Brest - Brześć

Brest Брэст
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Information
Country	Belarus
Region	Brest region
Surface	72.9 km²
Population	339 700 (2020)
Area code	375 162
Postal Code	224000
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Brest (Belarusian Брэст, Russian Брест) - a town on Belaruson Polesie, on the Bug, at the mouth of Muchawiec, the capital Brest region and the administrative center of the Brest region.

Gate to the Brest Fortress

Alley in the May 1 Park

Monument "Bravery" in the Brest fortress

Characteristic

Brest is the sixth largest city in Belarus, with over 300,000 inhabitants. It is located in the west of the country, on the border with Poland - a few kilometers away there is a border crossing in Terespol. This makes the city an important communication junction connecting Eastern Europe with the West. In addition, the machinery, wood, light and metallurgical industries are developing here. In addition to industry, cultural life is teeming with here, and the importance of Brest as a research center (several universities) is growing.

History

Brest is one of the oldest towns in Polesie. In 1019 it was conquered by the princes of Kiev. In 1020 it was conquered by Bolesław I the Brave and incorporated into Poland. Until the 12th century, the city changed its affiliation several times, at the same time becoming strongly diversified demographically. In 1241, the town was burnt down by the Tatars. Around 1258, these lands were taken over by Wojsiełk - Grand Duke of Lithuania. Until the conclusion of the Polish-Lithuanian alliance, Brest was captured twice by Polish rulers, incl. Leszek the Black. During the reign of Casimir the Great, the castle was ceded to Lithuania, and after the union in Krewo in 1386 it became part of the Polish Crown. 4 years later, Brześć was granted city rights.

In the fifteenth century, the city hosted important rulers several times, becoming a place for meetings of Polish-Lithuanian dignitaries. In 1500, Brest resisted the attack of 15,000 Tatars during the Lithuanian-Moscow war. In 1554, King Zygmunt II August gave the city a coat of arms. In 1563 in Brest, Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black published the Brest Bible in Polish. In 1566, King Zygmunt August created the Brześć Province with the capital in Brest. The city slowly flourished, and a golden age came for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

In 1596, the Brest Union was established, bringing together the followers of Catholicism and Orthodoxy for several hundred years. It had some negative effects (she gave the Church over to the supremacy of the Pope), which resulted in the future dislike of Poles, among some Lithuanians and Ruthenians. In 1648 Brześć was conquered by the Cossacks who rebelled in the Chmielnicki uprising. After its suppression, a decision was made to fortify the city, making it one of the largest fortresses in this part of Europe. Unfortunately, the unfinished construction works were interrupted by the Swedish Deluge, which almost demilitarized Polesie. Weakened Lithuania became the site of mass murder by the Cossacks, who had been given freedom of action by the Swedish invaders. They exterminated, among others, Catholic priests and nobility, who were supporters of the Union of Brest. The troops of Michał Radziwiłł brought a temporary peace. After the conflicts were over, the rebuilding of the fortress began, but unfortunately it was interrupted by the Moscow army. In 1661, the Poles recaptured Brest.

After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Brest fell to the Russian Empire. In 1833, Emperor Nicholas I Romanov ordered the construction of a new fortress in Brest. It was supposed to be a system of fortifications keeping the conquered Poland in check. During the implementation of the project, the historic urban buildings were demolished, in addition to several important buildings. In 1914, the First World War broke out and lasted 4 years. In March 1918, the Brest peace treaty was signed in the city between the Russian Empire and the German Empire. During the military operations, Brest was not of greater value, and during the retreat of the Russian troops, it was burned down, which destroyed about 80% of all buildings.

After the war, Brześć, along with western Polesie, became part of the Republic of Poland and in 1921 became the capital of the Polesie Province. The voivode was, inter alia, Wacław Kostek-Biernacki. In 1930, many opposition prisoners (including Wincenty Witos, Wojciech Korfanty, Norbert Barlicki, Stanisław Dubois, and Herman Lieberman) were held in the Brest Fortress, who were brought to trial in the famous Brest trial for their activities in Centrolewo. In 1931, the city had 48,431 inhabitants. At that time, Brześć was the fifth most populous city (after Lviv, Vilnius, Stanisławów and Grodno) among those lost by Poland 14 years later.

Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

On September 14–17, 1939, the fortress was defended, which fell under heavy fire by the army of the Third Reich. After the partition of Poland, this area was incorporated into the USSR. In 1941, the Russians were put in a difficult situation because the "Barbarossa" operation had left the garrison deep in the front, without outside help. After 7 days of repelling the attack, the defenders surrendered. During the German occupation, there was a ghetto in the city, and the Germans murdered most of the local Jews in Bronna Góra. The Germans occupied Brest until July 1944, after which the Soviet occupation began again.

After World War II, Brest became part of the Byelorussian SSR and became the administrative center of the Brest Oblast. The city became one of the largest industrial centers of the republic, a strong Soviet military garrison was stationed there, and the most important of the three border crossings between Poland and the USSR were in operation. The number of inhabitants grew rapidly. In the 1940s and 1950s, the resettlement of Poles from Brest to the territories within the new borders of Poland took place. 70.10% of people registered as willing to resettle left Brest, which was the highest percentage in the Byelorussian SSR.

Orthodox church Bracka (Orthodox church of St. Nicholas)

Drive

Administration of Brest Oblast

By plane

17 km from the city, in the village of Telma, there is Brest Airport. It is one of the largest in the country. Despite this, there are not many connections, and you can only fly there from Kaliningrad, Burgas and Antalya. A flight from Poland is therefore impossible, and a flight with a change in Kaliningrad is uneconomical.

By rail

There is a railway station here, Brest is a railway border crossing with Poland.

By car

Brest is an important road junction. The M1 main road, part of the international route E30 Cork - Omsk, runs through the northern outskirts of the city. There are three border crossings in the city, including two road crossings (Terespol-Brześć, Kukuryki-Kozłowiczy).

Communication

The public transport in Brest is operated by buses and trolleybuses.

Worth seeing

• Brest Fortress
• St. Nicholas
• Orthodox church of St. Simon Słupnik
• Cathedral of the Resurrection
• St. Athanasius Brzeski
• Church of the Exaltation of the Cross
• Vladimir Lenin Square
• Monument to the Millennium of Brest
• Museum of Defense of the Brest Fortress
• Railway Technology Museum
• Local History Museum

Nearest neighborhood

• Neple - it is a holiday village located near the mouth of the Krzna River to the Bug River, in the area of ​​the "Podlaski Przełom Bugu" Landscape Park. The most important buildings in Neple are the church from the 18th century, the manor house of the Niemcewicz family, the historic stone cross and the monumental T-34 tank, which was supposed to be the first to cross the Bug river and drive the Germans out of Poland. In addition to the monuments, it is worth seeing the Podlasie Switzerland nature reserve, where, in addition to numerous bends on the Bug, we can admire the Polesie swamps, meadows, forests and riverside slopes.
• Lebiedziew - this small village is located near Terespol, 18 km from the center of Brest. Its main attractions are the 17th-century Tatar cemetery and Fort "L". The necropolis is an example of the multicultural heritage of Polesie, which also belongs to the Muslim Tatars. Military enthusiasts will surely be intrigued by the abandoned fort, formerly part of the Brest fortress. The facility was built in 1897 and is well integrated into the terrain, so just looking for it can be an attraction. Those interested can also visit the Orthodox cemetery or the second fort located in the village of Polatycze.

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