Vyerkhnyadzvinsk
Vyerkhnyadzvinsk[lower-alpha 1] or Verkhnedvinsk (Belarusian: Верхнядзвінск, romanized: Vierchniadzvinsk;[lower-alpha 2] Russian: Верхнедвинск; Lithuanian: Drisa; Polish: Dryssa), previously known as Drysa or Drissa[lower-alpha 3] until 1962, is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vyerkhnyadzvinsk District.[1] It is located at the confluence of the Drysa River and the Daugava River. Its population in 2009 was 7,600. As of 2023, it has a population of 6,883.[1]
Vyerkhnyadzvinsk
| |
|---|---|
Town | |
._Downtown..jpg.webp) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Vyerkhnyadzvinsk | |
| Coordinates: 55°47′N 27°57′E | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Vitebsk Region |
| District | Vyerkhnyadzvinsk District |
| First mentioned | 1386 |
| Administrative center | 1924 |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
| • Total | 6,883 |
| Postal code | 211631 |
| Area code | +375 2151 |
| License plate | 2 |
History
Drissa is first mentioned in a chronicle of the year 1386.[2] During the medieval period it formed part of the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. From 1801 it was the center of the Drissa uyezd of the Vitebsk Governorate, and during the War of 1812 it was the site of a fortified camp described by Leo Tolstoy in Book Three of War and Peace.
It became a raion center in 1924. During the Second World War, it was occupied by Germany and most of the local population was massacred.[3]
Notes
- BGN/PCGN romanization of Belarusian.
- Official transliteration.
- Belarusian: Дрыса; Russian: Дрисса
References
- "Численность населения на 1 января 2023 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2022 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- Maciej Stryjkowski. Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Ruthenia (1582).
- "Yahad - in Unum".
