History

Bobruisk District Historical Economic Summaries

Provided by
The Minsk Historical Genealogy Group
Oleg Perzashkevich, Director

Bobruisk before 1917

History

V-VI centuries A. D. - a small rural settlement of Balts existed on the same place, where Bobruisk was founded later.

XIV century - Bobruisk was founded as a possession of Minsk Prince Skirgaylo son of Godemin. In that time’s records its names were: Bobrovsk, Bobruesk and Bobrusek.

1502 - Crimean and Akkerman (South Steppes of Ukraine) Tatars attacked Bobruisk and robbed it. They were defeated by the troops of Duke Semen Olelkovich (a military commander of Great Lithuanian Princedom).

Early XVI century - after Tatars invasion a castle was constructed in Bobruisk.

1508 - Bobruisk was attacked by the troops of the Duke Mikhail Glinsky (a leader of anti-Roman Catholic rebel in Great Lithuanian Princedom). They were defeated by the troops of Polish King Sighizmund I Old.

1506-1793 - a shtetle in Rechitsa District of Minsk Province of Great Lithuanian Princedom.

1511 - King of Poland and Great Lithuanian Prince Sighizmund I Old awarded Bobruisk with a privilege to pay taxes directly to the State Treasury without any local mediation.

XVI century - Jewish population appeared.

1615-1627 - local magnate and high military official of Rech Pospolitaya Peter Tryzna constructed here a Roman Catholic cathedral of St. Peter and Paul and founded a residence of Jesuits. Jesuits founded a school.

1648 - Bobruisk was captured by Cossack brigade of colonel Poddubitsky (one of Bogdan Khmelnitsky’s troops commander). Cossacks stayed there for about a year.

1649 Cossacks were defeated by state troops of Great Lithuanian Princedom under the commanding of Lithuanian Hetman (supreme military official) Duke Yanush Radzivill. During the final battle the old castle was burned away. The Cossack leaders were executed, but local population was not punished, because the people agreed to open the gates of the city at once after Yanush Radzivill proposed to do it.

1651 - Bobruisk Jesuit Residence was destroyed temporally.

1665 - Bobruisk was captured and robbed by Cossacks.

1780s - any activity of Bobruisk Jesuits was stopped. Jesuit schools were substituted initially with the "academic", later with District (both 3-years state) ones.

1788 - the Rechitsa District Court was moved to Bobruisk.

Since 1793 - in Russian Empire.

Since 1795 - a District Town of Lithuanian Province.

1801-1917 - a District Town of Minsk Province.

1810 - a fortress was constructed. It had 14,000 soldiers as a garrison, and was a significant strategic object.

1812 - Bobruisk fortress was beseiged by troops of general Dombrovsky (Napoleon commander).

1853-1863 - a secondary state school existed in Bobruisk.

1826 - Orthodox Church of St. Luka was built in wood by local believers.

1829 - Orthodox Church of St. Sophia was built in wood by colonel Rosen-Mark.

1855 - Orthodox Cathedral of St. Nicholas with a shelter was erected of wood by state.

Vital Statistics

Jewish Life

In 1673 the Sejm (Parliament) of Rech Pospolitaya (federal state of Polish Kingdom and Great Lithuanian Princedom) declared, that Jewish community of Bobruisk should pay annually 40 zloty as a post tax.

On May 6, 1702 the Tribunal (Supreme Court) of Rech Pospolitaya conferred Bobruisk Jews to "infamia" - deprivation them of status of citizens - for the Jews had not paid the post tax for two previous years.

After the construction of Bobruisk fortress on February, 1812, Jews were prohibited to have any real estate there.

In 1880 in Bobruisk there were:

1. synagogue;
2. Jewish school;
3. Jewish hospital.

In the 2^nd half of the XIX^th century all local trade was under Jewish control.

