especially in Lithuanian and Ruthenian regions of the former Commonwealth, were expelled to southern Russia, where they were subject to Russification. Other nobles were denied their nobility status by Russian authorities, which meant loss of legal privileges and social status , significantly limiting any possibility of

6222-412: The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union adopted a new decree regarding the borders of the Byelorussian SSR and Lithuanian SSR. The Byelorussian SSR transferred cities and surroundings of Švenčionys , Dieveniškės , Druskininkai to the Lithuanian SSR that were mostly inhabited by Lithuanians and the Lithuanians began administrating them in January 1941. According to a 26 September 1940 meeting protocol of

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6344-404: The aftermath of the Polish-Soviet War and the Treaty of Riga around 50,000 collection items were repatriated to Poland by the RSFSR 's government. which served as the cornerstone of the National Library of Poland re-established in 1928 . The latter has therefore always regarded itself as the direct continuation of the Załuski Library with its service to be considered merely "interrupted" by

6466-428: The battlefield. Kościuszko's forces were too weak to start a successful pursuit and wipe the Russian forces out of Lesser Poland. Although the strategic importance of the victory was close to none, the news of the victory spread fast and soon other parts of Poland joined the ranks of the revolutionaries. By early April the Polish forces concentrated in the lands of Lublin and Volhynia , ready to be sent to Russia, joined

6588-421: The books from this library; even that did not eliminate the problem completely. After the brothers' deaths, the newly formed Commission for National Education took charge of the library, renaming it the Załuski Library of the Republic. Twenty years later in 1794, in the aftermath of the second Partition of Poland and Kościuszko Uprising , Russian troops, on orders from Russian Czarina Catherine II , emptied

6710-481: The borders took place there. To aid the reconstruction of trade and commerce, the grand dukes allowed the creation of a Jewish commune in 1389. It was one of the first Jewish communities in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1441 the city received its charter, based on the Magdeburg Law . In 1445, Casimir IV Jagiellon received a delegation from Kraków in Grodno announcing his election as king of Poland. As an important centre of trade, commerce, and culture, Grodno

6832-521: The capitulation would allow an acceptable diplomatic solution to be worked out were soon dashed. With new deputies bribed or intimidated by the Russian troops, a new session of parliament, known as the Grodno Sejm , took place, in fall 1793. On 23 November 1793, it concluded its deliberations under duress, annulling the constitution and acceding to the Second Partition . Russia took 250,000 square kilometres (97,000 sq mi), while Prussia took 58,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi) of

6954-405: The castle his principal residence. Batory died at this palace seven years later (December 1586) and originally was interred in Grodno. (His autopsy there was the first to take place in Eastern Europe .) After his death, the castle was altered on numerous occasions, although a 17th-century stone arch bridge linking it with the city still survives. The Wettin monarchs of Poland were dissatisfied with

7076-408: The church of the Bridgettine cloister (1642, one of the earliest Baroque buildings in the region) with the wooden two-storey dormitory (1630s) still standing on the grounds, and the 18th-century buildings of the Dominican monastery (its cathedral was demolished in 1874). Other sights in Grodno include the Orthodox cathedral, a polychrome Russian Revival extravaganza from 1904; the botanical garden,

7198-526: The city and its surroundings. The Eastern Orthodox population is also widely present. The city's Catholic and Orthodox churches are important architectural treasures. The city houses the Grodno State Medical University where many students from different parts of Belarus acquire academic degrees, as do a number of foreign students. Other higher educational establishments are Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno (the largest education centre in Grodno Province) and Grodno State Agrarian University. To support

7320-444: The city came under German occupation that lasted until 16 July 1944. It was administered as part of the Bialystok District . Surviving inmates of the Grodno prison were released and the scale of the NKVD prisoner massacres revealed. In the course of Operation Barbarossa in World War II, the majority of Jews were herded by the Nazis into the Grodno Ghetto and subsequently killed in extermination camps . The Germans also operated

