Halshany (Hal’shany)
Halshany (Гальшáны, Alšėnai or Galšia, Гольшáны, Holszany, אלשאן Olshan) is a village and former town in the Grodno Region of Belarus. It is known as the former seat of the Olshanski princely family and the location of the ruined Halshany Castle.
According to a legend the town was founded by the founder of the Alšėniškiai family of Lithuanian nobility. It was the place of birth of the Lithuanian princess and later the Grand Duchess of Lithuania and queen of Poland Sophia of Halshany, extending Lithuanian Jagellon dynasty over two states.
During the times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth the town was in the hands of the Sapieha family, which constructed a castle there in early 17th century. The town grew smaller with the devastations of the mid-17th century wars wrought in the Commonwealth. The town became part of the Russian Empire with the partitions of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century.
After the First World War the town became a part of the Second Polish Republic; it was taken by the Soviet Union after the Soviet invasion of Poland and became part of the Belorussian SSR. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union it became part of modern Belarus.
According to a legend the town was founded by the founder of the Alšėniškiai family of Lithuanian nobility. It was the place of birth of the Lithuanian princess and later the Grand Duchess of Lithuania and queen of Poland Sophia of Halshany, extending Lithuanian Jagellon dynasty over two states.
During the times of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth the town was in the hands of the Sapieha family, which constructed a castle there in early 17th century. The town grew smaller with the devastations of the mid-17th century wars wrought in the Commonwealth. The town became part of the Russian Empire with the partitions of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century.
After the First World War the town became a part of the Second Polish Republic; it was taken by the Soviet Union after the Soviet invasion of Poland and became part of the Belorussian SSR. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union it became part of modern Belarus.
Map - Halshany (Hal’shany)
Map
Country - Belarus
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| Flag of Belarus | |
Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including Kievan Rus', the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917, different states arose competing for legitimacy amid the Civil War, ultimately ending in the rise of the Byelorussian SSR, which became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. After the Polish-Soviet War, Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland. Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II. During World War II, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945, the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYN | Belarusian ruble | Br | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| BE | Belarusian language |
| RU | Russian language |