In 1896 there were the following Jewish institutions in Bobruisk:

1. synagogue (Rabbi Vilensky Yakov son of Samuil);
2. 25 praying houses;
3. Jewish hospital (30 beds):
   • Doctor: FEYERTAG Isidor son of Samuil
   • Supervisors:
     • Ayzenshtat Khaym son of Isaak
     • Estrin Isaak son of Izrael
     • Etinger Berka son of Leyba
     • Galbershtat Ghirsh son of Meyer
     • Golant Yakov son of Borukh
     • Katsnelson Nison son of Osip
     • Margolin Osip son of Mikhel
     • Margolin Zalman son of Simon
     • Matlin Zalman son of Khatskel
     • Rabinovich Bous son of Isaak
     • Sliozberg Leyba son of Iosel
     • Zalkind Mordukh son of Vulf

   During that year there were 447 patients in the hospital. 396 of them were cured, 33 died, 18 stayed for the next year. Annual cost of maintenance of the hospital was 6161 roubles 6 kopecks.

4. primary 1-year Jewish school: Director: ZINGOL Osip son of Elya Honourable supervisor: ESTRIN Isaak son of Izrael Assistant of teacher: FRIDLYAND Shlema son of David Teacher: KAGAN Felix son of Yefroim Doctor: FEYRTAG Isaak son of Samuil
5. private 2-year Jewish school for women with primary class (mistress LAZAREVA Khana);
6. private 2-year Jewish school for women with primary class (mistress YAKESBERG Sara);
7. private 1-year Jewish public school (master BASIN Aron);
8. Talmud-Torah (Chief Teacher ZINGOL Osip son of Elya).

In 1896 in Bobruisk:
432 boys and 188 girls were born, 240 men and 114 women died.

Economic Review

Traditional activities of local Jewish population were trade with grain, agricultural products, vodka and cloth making. Since early time Berezina and Bobruyka rivers were main roads for Bobruisk inhabitants. And the most famous feature of Bobruisk were beavers (animals). That animal’s Slavic name "Bobr" gave the names to the river Bobruyka and the town itself. But as a result of hunting, beavers were almost eliminated by the end of the XIX^th century.

In the time of the Great Lithuanian Princedom, Bobruisk was a possession of Dukes Radzivills, then Gashtold and Tryzna noble families. It reached its maximal prosperity in the 1^st half of the XVIIth century.

According to the Register for 1620 in Bobruisk there were:

• 409 houses;
• 75 stores;
• a flour mill.

That was why in 1639 Bobruisk was presented to Polish Queen Tsetsyliya-Renata. After Khmelnitsky uprising (1648-1651) and the wars between Rech Pospolitaya and Muscovy Russia (1654-1667) the town fell into decay.

During Russian principality vodka trade was under state hard control and became less popular among Jewish businessmen. But Russian authorities did a lot to develop the region because of military and fiscal reasons mostly. First of all, old communications were reconstructed there:

• road Chernigov-Rechitsa-Zhlobin-Bobruisk -Igumen-Minsk;
• road Bobruisk - Slutsk;
• road Bobruisk - Rogachyov-Propoysk;
• Bobruisk harbour.

In XIX, because of development of the All-Russian Market, new types of communications appeared there:

• highway Moscow-Warsaw (1848);
• highway Bobruisk - Moghilev (1860s);
• telegraph station (1870s);
• railway station [a station of Libava - Romny railroad (1873)].

By 1880 in Bobruisk there were:

• 8 stone houses;
• 1,982 wooden houses;
• 8 factories (soap, candle, vodka, beer, mead). Their total annual turnover was 300,000 roubles.

The town occupied 8,760 hectares.

At the end of the XIX^th century Bobruisk fortress lost its significance and was transformed into a warehouse.

In 1897 Bobruisk harbour exported 25,600 tons of wood. In 1900 the harbour total turnover was 2,400 tons (mostly wood, then grain and salt from the southern provinces of the Empire).

In 1900, Bobruisk railway station turnover was over 37,600 tons (mostly wood).

By 1900, in Bobruisk there were:

• 9 potters, their total income was 1,600 roubles.

By 1900, the largest enterprises in Bobruisk were:

• the largest in Minsk Province vodka & yeast factory, owned by Rabinovich (annual turnover was over 50,000 roubles);
• the flour mill, owned by Galbershtam (annual turnover was about 60,000 roubles);
• the brick factory, owned by Rosenberg;
• shipyard.