7442-858: The city is named as Горадня (Horadnia). In Latin , it was known as Grodna ( -ae ), in Polish as Grodno , in Lithuanian as Gardinas , in Latvian as Grodņa , in German as Garten , and in Yiddish as גראָדנע (Grodne). [REDACTED] Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1270–1569) [REDACTED] Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795) [REDACTED] Russian Empire (1795–1915) [REDACTED] German Empire (1915–1918) ( occupation ) [REDACTED] Belarusian Democratic Republic (1918–1919) [REDACTED] Republic of Poland (1919–1939) [REDACTED]   Soviet Union (1939–1941) ( occupation ) [REDACTED]   Nazi Germany (1941–1944) ( occupation ) [REDACTED]   Soviet Union (1944–1991) [REDACTED]   Belarus (1991– present ) Before arrival of

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7564-430: The city remained in German hands until April 1919. Nevertheless, military units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces were formed in the German-controlled part of the Grodno Region in 1918–1919. For example, a Belarusian unit named 1st Belarusian Regiment , commanded by Alaksandar Ružancoŭ, was formed mainly from Grodno's inhabitants in 1919 as a part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and participated in Lithuania's side during

7686-407: The city's Polish inhabitants were deported to remote areas of the Soviet Union. On 1–2 October 1940, negotiations were held in Grodno between the Lithuanian and Belarusian communists to resolve territorial disputes between the Lithuanian SSR and Byelorussian SSR. The Lithuanians received less territories than they were appointed by the Supreme Soviet Decree of 3 August 1940 and on 6 November 1940

7808-399: The city, including Polish Army officers and youth, were massacred afterwards by the Soviets. After the Soviet forces surrounded the engaged Polish units, the escaping Polish units withdrew to Lithuania. In accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, the city was occupied by the Soviet Union and annexed into the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic . Several thousand of

7930-417: The city: the Neman River, the Lasosna River and the Haradničanka River with its branch the Yurysdyka River. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Dfb " (Warm Summer Continental Climate). The city has one of the largest concentrations of Roman Catholics in Belarus. It is also a centre of Polish culture , with a significant number of Poles living in Belarus residing in

8052-401: The collections of earlier Polish bibliophiles such as Jakub Zadzik , Krzysztof Opaliński , Tomasz Ujejski, Janusz Wiśniowiecki , Jerzy Mniszech and Jan III Sobieski (the latter, from his granddaughter, Maria Karolina Sobieska ). Beginning from the 1730s the brothers planned the creation of a public library . The Załuski Library was considered the first Polish public library and one of

8174-481: The commander of 1st Greater Polish National Cavalry Brigade (1,500 men) decided to disobey the order to demobilise, advancing his troops from Ostrołęka to Kraków . This sparked an outbreak of riots against Russian forces throughout the country. The Russian garrison of Kraków was ordered to leave the city and confront Madalinski, which left Kraków completely undefended, but also foiled Kosciuszko's plan to seize their weapons. On 24 March 1794, Tadeusz Kościuszko ,

8296-421: The community's activity centralized in the main synagogue that had been returned to the community by the authorities in the 1990s. The head of the community is Rabbi Yitzhak Kaufman. A memorial plaque, commemorating the 25,000 Jews who were murdered in the two ghettos in the city of Grodno was placed on a building in Zamkavaja vulica, where the entrance to the ghetto once was. The following rivers flow through

8418-460: The cultural layer in the historic Old Market Square, demolition of 28 Constructivist architecture buildings in Mickevich, Gorky and September 17 streets in order to replace them with a modern hotel complex and the main traffic flow is directed in dangerous proximity to the New and Old Castles, while the plans to rebuild the Grodno Town Hall and the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( Vytautas' Church ) are not being implemented. The reconstruction of

8540-533: The cultural point of view the partitions may have given a step forward towards the development of national Polish literature and arts, since the inhabitants of partitioned lands could acquire the cultural developments of German and Russian Enlightenment . The conditions for the former Polish elite were particularly harsh in Russian partition. Thousands of Polish szlachta families who supported Kościuszo's uprising were stripped of their possessions and estates, which were awarded to Russian generals and favourites of

