Stolin Today

The modern city of Stolin is surrounded by lush green forest, grassland and marshes divided by the winding river Horyn and its rivulets. Following World War II, the town experienced a large increase in population and now serves as a district center within the Brest region. The downtown area was beautifully renovated for the Harvest Festival in 2008; pedestrian walks, parks and event centers all received face lifts. Of historical interest are Stolin’s memorials to the city’s founding in 1555 and the Soviet soldiers who fought in WWII. Mankovichi Park, which had been the summer estate of the ruling Radziwiłł family, is now home to the town museum including one exhibit dedicated to the Jewish residents of Stolin who were murdered during WWII.

Remnants of Jewish life in Stolin are concentrated around the old market square, which had previously served as the town center. A significant number of the buildings that existed before WWII still stand—of particular note are the Karlin-Stolin Hasidic movement’s Great White Synagogue as well as the Rabbi’s House. Some of smaller wooden houses also survived the war. If you know the name of the street where your family lived, check the map below for current and former street names since they changed over time. You can also visit what remains of the two Jewish cemeteries, however, grave markers have almost entirely been removed. A modest hike or short drive through the adjacent village of Mankovichi takes you to a forest clearing known as Stasino (or Dolin) where you will find the Shoah victims’ mass gravesite.