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| Coat of arms of the city of Grodno |
The city of Grodno is the administrative center of the Grodno region in Belarus, as well as the Grodno region, which the city itself is not part of.
In 2014, the city bore the title “Cultural Capital of Belarus”.The city is located in the western part of the region, on the banks of the Neman, near the border with Poland 15 km and Lithuania 30 km.
Hub of roads and railways.
As of January 1, 2019, the population is 373,547. By the number of inhabitants, the city is the fifth-largest in the republic.
The area of the city - the third largest among all urban areas of Belarus, is 142.11 km2, including territories joined in 2008-2009 with a size of more than 79 km2.
Grodno is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The official date of foundation of the city is 1128.
In the middle of the XIII century. Grodno became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 1569 - part of the Commonwealth).
As a result of the last section of the Commonwealth, held in Grodno in 1795, the city was annexed to the Russian Empire, and in 1801 it became a provincial city. In 1863, the city was the center of the 1863 uprising.
In July 1920, the city came under Soviet control, but in October of the same year it again came under Polish control, which remained until September 21, 1939, when it was occupied by Soviet troops and transferred to the Byelorussian SSR as part of the USSR.
On the second day of the war with the USSR, on June 23, 1941, Grodno was occupied by German troops, and on September 18, 1941, Grodno was incorporated into Germany as part of the Białystok district.
On July 16, 1944, Grodno was liberated by the Red Army; on September 20, 1944, Grodno became the administrative center of the newly created Grodno region. The city retained this status even after the formation of the Republic of Belarus in 1991.
Grodno is divided into two administrative districts for 2020 - Leninsky and Oktyabrsky.
The city is one of the most important historical and cultural centers of Belarus, as one of the oldest cities in the republic, preserving a unique historical building. At different times, the city was part of various states, adopting and preserving their culture.
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| Engraving by Tomasz Makovsky |
It was the second most important city of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and after the decision in 1673 to hold Diet in Grodno, it became the de facto capital of this state until its lands were included in the Russian Empire.
In the XV-XVIII centuries it was one of the main residences of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
It was the favorite residence of Stephen Bathory.
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