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Lyakhovichy - one out of many shtettls...

For the first time Lyakhovichy (Russian: Ëÿõîâè÷è. Yiddish: לעכעוויטש) is mentioned in the chronicles in 1492 as the center of Lyakhovichy area. At that point it wasn’t just a rural township but also an administrative center of a major feudal estate.

In the first half of the 16 century it was owned by the Gashtolds. Since 1551 the town was the property of the Grand Duke Sigizmund August who was not just the owner of the state lands, but also one of the biggest landlords in the Duchy. In 1572 Lyakhovichy changed hands – the new owner Yan Khodkevich came from Ukrainian gentry and was a Calvinist. His son Yan Karol, getman of the Grand Duchy, had a stone castle with bastions built instead of a wooden one after 1579.

The new castle belonged to the new Italian fortification system that was quite popular in Europe at the time. The castle was considered to be one of the best strongholds in Rzecz Pospolita. Its garrison consisted of mercenaries who were given help by the town militia and local gentry. Lyakhovichy castle had to repel quite a few enemy attacks.

During the anti-feudal rebellion in winter 1595-1596 the Cossacks of S.Nalivaiko tried to assault the castle without success. In the middle of 17^th century during Russian-Polish wars the Russian troops tried to capture Lyakhovichy but failed because of the determined garrison amongst other reasons.

During the Northern War (1700-1721) the Swedish king Karl XII ordered to push the Russian army back from Lyakhovichy and the subsequent siege that lasted several months saw the garrison running short of food and ammunition surrender. The Swedes ruined the castle and by the late 18 century ruins of the castle remained on site being dismantled brick by brick by the local enterprising people. At that point one could still see the entrance gate tower and moats.

After the Polessye Railroads section from Baranovichy to Luninets was built in 1885 the population of Lyakhovichy started to grow and the town became a commercial center. 1905 revolution brought some strikes and rallies and peasant mutinies. Between 1915 and 1918 the German-Russian frontline crossed the area along the Shchara River. The German occupation only ended in 1918 though it was later replaced with Polish one.

Between the wars Lyakhovichy was in Baranovichy Povyat of Novogrudok voyvodstvo. In 1939 Western Belarus was joined to the Eastern Belarus, already a Soviet Socialist Republic. The Nazi occupation took place between June 1941 and July 1944. The Nazi destroyed about 5 000 locals.

Today the city has a population under 10 000 people. The local sights are quite few in numbers – city blocks of the 19-20 centuries, St. Yazep cathedral (1907) rebuilt after the war to become a polyclinics, a former synagogue – now a part of tin fruit production, Tartar cemetery and the memorials to the Russian soldiers who died in WWI.

Lyakhovichy is only 150 km away from Minsk so if you wish to take a private guided tour to Lyakhovichy or to research your family roots from there, do not hesitate to contact me.