Minsk

Minsk

Understand History Minsk is one of the oldest Belarusian cities. Its age is counted from 1067, when it was mentioned in a medieval chronicle for the first time. In the 13th century, Minsk peacefully joined the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. By the middle of the 16th century, it was an important economic and cultural centre in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It suffered badly during the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) and the Great Northern War (1700–1721). Minsk was annexed by Russia in 1793. It enjoyed a speedy development throughout the 19th century as one of the provincial centres of the Russian Empire. By the end of the 19th century, the city had over 90,000 inhabitants, with Jews constituting more than half of its population. Other substantial ethnic groups were Russians, Poles and Belarusians. Ethnic Belarusians dominated in rural areas on the country. In the early years of the 20th century, Minsk was a major centre for the worker's movement. The 1st Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, the forerunner to the Soviet Communists, was held there…

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