8662-400: The district. As of 2024, the city has a population of 361,115 inhabitants. The modern city of Grodno, founded in 1127, originated as a small fortress and trading outpost on the border of the Baltic tribal union of the Yotvingians . It was also a home to the Dregoviches Slavic tribe. It was a significant city in Black Ruthenia and later part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania , which joined

8784-564: The early 18th century, the magnates of Poland and Lithuania controlled the state – or rather, they managed to ensure that no reforms would be carried out that might weaken their privileged status (the " Golden Freedoms "). Through the abuse of the liberum veto rule which enabled any deputy to paralyze the Sejm (Commonwealth's parliament) proceedings, deputies bribed by magnates or foreign powers or those simply content to believe they were living in an unprecedented "Golden Age", paralysed

8906-567: The end of the war, only one Jew had remained in the ghetto. However, a few hundred survived in the camps or in hiding in the area. Perhaps as many as 2000 survived, including those who fled or were deported to the USSR. After the war, the Jewish community was revived. Most of the Jews emigrated after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today there are several hundred Jews in the city with most of

9028-439: The expense of the local population. The schooling system was also degraded as the schools in those territories were given low priority. The Commission of National Education , the world's first Ministry of Education, was abolished, because the absolutist governments of the partitioning powers saw no gain in investing in education in the territories inhabited by restless Polish minorities. The creation of educational institutions in

9150-466: The failure of the uprising meant economic catastrophe, as centuries-old economic markets became divided and separated from each other, resulting in the collapse of trade . Several banks fell and some of the few manufacturing centres established in the Commonwealth were closed. Reforms made by the reformers and Kosciuszko, aimed at easing serfdom, were revoked. All the partitioning powers heavily taxed their newly acquired lands, filling their treasuries at

9272-517: The first in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, founded in 1774; a curiously curved building on the central square (1780s); a 254-metre-high TV tower (1984); and Stanisławów, a summer residence of the last Polish king. The city is served by Grodno Airport located 18 km south-east of Grodno. Some seasonal international and charter flights are available throughout the year. The city's public transport includes trolleybuses , which began operating in Grodno on 5 November 1974. The trolleybus system

9394-536: The headquarters of the Society of Authors ZAiKS . 52°14′43″N 21°00′27″E  /  52.245408°N 21.007541°E  / 52.245408; 21.007541 Ko%C5%9Bciuszko Uprising [REDACTED] Tadeusz Kościuszko [REDACTED] Alexander Suvorov The Kościuszko Uprising , also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 , Second Polish War , Polish Campaign of 1794 , and

9516-532: The incompetence of Russian ambassador and commander, Iosif Igelström , and the chosen day being the Thursday of Holy Week when many soldiers of the Russian garrison went to the churches for the Eucharist not carrying their arms. Finally, from the onset of the insurrection, the Polish forces were aided by the civilian population and had surprise on their side as they attacked many separate groups of soldiers at

9638-844: The invading Wehrmacht . In the course of the Soviet invasion of Poland (initiated on 17 September 1939) heavy fighting took place in the city between Soviet and improvised Polish forces, composed mostly of march battalions and volunteers. In the course of the Battle of Grodno (20-22 September) the Red Army lost some hundred men (according to Polish sources; according to Soviet sources – 57 killed and 159 wounded) and also 19 tanks and 4 APCs destroyed or damaged. The Polish side suffered at least 100 killed in action, military and civil, but losses still remain uncertain in detail (Soviet sources claim 644 killed and 1543 captives with many guns and machine guns etc. captured). Over 300 captured Polish defenders of

9760-495: The largest libraries in the contemporary world. In all of Europe there were only two or three libraries that could boast such holdings. The library initially held some 200,000 items, which grew to some 400,000 printed items, maps and manuscripts by the end of the 1780s. It also accumulated a collection of art, scientific instruments, and plant and animal specimens. This library, open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., asked patrons to be quiet and to say

