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(C)Sable soft. & FEA corp. 2001(C)
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Polacak
Polacak (pronounced Polatsak) is the centre of the Polacak
district, situated on the Dzvina river, at the place where the
Palata flows into it, 100 km to the North-West of Viciebsk
(Vitebsk). It is the junction of several railway lines (to
Maladziecna, Viciebsk, Nieviel' and Daugavpils);
Population: 88,000 (1995)
St. Sophia's Cathedral today
Polacak is the most ancient city on Belarusan territory and,
according to Scandinavian legends, where it is called
"Paltes juborg", one of the most ancient cities of the eastern
Slavs. Excavations have proven the existence of a settlement
there as early as in the 5th century AD.
Polacak was first
mentioned in the chronicles of 862 as a town founded by the
Slavic tribe Kryvicy-Palacane (the Kryvicy being one of the
largest groups of Eastern Slavs who moved into the area in the
6th century AD) and as the centre of the Polacak principality,
a powerful, Eastern Slavic state which lasted from the 9th -
12th century AD. Other major cities were Viciebsk, Orsa,
Miensk (Minsk) and Druck.
Traces dating from this heathen times can still be found today, such as stone
idols and huge stones which were used as sacrificial stones. In the 12th
century the prince of Polacak Barys had Christian crosses chiseled into
these stones. Since then they have been called "Barys stones".
The "Barys Stone"
European maps dating from the
10th century already show the Polacak principality as a
separate state. The first states of the territory of today's
Belarus were the principalities of Polacak and Turau.
Ruled from Kiev toward the end of the 10th century, they asserted thems
elves early on as independent or semi-independent
dominions. This was especially true for Polacak. This period
of time, when these principalities became independent, can be
regarded as the beginnings of Belarus as a nation.
The dynasty ruling Polacak (starting with prince Rahvalod
in 980) pursued a policy aimed at securing Polacak's
independence and making it the most powerful principality
amongst the Eastern Slavs. Rahvalod and his sons were killed
by Vladimir, the prince of Kiev and future christianiser of the
Kievan Rus'. Rahvalod's daughter Rahnieda was forced to
marry Vladzimir (see also The Story of Princess Rahnieda).
Rahnieda's son Iziaslau was the only one to continue the line of
his grandfather Rahvalod.
After the Iziaslau's premature death in 1001, Polacak was
successfully ruled by Iziaslau's son, Bracyslau (1044) and
grandson, Usiaslau the Magician, as he was called.
The sign of the Prince Iziaslau
Under Usiaslau the Magician Polacak achieved its greatest power.
With changing fortunes it fought against Kiev and Novgorod
(a city North of Polacak, a centre of a Slovene tribe - A.S.)
and succeeded in expanding its territory to the
South into areas inhabited by the
related Dryhavicy tribe as well as to the West along the
Dzvina river, far away from Polacak's tributaries. Usiaslau
ruled for a long time (1044-1101) and many of his deeds, in
particular his determined struggle against Kiev, made such an
impression on his contemporaries that they refused to take him
for an ordinary mortal. Thus the contemporary Kievan
chronicle ascribes his birth to magic: "In that year Bracyslau
died ... and his son Usiaslau, born to his mother by means of
sorcery, sat on the throne. When he was born there was a
mark on his head and the wizards told his mother: 'Put a band
round his mark and let him wear it all his life'. Thus Usiaslau
has worn it to the present day. That is why he is
merciless when it comes to the shedding of blood." Almost a
century later the author of "Lay of Igor's Campaign" (one of
the first works of Eastern Slavic literature - A.S.) gave the
following description of Usiaslau: "Prince Usiaslau judged the
people, granted cities to the princes, but at night he prowled
about in the guise of a wolf. He would race from Kiev to
Tmutarakan' (a town and principality on the peninsula
between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, East of Crimea -
A.S.) before the first cockcrow and, in the shape of a wolf,
would cross the path of the great Chors. For him the bells
of the cathedral of the Holy Wisdom at Polacak would toll for
matins in the early morning, and he heard them by the time he
reached Kiev."
