Vowpa[a] (Belarusian: Воўпа; Polish: Wołpa; Russian: Вольпа, romanized: Volpa; Lithuanian: Volpos) is an agrotown in Vawkavysk District, Grodno Region, in western Belarus.[1][2] It serves as the administrative center of Vowpa selsoviet.[3]
Vowpa
Воўпа (Belarusian) | |
|---|---|
 Church of Saint John the Baptist | |
 Seal | |
  Vowpa | |
| Coordinates: 53°22′08″N 24°22′18″E / 53.36889°N 24.37167°E | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Grodno Region |
| District | Vawkavysk District |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
History edit
At various times it was either a royal town of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth or a private town of the Holszański and Sapieha families,[4] administratively located in the Wołkowysk County in the Nowogródek Voivodeship. It was often visited by King Stephen Bathory during his stays in nearby Grodno.[4] In 1643, Kazimierz Leon Sapieha received King Władysław IV Vasa in the town.[4]
The Wołpa Synagogue is located in the town, and is reputed to be the "most beautiful" of the wooden synagogues of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth,[1] a "masterwork" of wooden architecture.[5]
In the interwar period, Wołpa, as it was known in Polish, was administratively located in the Grodno County in the Białystok Voivodeship of Poland. In the 1921 census, 59.9% people declared Polish nationality, 38.9% declared Jewish nationality and 1.2% declared Belarusian nationality.[6]
During World War II, the town was first occupied by the Soviet Union until 1941, then by Nazi Germany until 1944, and re-occupied by the Soviet Union afterwards.[citation needed]
Demographics edit
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1886 | 1,634 | — |
| 1921 | 1,731 | +5.9% |
| Source: [4][6] | ||
Notes edit
- ^ Also spelled Voŭpa, Volpe, Wolpe, Wolp, or Woupa
References edit
- ^ a b Carol Herselle Krinsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985, Synagogues of Europe: Architecture, History, Meaning, Dover Publications, 1996, p. 225 ff.
- ^ "Voupa, Belarus".
- ^ Gaponenko, Irina Olegovna (2004). Назвы населеных пунктаў Рэспублікі Беларусь: Гродзенская вобласць. Minsk: Тэхналогія. p. 127. ISBN 985-458-098-9.
- ^ a b c d Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XIII (in Polish). Warszawa. 1893. p. 913.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Thomas C. Hubka, Resplendent Synagogue: Architecture and Worship in an Eighteenth Century Polish Community, by Brandeis University Press, 2003, p. 63
- ^ a b Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Tom V (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1924. p. 43.
External links edit
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