Zelva

The toponym "Zelva" was formed from the name of the river Zelvyanka, formerly Zalvei. The hydronym itself is of Baltic (probably Yatvyaz) origin, there are no exact correspondences in modern languages.

Officially, the beginning of the history of Zelva dates back to one thousand two hundred and fifty-eighth years (1258), when the settlement existed in its place is mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle. Probably, the ancient settlement was located in the southeastern part of the modern town, where there is a mountain that rises 20-25 meters above the surroundings.

According to modern encyclopedic reference books, the first written mention of Zelva (Bolshoi Zelva) as a village dates back to 1470, when Michal Natsavich founded the church here. In 1477, the church appeared in the neighboring estate of Malaya Zelva, the possessions of Ivan Gineitavich. In the XVI century. the place was owned by the Vishnevsky, Ilinichi, Zaberezinsky, Zenovich, Komarovsky and others. In 1524, Bolshaya Zelva was mentioned in the documents as a place in the Volkovysk district. In the first half of the XVII century. the place passed into the possession of Sapeg. In addition to fairs, the development of Zelva was also facilitated by the convenient geographical position on the trade route Minsk - Slonim - Volkovysk - Grodno - Bialystok. There was a river port on the Zelvyanka river, which was at that time a navigable tributary of the Neman. Sapegi were proud of the town, called it “Zelva County”. In the XVIII century. a theater appeared in which Belarusian, Polish and French actors played. In 1739, the residence of the Jesuit Order began to operate.

In 1616, Zelva consisted of a small market and three streets; 17 taverns and 2 mills worked. In 1643, Prince Casimir Lev Sapega received here the king and Grand Duke Vladislav Vazu. In 1720, Sapegi received the right to hold an annual fair in the town, which for 130 years remained the largest in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the second in Europe after the Leipzig Fair. Merchants from Ukraine, from Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Prussia, Austria, France and Russia came to Zelva. In the middle of the market there was a guest yard with 200 shops.

In 1792, in the battle of Zelva, the Russian corps of Boris Mellin defeated the Lithuanian corps of Mikhail Zabello .

As a result of the third division of the Commonwealth (1795), Zelva became part of the Russian Empire. The inhabitants of the town took an active part in the uprising of T. Kosciuszko, the liberation uprising of 1830-1831, and the national liberation uprising of K. Kalinovsky. For participation in the uprising of 1830-1831, the Russian authorities confiscated Zelva from Sapieha. As of 1863 there were 163 buildings here. In 1886, the Baranavichy-Bialystok railway passed through the town. At the end of the XIX century. 2 breweries and a honey factory, a workshop, male and female folk schools, and a sawmill worked. In the beginning. XX century Malaya Zelva entered the limits of Zelva.

In 1897, 2803 people lived in the town of Zelva, of which 1844 were Jews ^[2] .

According to the Riga Peace Treaty (1921), Zelva became part of the interwar Polish Republic, where it became the center of the commune of the Volkovysk county of Białystok Voivodeship.

In 1939, Zelva entered the BSSR, where on January 15, 1940 it received the official status of an urban-type settlement and became the center of the district (in 1962-1965 it was part of Volkovysky , in 1965-1966 - Mostovsky districts ^[3] ). During the Second World War, from July 14, 1941 to July 12, 1944, the town was under German occupation.

Until 2013, a dairy factory (a branch of Bellact OJSC) worked in Zelva. There is no large industrial production. A small Zelvenskaya hydroelectric power station at the largest reservoir in the region - Zelvensky reservoir .

• Ghetto in Zelva