This is what St. Sophia's Church looked like in the 11th-17th century
To crown the achievements of his father and assert himself as
equal to the other princes, Usiaslau ordered the construction
of St. Sophia's Cathedral (Safijski Sabor) in Polacak, which
should match the
cathedrals in Kiev and Novgorod built in 1037 and 1050
respectively. The building, erected between 1044 and 1066
on the basis of Byzantine traditions, demonstrated
originality in its architecture. St. Sophia's Cathedral was the
first monumental building on the territory of Belarus. Its
significance was enormous: not only did it help christianising
the Kryvicy and neighbouring tribes, but it also became a
symbol emphasising the independence of the Polacak
principality and of its traditional architecture and culture in
general (at that time only Kiev and Novgorod had stone-built
cathedrals) and underlining its role as an important
strategic location on the route from Scandinavia to Byzantium.
In the 12th and 13th century Polacak was governed through a
vecha system. The vecha was a body where all free male adult
inhabitants of the city were represented. The vecha dealt with
questions of war or peace, legislative questions and the
conclusion of treaties. The vecha could also appoint and
depose princes, select certain officials and try cases of political
and other crimes. Votes were taken by acclamation.
The Holy Savior Church
In the 12th century juweller Lazar Bohsa created the famous
Cross of St. Efrasinnia of Polacak (Efrasinnia Polackaja) (see also
St. Efrasinnia of Polacak
- the first Belarusan saint and the first Slavic
woman to be canonised by the Church).
In the 12-16 centuries Polacak had the most ancient library in
Belarus': the library of the Cathedral, for which Efrasinnia
Polackaja herself copied many books.
In the early 13th century the Order of Christian Warriors
(Teutonic Order) and
the order of the Knights of the Cross (also known as the
Livonian Order) were founded in the lower reaches of the
Dzvina. Their aim was to conquer new territories in
Eastern Europe. Polacak, together with the Baltic tribes of
Lives and Lattgals fought a long battle with both orders (later
with the Teutonic Order) for
control of the lower reaches of the Dzvina and for access to
the Baltic Sea.
In 1307 Polacak became part of the Grand Duchy of Litva
(see also
The origins of the Grand Duchy of Litva - here and
later GDL) and remained its most significant city until the 16th
century. One of the signs confirming this is the Polacak Code
of Law, a system of legal standards and feudal statutes which
was effective in the city itself and the
surrounding territory. This code of law guaranteed Polacak's
independence not only as far as life in the city was concerned
but also in its relations with other countries. It was effective up
to
the late 18th century, when Polacak became part of the
Russian Empire. The "Polish Chronicle" mentions Polacak
in the year 1382 as the fortress of Bielaja Rus'.
Around the year 1490 a great representative of the
Renaissance was born in Polacak: Francisk (Francisak)
Skaryna, a great scholar and Doctor of Medicine at the
University
of Padua (Italy). He founded the first Belarusan publishing
house (in Prague), where he commented and edited 23 books
in Belarusan, including the Bible (at the time this was the first
edition of the Bible in a Slavonic language and the second one
in Europe).
Front Page of Skaryna's Bible
In 1498 Polacak was granted the Magdeburg Code of Law
(concerning municipal self-government).
From 1563 - 1579, during the Livonian War (when
Russia fought against the Livonian Order, GDL, Poland
and
Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea) Polacak was occupied
by the troops of the Muscovy Tsar Ivan IV Grosny (Ivan the
Terrible). Over the wartime years, the library of the St.
Sophia's
Cathedral, where chronicles, books and other documents of
Belarusan culture covering Polacak's entire history were kept,
was completely plundered. In 1579 the city was liberated by
the Grand Duke of Litva and King of Poland Stefan Batory
(Istvan Bathory in Hungarian).
In 1581 the Polacak Jesuit College, a secondary school (later,
in 1812 it became an academy) was founded.
In the 17th century the city was characterised by its large
number of stone-built monasteries and churches, both
Orthodox and
Catholic.
During the war between Russia and the GDL and Poland in the Belarusan (as well as the Ukrainian)
people. Church rituals continued to be conducted in the
Orthodox way, but in contrast to the Orthodox Church, the
Uniats recognised the Pope as their head.
However, in 1839 the
Polacak Church Council passed a resolution which forced the
Uniat Church to merge with the Orthodox church and
outlawed the use of the Belarusan language in church service.
In our century Polacak became a district centre within the
Viciebsk region. Its old town has been declared a monument
of national heritage, a part from this it has a museum of
Belarusan
bookprinting, a museum and library named after Simiaon of
Polacak, a 17th century Belarusan and Russian writer, the
Polacak Picture Gallery and Polacak University, founded
in
1993.
This page is part of the Virtual Guide to Belarus - a collaborative project of Belarusian scientists abroad.
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