Yelsk, Belarus

Yelsk
Ельск
Town
Holy Trinity church
Holy Trinity church
Flag of Yelsk
Flag
Coat of arms of Yelsk
Coat of arms
Yelsk is located in Belarus
Yelsk
Yelsk
Coordinates: 51°49′N 29°09′E / 51.817°N 29.150°E / 51.817; 29.150
CountryBelarus
RegionGomel Region
DistrictYelsk District
Population
 (2025)[1]
 • Total
8,623
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code
247831, 247872, 247873
Area code+375 2354
License plate3

Yelsk (Belarusian: Ельск, romanized: Jeĺsk; Russian: Ельск; Polish: Jelsk) is a town in Gomel Region, in southern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Yelsk District.[1] As of 2025, it has a population of 8,623.[1] It is located in Polesia.[2]

Yelsk was greatly affected by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

History

Early-20th-century photo from Yelsk

Jelsk was a private town within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 16th century, it became a possession of the Spads, a family of French religious refugees who then took the name Jelski after the town.[2]

During World War II, the town was occupied by German troops during summer 1941. The local Jews were gathered and deported towards Kalinkovichi and Mazyr. Approximately two weeks after the departure of the Jews of Yelsk, the Jews of the nearby Jewish village of Skorodnoye were brought in and locked inside a building. Then, the Germans set fire to the building all the Jews were burned alive.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Численность населения на 1 января 2025 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2024 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich (in Polish). Vol. III. Warszawa. 1888. p. 561.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ "Yahad - in Unum".
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelsk