Sapotskin

File:BIA Sopoćkinie COA.png

Coat of Arms

Sapotskin (Belarusian: Сапоцкін, Russian: Сопоцкин, Polish: Sopoćkinie) is a small town in Belarus, 27 km (16.8 mi) north-east of Hrodna with circa 2,000 inhabitants.

History

Sapotskin was part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1560-1795) before Partitions of Poland. It was annexed to Prussia and was part of New East Prussia Province in 1795. Later, it was part of Lomza Department of Grand Duchy of Warsaw (1807-1815). It was given to Russian Empire and successively part of Augustow Voivodeship (1815-1837), Augustow Governorate (1837-1867) and Suwałki Governorate (1867-1915) before German occupation between 1915 and 1918. It was a gmina center in Augustow powiat in Białystok Voivodeship at Second Polish Republic times.

In 1939 the area has become part of Belastok Region of the Belarussian SSR, with Sapotskin as a raion center. It was occupied by Wehrmacht between 1941 and 1944 and was part of Bezirk Bialystok. After liberation by Red Army, it was part of Grodno Region as a raion center. Sapotskin raion was removed in 10 March 1959 and was bounded to Grodno raion.

Today, Sapotskin is one of the centers of the Polish minority in Belarus. It is also the only town in Belarus where the Polish minority was allowed to use bilingual street signs.

People related to Sapotskin

• Sapotskin is the death place of Gen. Józef Olszyna-Wilczyński
• Yaraslau Ramanchuk, a Belarusian economist and 2010 presidential candidate, was born in Sapotskin

Attractions

• burial mound (10-11 cent.) - archaeological monument, on the western outskirts of the village
• Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (early 20th Century)
• Sapotskinski Biological Reserve (Augustów Canal)

External links

• Old pictures of Sopockinie