Kopys
Kopys (Belarusian: Копысь, Belarusian pronunciation: [ˈkopɨsʲ], Russian: Копысь, Russian pronunciation: [ˈkopɨsʲ], Polish: Kopyś, Yiddish: קאָפּוסט Kopust) is an urban-type settlement in the Orsha Raion, Vitebsk Region, Belarus.
Kopys | |
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Site of the former castle | |
Coat of arms | |
Kopys | |
Coordinates: 54.3244444544°N 30.2916666767°E | |
Country | |
Region | Vitebsk |
District | Orsha |
Population (2018) | 842 |
Area code(s) | +375 216 |
History
First references are dated by 1059. From the 14th century, it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and subsequently the Polish–Lithuanian Union after the Union of Krewo (1385). Administratively, it was part of the Vitebsk Voivodeship. It was granted town rights in the 16th century. It was a private town owned by the Ostrogski family and, after 1594, the Radziwiłł family.[1] A castle stood in the town of Kopys and a Calvinist church was founded by Krzysztof Mikołaj Radziwiłł.[1] During the Great Northern War, in 1707, Kopys was destroyed by Russian troops. In 1772, it became a part of the Russian Empire in the course of the First Partition of Poland.
The Kapust Hasidic dynasty originates in Kopys. By the end of the 18th century, there was a Jewish typography in Kopys.
Notable Natives & Residents
- Alexander Lukashenko, current president of Belarus
- David Remez, Israeli politician
- Veniamin Blazhenny, poet
References
- Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom IV, Warsaw, 1883, p. 388 (in Polish)
External links
- Kopys at radzima.org
- Flag of Kopys (2004)
- Coats of Arms of Kopys
- The murder of the Jews of Kopys during World War II, at Yad Vashem website
- Kopys, Belarus at JewishGen