9882-520: The late 1920s the city became one of the biggest Polish Army garrisons. This brought the local economy back on track. According to the 1921 Polish census , the population of the city was 49.9% Polish, 43.4% Jewish, 4.3% Belarusian, 2.0% Russian, 0.26% German and 0.05% Lithuanian. During the Polish Defensive War of September to October 1939 the garrison of Grodno was mostly used for the formation of numerous military units fighting against

10004-523: The library and dispatched the whole collection to Saint Petersburg . The looted books formed the foundations of the Imperial Public Library on its formation a year later; meanwhile, its looted Polish predecessor was abolished and destined by the victorious three powers to be sent into oblivion along with its owner, the Polish state itself. Parts of the collections were damaged or destroyed as they were mishandled while being removed from

10126-520: The library and transported to Russia, and many were stolen. According to the historian Joachim Lelewel , the books from the Zaluskis' collection "could be bought at Grodno by the basket". The collection was later dispersed among several Russian libraries. Some parts of the Zaluski collection returned to Congress Poland on two separate dates in the nineteenth century: 1842 and 1863. In the 1920s, in

10248-470: The majority of her armed forces and the reduced units were to be drafted into the Russian army. Also, in March the tsarist agents discovered the group of revolutionaries in Warsaw and started arresting notable Polish politicians and military commanders. Kościuszko was forced to execute his plan earlier than expected, and on 15 March 1794 he set off for Kraków . On 12 March 1794, General Antoni Madaliński ,

10370-407: The majority of the Polish population as traitors . The Polish military was widely dissatisfied with the capitulation, most commanders considering it premature; Tadeusz Kościuszko , Prince Józef Poniatowski and many others would criticize the king's decision and many, including Kościuszko, resigned their commission shortly afterward. After the Commonwealth defeat in that war and the rescinding of

10492-507: The new constitution. Prussia was also strongly opposed to the new constitution, and Polish diplomats received a note that the new constitution changed the Polish state so much that Prussia did not consider its obligations binding. Just like Russia, Prussia was concerned that the newly strengthened Polish state could become a threat and the Prussian foreign minister, Friedrich Wilhelm von Schulenburg-Kehnert , clearly and with rare candor told

10614-678: The old residence and commissioned Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann to design the New Grodno Castle , whose once sumptuous Baroque interiors were destroyed during World War II. The oldest extant structure in Grodno is the Kalozha Church of Sts. Boris and Gleb (Belarusian: Каложская царква ). It is the only surviving monument of ancient Black Ruthenian architecture, distinguished from other Orthodox churches by prolific use of polychrome faceted stones of blue, green or red tint which could be arranged to form crosses or other figures on

10736-538: The opposition in Lithuania was crushed by Russian forces ( Vilnius was besieged and capitulated on 12 August ), the uprising in Greater Poland achieved some success. A Polish corps under Jan Henryk Dąbrowski captured Bydgoszcz (2 October) and entered Pomerania almost unopposed. Thanks to the mobility of his forces, General Dąbrowski evaded being encircled by a much less mobile Prussian army and disrupted

10858-469: The original Załuski collection was, however, deliberately destroyed by the German troops during the planned destruction of Warsaw in October 1944, following the collapse of the Warsaw Uprising . The Załuski brothers' greatest passion was book collecting , including collecting historical manuscripts and incunabula . Józef Andrzej Załuski and his brother Andrzej Stanisław Załuski acquired

10980-566: The original library survived the war. After the war, some of the items were successfully recovered and returned to the National Library of Poland , the successor to the Załuski Library. In 2023, George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews , a member of the British Royal Family , personally handed over the 1523 L’histoire de Primaleon de Grece by Francisco Vázquez after he realized the provenance of this book in his collections. For

11102-420: The partitions became very difficult. For example, an attempt to create a university in Warsaw was opposed by the Prussian authorities. Further, in the German and Russian partitions, all remaining centers of learning were subject to Germanisation and Russification ; only in territories acquired by Austria was there relatively little governmental intervention in the curriculum . According to S. I. Nikołajew, from