Other enterprises:

• 4 timber factories;
• 1 smaller brick factory;
• 1 smaller flour mill;
• 2 tobacco factories;
• 1 leather factory;
• furniture factory;
• butter factory;
• beer factory.

Total number of workers: 304 persons. Total annual turnover was 576,000 roubles.

In 1900 the town income was over 73,000 roubles.

At the end of the XIXth century the maximal economical damage to Bobruisk was made by fire. In 1896 the damage was 22,910 roubles. Reasons:

1. negligence (30.8%);
2. defective stove construction (21.8%);
3. arson (13.5%);
4. lightning strikes (4.8%);
5. unknown (29.1%).

Annual maintenance cost of antifire brigade was 4,324 roubles 56 kopecks. In the same year Bobruisk citizens bought 1,000 goose carcasses and paid 550 roubles for hunted birds.

In the early XX century in Bobruisk there were:

1. 19 factories and plants (total number of workers - 582 persons):
   • cast-iron-foundry;
   • timber goods;
   • brick;
   • vodka and yeast;
   • butter;
   • soap;
   • tobacco;
   • furniture.
2. several mills;
3. 191 crafts workshops (1,077 craftsmen);
4. 3,000 buildings (172 of them were made of stone).

In 1914 in Bobruisk there were 23 factories and plants (total annual turnover was 1 million roubles). But the main goods were still wood and grain.

Here is the list of major business and trade enterprises of Bobruisk and the Subdistrict for 1902.

General cultural information

In 1880 in Bobruisk there were:

• stone Roman Catholic Cathedral, built in 1629;
• wooden Orthodox Cathedral, built in 1855;
• 3 Orthodox churches;
• progymnasium for boys (4-years secondary school). Subjects: Theology essentials (Orthodox and Roman Catholic); Russian language, Latin language, Ancient languages (Greek and Hebrew), Mathematics, History, Geography, Modern languages (French, German, English); Visual arts essentials, Calligraphy.
• public 1- year school;
• post office & telegraph station;
• military hospital;
• a doctor;
• pharmacy.

In 1896 new institutions in Bobruisk:

• the school on fruit and hop growing was opened instead of the public school in Petrovichi;
• public 1-year school for women (free);
• 4-year school for women;
• civil hospital (20 beds). During that year there were 199 patients in the hospital. 165 of them were cured, 14 died, 20 stayed for the next year. Annual cost of maintenance of the hospital was 6,161 roubles 6 kopecks;
• charitable society for aid to poor students of progumnasium;
• 3 pharmacies (instead for one).

In 1902 in Bobruisk there were 16 different educational institutions (primary and secondary).

Copyright 1997-1998 Oleg Perzashkevich
Reproduced for the web with permission. All rights reserved. Any use of this material is prohibited without permission from:

Minsk Historical Genealogy Group
Republic of Belarus
Minsk - 07, Zhukovskogo 9-2-190
Phone: 375-17-2240560
e-mail: minskhist@yahoo.com

Bobruisk Interest Group, Don Mopsick, Shammes
Updated 9/2/99

Content last updated Friday, May 01, 2015 at 08:17 AM US Eastern Standard Time

• Home

• Maps

• Jewish Babruysk

• Destination America

  • Ellis Island Passenger List

  • Hamburg Passenger List

• The Savvy Searcher

• Where are the Records

• Beyond Online Databases

• Bobruisk Ancestors

  • The Willers

  • The Katzenelsons

  • Leiba Feldbin

  • The Starrs and Rabkins

  • Moisei Zelikovich (Seley)

  • The Glotzshtayns

  • The Bolotnikoffs

  • The Volfins

  • Pincus Kusnetz (Smith)

• Landsmanshaften and Burial Societies

• Schedrin/Bobruisk Travelog, 1996

• 1997 Visit to Belarus

• Beta Thalassemia

• Bobruisk Second Duma List

• Links

• Email the website owner, Nancy Holden