Stolin

Stolin Сто́лін
Seal
Country	Belarus
Voblast	Brest Voblast
Raion	Stolin Raion
Mentioned	1555
Population  (2012)
• Total	10,491
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	225501
Area code	+375 1655
License plate	1

Stolin (Belarusian: Сто́лін; Ukrainian: Сто́лін; Russian: Сто́лин; Polish: Stolin; Hebrew: סטולין) is a town in the Brest Voblast of Belarus. It is the centre of the largest district in Brest voblast. The population is 10,491 people (2012). The Belarusian-Ukrainian border is about 15 km (9 mi) away, so Stolin is now a border city that hosts many Ukrainians on market days. Russian speech is common here, but villagers prefer their dialects that are numerous and akin partly to the Belarusian language, partly the Ukrainian language.

History

Stolin grew up at the heart of the Polesia region on the river Haryn, at the crossroads of two important routes, one leading northwards to Pinsk, two others eastwards to Davyd-Haradok and Turaŭ, that are now in Belarus, southwards to Sarny and Kiev, that are now in Ukraine.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area which Stolin now occupies, was settled as far back as the 12th century AD. The first mention of Stolin dates to 1555. There are three stories regarding the origins of the name "Stolin". The first refers to a group of local fisherman who cast their fishing nets into a lake a pulled out 100 fish or Sto [100 in Russian] "Leeni" [a type of local fish]. The second story refers to a ferry-boat which sunk in the river and required 100 men with 100 ropes to drag it out [100 lines in Russian]. The third refers to twelve brothers who ruled over seven nearby cities and chose what became Stolin as their meeting place and capital city, hence the name may be a derivation of stol (table)> Stolny Gorod (capital city).

Stolin was occupied by the Germans from July 1941 to 1944. In August 1941, many Jewish refugees – especially women and children - from the nearby town of David-Gorodok came to Stolin. A ghetto was created in May 1942, surrounded by a barbed-wire fence. About 7,000 Jews lived in this small and unhealthy area, along the Bank River. The liquidation of the ghetto was conducted on September 11, 1942 by a squadron of German cavalry, the local police and the SD. The shooting took place near the airfield, in a large ditch.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Belarus

Twin towns – Sister cities

Marsa is twinned with:

• Homberg, Germany

The memorial in the central square commemorates the first record about Stolin dated 1555. It features the coat of arms of the town

The war memorial of Stolin by the town's park

See also

• Stolin (Hasidic dynasty)
• Pale of Settlement
• Holocaust/Shoah

External links

• Stolin (JewishGen)
• More info and pictures of Stolin
• Photos on Radzima.org
• Stolin Yizkor Book (New York Public Library) - A Memorial to the Jewish Community of Stolin, 1952 (Hebrew)
• Views of Stolin