11224-409: The peasants were officially regarded as part of the nation , the word being previously equivalent to nobility . Despite the promise of reforms and quick recruitment of new forces, the strategic situation of the Polish forces, which consisted of 6,000 peasants, cavalry, and 9,000 soldiers, was still critical. On 10 May the forces of Prussia (17,500 soldiers under General Francis Favrat), crossed

11346-592: The presence of Peter the Great and Augustus the Strong . Its late Baroque frescoes were executed in 1752. The extensive grounds of the Bernardine monastery (1602–18), renovated in 1680 and 1738, display all the styles flourishing in the 17th century, from Gothic to Baroque. The interior is considered a masterpiece of so-called Vilnius Baroque. Other monastic establishments include the old Franciscan cloister (1635), Basilian convent (1720–51, by Giuseppe Fontana III),

11468-601: The purpose of establishing the library, the brothers acquired the 17th-century Daniłowicz Palace in Warsaw , originally built for Mikołaj Daniłowicz of Żurów and ruined during the Swedish Deluge . The building's reconstruction in rococo style was accomplished by Francesco Antonio Melana and his brother in 1745, thus enabling the Załuski brothers to officially establish the Załuski Library ( Biblioteka Załuskich ) two years later. The establishment had two stories, with

11590-516: The ranks of Kościuszko's forces. On 17 April in Warsaw , the Russian attempt to arrest those suspected of supporting the insurrection and to disarm the weak Polish garrison of Warsaw under Gen. Stanisław Mokronowski by seizing the arsenal at Miodowa Street resulted in an uprising against the Russian garrison of Warsaw , led by Jan Kiliński , in the face of indecisiveness of the King of Poland , Stanisław II Augustus . The insurgents were aided by

11712-486: The same time and the resistance to Russian forces quickly spread over the city. After two days of heavy fighting the Russians, who suffered between 2,000 and 4,000 casualties out of an initial 5,000 strong garrison, were forced to leave the city. A similar uprising was started by Jakub Jasiński in Vilnius on 23 April and soon other cities and towns followed. On 7 May 1794, Kościuszko issued an act that became known as

11834-456: The shape of the dome above the central tower, added levels between towers and galleries. Some authentic 16th century walls were demolished. Despite its significant loss of heritage, the city still has the largest ensemble of historical buildings in Belarus and is still nicknamed the "royal city" and "a grand-ducal-royal city", thus is a popular tourists destination. The Brest - Grodno area

11956-727: The site of two battles during the Great Northern War . Grodno has a rich history with various rulers and influences. In 1793, Grodno became the capital of the Grodno Voivodeship, but was annexed by Russia in 1795 after Third Partition of Poland . The city had a significant Jewish population before the Holocaust. After WWI, it was briefly part of the Belarusian People's Republic and the Republic of Lithuania before being taken over by Poland. During WWII, it

12078-445: The spring, leading to Suvorov's army to commit to an assault. On 4 November, the joint Russian forces started the Battle of Praga , after the name of the right-bank suburb of Warsaw where it took place. After four hours of brutal hand-to-hand fighting, the 22,000-strong Russian forces broke through the Polish defences and Suvorov allowed his Cossacks to loot and burn Warsaw. By one Russian estimate, approximately 20,000 were murdered in

12200-492: The turn of the 13th century, as do remains of the first stone palace in the Old Castle. The Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier stands on Batory Square (now: Soviet Square). The cathedral was a Jesuit church until 1773. This specimen of high Baroque architecture , exceeding 50 metres in height, was started in 1678. Due to wars that rocked Poland-Lithuania at that time, the cathedral was consecrated only 27 years later, in

12322-416: The uprising before meeting Kościuszko, his support was a major boon for them, as he was, at that time, among the most popular individuals in the entire Poland. In August 1793 Kościuszko returned to Leipzig where he was met with demands to start planning for the uprising; however, he was worried that an uprising would have little chance against the three partitioners. In September he would clandestinely cross

