Shchuchyn

Shchuchyn (audio|Be-Ščučyn.ogg|listen; _be. Шчучын, Ščučyn; _ru. Щýчин IPA2|ˈɕɕutɕɪn ; _pl. Szczuczyn Litewski; _lt. Ščiutinas) is a town in the Hrodna Voblast of Belarus. It is the center of the Shchuchyn district. The population is nearly 18,000.

History

The first known official written mention of Shchuchyn is recorded in 1436, but its foundation as a settlement dates back to 1537, when 'Shchuchyn was mentioned in the Book of Acts of the "Lithuanian Metrica" (the Book of Lithuanian vital records), kept in the Governmental archive in Lithuania.

Ownership of Shchuchyn passed from one noble family to another: The Radziwiłł family, then the Drutskiya-Liubetskis, the Scipions, and others ruled Shchuchyn in turn. In the 15th–18th centuries, Shchuchyn became a member of the Lida council of the Vilnius office of voivode. In the first half of the 17th century, Shchuchyn was governed by the outsider marshal of the Lithuanian principality, "Scipio de Campo". Shchuchyn was an average-sized privately-owned village in terms of population.

A Catholic Monasterial Order was established 1726 in Shchuchyn by the resolution of the Sejm. The Board of Shchuchyn was considered to be one of the biggest in Belarus.

"Shchuchin" was subject to ruin and ravage more than once in its history. The biggest was in the time of the North War, after the town was seized by the Swedish king Karl XII. After the third partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, "Shchuchin" became a part of the Russian Empire. In June 1812 Shchuchyn was occupied by French troops. And again in 1915, by the German Kaiser. In 1919 the Red Army attempted to seize Belarusian land by taking and fortifying the "Martinkantsy - Shchuchin - Shchara - lake Vygonovskoe" line. However, the superior defence forces of the "Land of Grodnenskaya", together with Poland, forced the Red Army back. In 1939, Western Belarus, together with Shchuchyn, went under the control of the Soviet authorities. In World War II, Shchuchyn was occupied by German troops.

In 1962, Shchuchyn was granted town status.

Industry

Important industry: the "Avtoprovod" plant, a dairy (the Belarus largest), and a bread factory.

The city had one of the biggest Soviet air force bases (5,000 personnel).

Education

Primary and secondary education: three schools, a VTS (Vocational Technical School), a gymnasium.

External links

* [http://schuchin.grodno.by/rus/city/history/city/ The history of Ščučyn] . "Щучин online" ("Ščučyn online") ru icon
* [http://schuchin.grodno.by/rus/photos/ Photogallery of the town on "Ščučyn online"] ru icon
* [http://www.radzima.org/pub/miesta.php?lang=en&miesta_id1=hrszszcz Photos on Radzima.org]
* [http://schuchin.narod.ru/gallery.html Photo gallery of the town] ru icon
* [http://www.polishroots.org/slownik/szczuczyn.htm Slownik Geograficzny Entry: Szczuczyn]
* [http://www.catholic.by/port/en/dioceses/grodna/ Diocese of Grodno] . Site of the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus
* [http://scucin-avia.narod.ru «Scucin - the city of aviators»] Site about Scucin and its long avia history