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| Coat of arms of the city of Polotsk |
The cities of Polotsk and Novopolotsk with the nearest towns and villages create the Polotsk agglomeration with a population of about 270,000 people.
The city of Polotsk in the Vitebsk region of Belarus, the administrative center of the Polotsk region.Located on both banks of the Western Dvina, at the confluence of the Polota River.
As of January 1, 2018, the population was 84 597 people.
For the first time, the annalistic mention of Polotsk dates back to 862. The Nikon Chronicle mentions a trip to Polotsk Askold and Dir under 865.
The historical core of the city was the fortified settlement of Krivichy, which arose on the site of the more ancient settlement of the Bancer culture on the banks of the Polota River, not far from its confluence with the Western Dvina.
Archaeological excavations on the Polotsk ancient settlement, carried out in 2007 by D.V. Duk, showed that the ancient settlement was settled already in 780. The urban character of the fortifications of the settlement dates to no earlier than the middle of the 10th century. The height of the Polotsk settlement is at least 13.5 meters, and the area is about 2 hectares, at the foot of the settlement there was a developed system of unfortified settlements. At the end of the X century, the area of Polotsk increases tenfold, and in the XI century, the area of Polotsk is about 180 hectares. Already in the second quarter of the 11th century, Polotsk became one of the largest socioeconomic and cultural centers of the region.
Polotsk - the geographical center of Europe
In the spring of 2008, specialists of the Republican Unitary Enterprise “Belaerocosmogeodesy” established that the geographical center of Europe is in Polotsk. Later, these calculations were confirmed in the Russian Central Research Institute of Geodesy, aerial photography and cartography. On May 31, 2008, a memorial sign “The Geographical Center of Europe” was installed in Polotsk. Now everyone who visits Polotsk will be able to receive a commemorative certificate that he has visited the very "heart" of Europe.Polotsk - the cultural capital of Belarus-2010
The Ministry of Culture of Belarus has initiated the «Cultural Capital of Belarus’ campaign to step up regional public initiatives to support Belarusian culture and attract tourists.It was decided that the first right to bear the title of “Cultural Capital of Belarus in 2010” be granted to the ancient Polotsk as the spiritual center of Belarus.
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