12444-470: The uprising, Tomasz Wawrzecki , could not control the spreading internal struggles for power and ultimately became only the commander of weakened military forces, while the political power was held by General Józef Zajączek , who in turn had to struggle with both the leftist liberal Polish Jacobins and the rightist and monarchical nobility. Suvorov's troops grew angry due to resistance and also due to tales of atrocities committed against Russian troops in

12566-494: The wall. The church was built before 1183 and survived intact until 1853, when the south wall collapsed, due to its perilous location on the high bank of the Neman. During restoration works, some fragments of 12th-century frescos were discovered in the apses. Remains of four other churches in the same style, decorated with pitchers and coloured stones instead of frescos, were discovered in Grodno and Vaŭkavysk . They all date back to

12688-471: The wars between Turkey and Russia and Sweden and Russia having ended, Empress Catherine was furious over the adoption of the new constitution, which she believed threatened Russian influence in Poland. Russia had viewed Poland as a de facto protectorate. "The worst possible news has arrived from Warsaw: the Polish king has become almost sovereign" was the reaction of one of Russia's chief foreign policy authors, Alexander Bezborodko , when he learned of

12810-610: The year 1578 the great synagogue of Grodno was built by rabbi Mordehai Yaffe (Baal ha-Levush). The synagogue was severely damaged in a fire in 1599. The community was not affected by the Khmelnytsky uprising but suffered during the 1655 Cossack uprising and during the war with Sweden (1703–1708). After Grodno was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1795 it was made part of the Pale of Settlement within which Jewish residency

12932-538: Was hanged by the Russians, and the local Dominican gymnasium was seized by the Tsarist authorities. Local Poles took part in Polish national mourning after the Russian massacre of Polish protesters in Warsaw in 1861. The dean of Grodno, Józef Majewski, was deported to Tobolsk in Siberia for attempting to organise a procession to Różanystok , a regional Catholic pilgrimage destination. Count Aleksander Bisping

13054-408: Was a notable royal city and was also one of the royal residences and political centers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . In the 1580s, Grodno was the de facto capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, when King Stephen Báthory of Poland moved his main residence and military headquarters there. Stephen Báthory rebuilt the Old Grodno Castle into an important royal residence and built

13176-492: Was allowed, and beyond which it was prohibited. Thus the Jewish population continued to grow and in 1907 there were 25,000 Jews out of a total population of 47,000. In the period of independent Poland, a yeshiva had operated in the city ( Shaar ha-Tora ) under the management of Rabbi Shimon Shkop . Before the German-Soviet invasion of Poland there were about 25,000 Jews in Grodno out of 50,000 total population. During

13298-487: Was arrested and imprisoned here during the January Uprising (1863-1864) before his exile to Ufa . After the fall of the uprising, a ban on the use of Polish in public places was introduced in 1865, and martial law was in force in Grodno until 1871. As a result of Russian discriminatory policies (see Pale of Settlement ) the city experienced an influx of Jewish immigrants in the 19th century, and thus had

13420-491: Was bloodily suppressed, the Polish rebels lost 27,000 and the Russians 4,080. After the failure of the Kościuszko Uprising, Poland ceased to exist for 123 years, and all of its institutions were gradually banned by the partitioning powers. However, the uprising also marked the start of modern political thought in Poland and Central Europe . Kościuszko's Proclamation of Połaniec and the radical leftist Jacobins started

13542-471: Was declared visa-free zone for foreign visitors for the period up to 15 days. Nevertheless, the British, American, Lithuanian, Canadian authorities and Belarusian opposition representatives urged not to travel to Belarus because of the safety concerns due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws (resulting in arrests and detention) and Russo-Ukrainian War . Jews began to settle in Grodno in

13664-688: Was demolished in 1951 also by a decision of the Grodno Executive Committee and the Grodno Regional Drama Theatre was built in its place. In 2005, the reconstruction of the historical centre of Grodno began. In 2008, the Belarusian Voluntary Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments declared violations of the Law on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Heritage: the destruction of

