Loyew

Dnepr river in Loyew

Loyew (Belarusian: Ло́еў, Łojeŭ), pronounced [loyew]; or Loyev (Russian: Ло́ев), pronounced [ˈloɪf]; is a village in the Belarusian province of Homiel and the administrative centre of Loyew Raion. The population is 7,500 (2001).

The settlement is located along the right coast of the Dnieper River at its confluence with the Sozh.

Loyew arose on the site of an ancient settlement of dregovichs; the first mention of the settlement goes back to 1505. The city is known for the Battle of Loyew of July 31, 1649 during the Khmelnytsky Uprising. After the division of the Rzecz Pospolita in 1793, it became a part of the Russian Empire. By the end of the 19th century its population reached more than 4,500.

In December 1926 Loyew was included in the Belarusian SSR and became the center of a raion. In 1938 it was granted the status of a city. In 1941-1943, the city lost nearly 1,500 inhabitants. In 1962-1966 it was placed in the Rečyca Raion.

In the city there are building and dairy factories, a pedagogical school and musical school, a house of culture, and some libraries.