Bobruisk District Historical Economic Summaries
Provided by
The Minsk Historical Genealogy Group
Oleg Perzashkevich, Director
Village of Svisloch
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by Oleg Perzashkevich
Svisloch before 1917
History
End XI - beg. XII century - Svisloch was founded as a castle on the bank of Svisloch river in Minsk-Zaslavl Princedom.
End XIII century - Svisloch became a castle in Great Lithuanian Princedom.
1367 - after Prince Yavnut son of Godemin, who was that time owner of Zaslavl Princedom (including Svisloch) died, his heritage was separated among his sons. Svisloch became a possession of Yavnut's 2nd son Semen. He became the Duke of Svisloch.
1387 - Svisloch became a possession of Great Lithuanian Prince Yagaylo, who gave it to his brother Svidrigaylo. Late XV century - Jewish population appeared.
1506 - Svisloch was attacked by Crimean Tatars.
1506 - 1791 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Rechitsa District of Minsk Province of Great Lithuanian Princedom. In XVI century Svisloch was State-owned.
1506 - 1527 - during the wars between Great Lithuanian Princedom and Moscovy Russia Muscovites destroyed Svisloch several times.
Oct. 2, 1511 - Polish King and Lithuanian Great Prince Sighizmund I Old awarded Svisloch citizens to pay all the taxes directly to the State Treasury, without District and Province Mediators.
1535 - during the war between Great Lithuanian Princedom and Moscovy Russia Muscovites destroyed Svisloch several times.
July 19, 1540 - Polish King and Lithuanian Great Prince Sighizmund II August confirmed Svisloch privilege to pay all the taxes directly to the State Treasury, without District and Province Mediators.
1600 - Nicole Haraburda - Abdank, high military official of Minsk Province got Svisloch as an award. Mid. XVII century - Haraburda owners built in Svisloch the wooden Brest Union Orthodox church of St. Nicholas.
1653 - 1667 - Svisloch suffered seriously from Muscovites invasions.
XVIII - early XX centuries - Svisloch was a possession of Zavisha - Lebed, then Nezabytovsky - Lubech noble families.
Mid. XVIII - Svisloch owner Barbara Zavisha - Nezabytovskaya rebuilt the Orthodox church of XVII century.
1791-1793 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Polish Kingdom.
Since 1793 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Russian Empire.
1797 - Jesuits built wooden Roman Catholic church in Svisloch.
1801-1917 - Svisloch was a shtetle in Bobruisk District of Minsk Province.
1812 - during the Napoleon war in Russia Napoleon General Yan Khenrik Dombrovsky kept his headquarters in Svisloch.
Vital Statistics
| Date | Jews | Non-Jews | Comments | % Total Pop. |
| Late XV century | Jewish population appeared | |||
| 1888 Over 1000 | Total population | > 60% | ||
| 1897 | 1120 | 667 | Both sexes | 62.7% |
| 1909 | 1970 | Total population | No info | |
Jewish Life
In the beg. XX century in Svisloch there were:
 | - synagogue; |
| - 4 praying houses; |
| - private Jewish school. |
Economic Review
Traditional activities of local Jewish population were trade with timber, grain and salt. Since early time Svisloch river was the main road and trade way for local inhabitants. Local Christian population was traditionally busy with chopping and river transport of wood, fishing, collecting of wild honey and agriculture there.
The shtetle became to develop as a State-owned shtetle in the XVIth century. But the events of the XVII-XVIII centuries stopped the development of Svisloch economy and the Shtetle fell in decay for about 100 years.
During Russian principality the authorities did a lot to develop the region because of military and fiscal reasons mostly. First of all, old communications were reconstructed there:
| post road Minsk - Igumen - Bobruisk; |
| road Svisloch - Lapichi; |
| road Bobruisk - Svisloch - Berezino; |
| old harbour. |
At the end XVIII - early XIX century the authorities constructed new road from Moghilev to Svisloch. In XIX, because of development of the All-Russian Market, new types of communications appeared in the area:
| - telegraph station (1870s); |
| - closest railway station was 30 km afar from Svisloch (in Osipovichi). |
Those processes stimulated Svisloch growth very much. But Svisloch harbour stated the main economical object. In 1890s its annual turnover was over 8,000 tons. Cargo:
| - wood (main) - downstream; |
| - grain - up- and downstream; |
| - salt - upstream; |
| - herring - upstream; |
| - iron - upstream; |
| - pig fat (downstream). |
In 1885 there were about 90 wooden houses in Svisloch.
Here is the major business and trade enterprises of Svisloch and the
Subdistrict in 1902.
| Name of owner | Type of business | Religion |
| MATS Zimel son of Ghirsh | Pharmacy | Jewish |
| BARSHAY Aron son of Iosel | Fabric store | Jewish |
| DOBKIN Shaya son of Iosel | Timber trade (Britsalovichi village) | Jewish |
Also there were 3 flour mills and 4 taverns there.
In 1909 in Svisloch there were 190 wooden houses.
General cultural information
In the late XIX - early XX century in Svisloch there were:
| - Orthodox church of St. Nicholas; |
| - Roman Catholic church, resanctified into Orthodoxy; |
| - primary church school; |
| - primary public school; |
| - post office & telegraph station; |
| - public shelter - hospital; |
| - pharmacy. |
Copyright 1997-1998 Oleg Perzashkevich
Reproduced for the web with permission. All rights reserved. Any use of this material is
prohibited without permission from:
Minsk Historical Genealogy Group
Republic of Belarus
Minsk - 07, Zhukovskogo 9-2-190
Phone: 375-17-2240560
e-mail: minskhist@yahoo.com