13786-399: Was easy for its neighbors to intervene directly (The Imperial Russian Army numbered 300,000; The Prussian Army and Imperial Austrian Army , 200,000 each). A major opportunity for reform presented itself during the " Great Sejm " of 1788–92. Poland's neighbors were preoccupied with wars and unable to intervene forcibly in Polish affairs. Russia and Austria were engaged in hostilities with

13908-688: Was in the New Castle on 25 November that year that the last Polish king and Lithuanian grand duke Stanisław August Poniatowski abdicated . In the Russian Empire , the city continued to serve its role as a seat of Grodno Governorate since 1801. The industrial activities started in the late 18th century by Antoni Tyzenhaus , continued to develop. During the Napoleonic Wars and fights for Polish liberation, in 1812, Polish uhlans of Prince Józef Poniatowski entered Grodno, followed by

14030-583: Was lost by Poles to the Red Army on 20 July 1920 in what became known as the First Battle of Grodno . The city was also claimed by Lithuanian government, after it was agreed by the Soviet–Lithuanian Treaty of 1920 signed on 12 July 1920 in Moscow that the city would be transferred to Lithuania. However, Soviet defeat in the Battle of Warsaw made these plans obsolete, and Lithuanian authority

14152-529: Was mentioned in the Kievan Chronicle as Goroden , and located at a crossing of numerous trading routes. The same chronicle also reports in the year 1183: 'That same year all of Goroden burned, including all the stone churches, from a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder in a thunderstorm.' Grodno became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century, and the local stronghold

14274-552: Was never established in the city. Instead, the Red Army organised its last stand in the city and the Battle of Neman took place there. On 23 September the Polish Army recaptured the city. After the Peace Treaty of Riga , Grodno remained in Poland. Initially, prosperity was reduced due to the fact that the city remained only the capital of a powiat, while the capital of the voivodeship was moved to Białystok . However, in

14396-475: Was occupied by the Soviet Union and later by Nazi Germany . Since 1945, Grodno has been part of Belarus. Today, it has a diverse population, including Belarusians, Poles, and a small Jewish community. The city is known for its historical architecture, including the Old Grodno Castle , and is a center for Roman Catholicism and Polish culture in Belarus. In Belarusian Classical Orthography ( Taraškievica ),

14518-509: Was rebuilt by Lithuanians. Prince Daniel of Galicia briefly captured the city in 1253 and once again attacked it in 1259. In 1276, Duke Traidenis gave shelter in Grodno to Yotvingians fleeing the Teutonic Knights ' massacre. The city was unsuccessfully attacked by the Rus' princes and Tatars in 1277, then repeatedly attacked, with varying success, by the Teutonic Knights in 1283, 1296, 1306, 1311, 1312, 1328, 1361, 1363, 1373, 1375, 1377. In 1358

14640-577: Was rebuilt under the Polish People's Republic . During the building's reconstruction, the busts of Polish monarchs that had originally adorned the library's interiors, and which had been hidden during the Partitions of Poland , were discovered and placed on the building's facade; hence the building has come to be called the "House Under the Kings" ( Dom pod Królami ). It has thereafter served as

14762-528: Was taken over by the Polish Army the following day and Polish administration was established in the city. The Poles disbanded the Lithuania's 1st Belarusian Regiment (which refused to carry out Polish orders) in Grodno and publicly humiliated, looted and repressed soldiers of this unit, including officers, as well as Lithuanian and Belarusian symbols and flags in the city were torn down and publicly ridiculed, and were replaced with Polish equivalents. The city

14884-478: Was the site of two battles, Battle of Grodno (1706) and Battle of Grodno (1708) during the Great Northern War . After the Second Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and a subsequent administrative reform of the remainder of the Commonwealth, Grodno became the capital of the short-lived Grodno Voivodeship in 1793. In 1795, Russia annexed the city in the Third Partition of Poland . It

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