Talachyn
{{Short description|Town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Talachyn
|native_name={{unbulleted list |{{native name|be|Талачын}}|{{native name|ru|Толочин}}}}
|nickname=
|settlement_type = Town
|image_skyline= Belarus-Talachyn-Church of Protection of Our Lady-2.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption = Church of the Protection of Our Lady
|image_flag = Flag_of_Talačyn_and_Talačyn_Rajon.svg
|image_shield = Coat of Arms of Tałačyn, Belarus.svg
|flag_size = 150
|shield_size = 75
|pushpin_label =
|pushpin_label_position = left
|pushpin_map = Belarus
|image_map =
|map_caption = Location in Belarus
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Belarus
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_name1 = Vitebsk Region
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = Talachyn District
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|established_title = First mentioned
|established_date = 1433
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|population_as_of = 2024
|population_note =
|population_total = 9,666
|population_density_km2 = auto
|timezone = MSK
|utc_offset = +3
|timezone_DST =
|utc_offset_DST =
|coordinates = {{coord|54|25|N|29|42|E|region:BY_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_m = 199
|postal_code_type = Postal code
|postal_code = 211070
|area_code = +375 2136
|blank_name = License plate
|blank_info = 2
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
Talachyn or Tolochin ({{langx|be|Талачын|Talačyn}}, {{IPA|be|taɫaˈtʂɨn|IPA}}; {{langx|ru|Толочин}}; {{langx|pl|Tołoczyn}}; {{langx|yi|טאָלאָטשין}}; {{langx|lt|Talačynas}}) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Talachyn District. As of 2024, it has a population of 9,666.
History
The town was first mentioned in 1433. The village was a shtetl.{{cite web |url=http://shtetle.co.il/Shtetls/tolochin/tolochin_eng.html |title=My shtetl\Tolochin |accessdate=2016-03-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325041628/http://shtetle.co.il/Shtetls/tolochin/tolochin_eng.html |archivedate=2016-03-25 }}
In 1939, 1,292 Jews lived there, making up 21.2 percent of the total population of the town.{{sfn|Megargee|Dean|2012|page=1738}}
=World War II=
The town was under German military occupation from 6–7 July 1941 until 1944.{{sfn|Megargee|Dean|2012|page=1738}}
The Germans established a ghetto in September or October 1941, which consisted of 15 houses and had 2,000 inmates.{{sfn|Megargee|Dean|2012|page=1738}} The ghetto was liquidated on 12 or 13 March 1942 and its inmates were killed.{{sfn|Megargee|Dean|2012|page=1738}} The Germans killed more than 2,000 Jews, according to estimates made by the Soviet Extraordinary State Commission.{{Cite web|url=http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/about/institute/killing_sites_catalog_details_full.asp?region=Vitebsk|title = - Online Guide of Murder Sites of Jews in the Former USSR - Yad Vashem}} However, this figure is disputed, due to the pre-war Jewish population being significantly lower, and some Jews having been drafted or able to flee.{{sfn|Megargee|Dean|2012|page=1738}} The Einsatzkommando reported that it had killed 1,551 Jews in March, presumably in the entire district.{{sfn|Megargee|Dean|2012|page=1738}}
A memorial has been erected to remember the fate of the victims.
Notable structures
- Memorial to Jewish victims of World War II
- Church of St Anthony (Catholic)
- Church of the Holy Intercession (or: of the Protection of Our Lady)
- Pokrovsky Monastery
- Basilian Monastery, Talachyn
- Brothers' Cemetery (military cemetery)
- War Memorial
Notable people
- Jacob Rutstein (1877–1946), businessman
References
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Dean|first2=Martin|year=2012|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume II|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=1738–1739|isbn=978-0-253-35599-7}}
External links
{{commons category|Talačyn|Talachyn}}
- {{JewishGen-LocalityPage|1950640|Talachyn, Belarus}}
- [http://radzima.org/pub/miesta.php?lang=en&miesta_id1=vitltala Photos on Radzima.org]
{{Vitebsk Region}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Populated places in Vitebsk region
Category:Historic Jewish communities in Belarus
Category:Holocaust locations in Belarus
Category:Populated places in Belarus
{{Belarus-geo-stub}}