Turov was an ancient capital of the
Dregovich tribe - one of the three
Eastern Slavic tribes that are considered ancestors of the modern
Belarusian people (the others being
Krivichs and
Drevlians). Turov was first mentioned in the
Tale of Bygone Years from 980. It is located in the southern part of Belarus, in the historical region of
Polesia. According to legend, the city was founded at the crossing of Yazda and Strumen rivers by Duke Tur - hence the name Turov. Other etymology draws the name from
Tur, the Slavic name of the
Aurochs. Both rivers join with the
Pripyat river, which in turn flows into the
Dnieper and then leads to the
Black Sea. This river route was known to
Vikings, who used it extensively for communication and during their frequent raids to
Constantinople. The
Varangian dynasty of
Ruriks became dukes in the neighboring Duchy of
Kiev. Soon Turov also came under the dominion of a local branch of dukes of the
Rurik Dynasty and particularly of
Izyaslav I, son of
Yaroslav the Wise. In that period the town of Turaŭ was not only an important trade center within the
Kievan Rus', due to its proximity to major trade routes running from the
Baltic Sea to the Byzantine Empire, but also one of the most important cities of the Rus among
Kiev,
Chernihiv,
Novgorod, and
Pereyaslav. The
Prince of Turov, the main contender to the throne of the
Kievan Rus' before their subjugation to the
Monomakhs considerably influenced the early politics of the neighboring
Duchy of Poland in the 11th century having together an intertwined history. Thanks to the towns' strategic location, many different crafts were developed and practiced in Turov. It was also home to bishops
Cyril of Turov and Laverentiy of Turov. In 1005 the first
Roman Christian bishopric on the territory of Belarus was founded in Turov. The town's period of prosperity ended with a number of feudal conflicts in the 12th century. Soon afterwards Turaŭ lost much of its importance as well as its autonomy. In 1320 Turov became a part of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania having closely assimilated with the
Prince of Minsk. In 1430 it became a
private town of the
Grand Duke Svitrigaila. In the end of the 15th century Turaŭ became a property of Grand Court Marshal of Lithuania
Michal Glinski. In 1502 it was damaged by a
Tatar invasion. After Glinski's betrayal and escape to
Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1508, Turov was confiscated by the family of
Konstanty Ostrogski, who started the reconstruction, but the town was yet again destroyed by the Tatars in 1521. The
Ostrogski family owned the town for more than a century, until it was given as a
dowry to the
Sapieha and then
Potocki magnate families. During
The Deluge the town was taken by Muscovy, but was soon retaken by
Janusz Radziwiłł. After the period of constant wars with Muscovy, the town was severely damaged. By 1667, Turov had only 111 households left of the 401 there in 1648. The town never fully recovered. After the
Second Partition of Poland in 1793 it was annexed by Russia and remained a small, provincial town for most of the 19th century. From that time onwards it shared the fate of the nearby town of
Gomel. in 1810, the wooden Orthodox Church of All Saints was built in Turov. It has survived down to this day, never having been rebuilt. Inside the church are kept the weeping icon of St Nicholas, and two old Christian crosses covered in legends and stories. The church remains as a centre of Orthodox life in the town.
Jewish population The
shtetl (Jewish community) in Turov began in the 16th century. The population of Jewish people reached its peak at the end of the 19th century. After that time they began to emigrate to larger cities and to other countries. Turov was subjected to
pogroms (violence against Jewish communities), but the Jewish population managed to hang on through
World War I and the
Russian Revolution. Even after the
Bolsheviks took over, the Jewish population continued to carry on their traditions and there was a degree of tolerance among the non-Jewish population of Turov. Greater efforts to suppress religious activity began in the 1930s. In 1921 two schools opened in Turov, both a general school and a
Yiddish school; both were attended by Jewish students. There were three synagogues in Turov, one Misnagdim and two Hasidic. All three closed in the early 1930s. The Jewish population in Turov was wiped out during
World War II. Some Jews volunteered to join the Soviet army to fight the Germans. The first German army units to come through Turov, in July 1941, did nothing to the Jewish population. The Holocaust began with the arrival of later units. Very few families returned after the war and as of 2003 there were only three Jewish people living in Turov. ==Town flag==