Bryansk is a
cityThe classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared to the classification systems in other countries.-Modern classification in Russia:...
in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located 379 km southwest from
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
. It is the administrative center of
Bryansk OblastBryansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. Population: 1,378,941 ; -Time zone:Bryansk Oblast is located in the Moscow Time Zone...
. Population: 431,526 (
2002 CensusRussian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
).
History
The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the
Hypatian CodexThe Hypatian Codex is a compendium of three chronicles: the Primary Chronicle, Kiev Chronicle, and Galician-Volhynian Chronicle. It is the most important source of historical data for southern Rus'....
, as
Debryansk (appears variously as , , and in other spellings). Its name is derived from "дъбръ", a Slavic word for "ditch", "lowland" or "dense woodland"; the area was known for its dense woods,
брянские леса, of which very little remains today. Local authorities and archaeologists, however, believe that the town had existed as early as 985 as a fortified settlement on the right bank of the
Desna RiverDesna is a river in Russia and Ukraine, left tributary of the Dnieper. The word means "right hand" in the Old East Slavic language. Its length is 1,130 km , and its drainage basin covers 88,900 km²....
.
Bryansk remained poorly attested until the Mongol invasion of Russia. It was the northernmost of the
SeveriaSeveria is a historical region in present-day northern Ukraine and southwestern Russia, centered around the city of Novhorod-Siverskyi , located on the border of Russia and Ukraine.-Severians:The region received its name after the Severians, an East Slavic tribe which inhabited the...
n cities in the possession of the Chernigov Rurikids. After Mikhail of Chernigov was murdered by the Mongols and his capital was destroyed, his son moved his seat to Bryansk. In 1310, when the Mongols sacked the town again, it belonged to the principality of
SmolenskSmolensk is a Russian city and the administrative centre of Smolensk Oblast, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
.
Olgierd of
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
acquired Bryansk through inheritance in 1356 and gave it to his son,
Dmitry the ElderDmitry I Starshy or Dmitry of Bryansk was the second eldest son of Algirdas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and his first wife Maria of Vitebsk...
. Until the end of the century, the town was contested between
JogailaJogaila, later ' , was Grand Duke of Lithuania and later King of Poland. He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle, Kęstutis. In 1386, he converted to Christianity, was baptized as Władysław, married the young Queen Jadwiga of Poland, inducted into the Order of the Dragon and was...
, Vytautas,
ŠvitrigailaŠvitrigaila was the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1430 to 1432. He was active in Lithuanian politics from the 1390s until his death. -Rebellion against Vytautas:...
, and George of Smolensk.
Great Duchy of Moscow conquered Bryansk following the
Battle of VedroshaBattle of Vedrosha was one of the greatest battles in the medieval history of Russia. It was fought as part of the Russo-Lithuanian Wars on July 14, 1500, some 50 km to the west of Kaluga, between joint forces of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland under command of Prince...
in 1503. The town was turned into a fortress which played a major role during the
Time of TroublesThe Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar Feodor Ivanovich of the Rurik Dynasty in 1598 and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613...
. Peter the Great incorporated Bryansk into the
Kiev governorateKiev Governorate , or Government of Kiev, was an administrative unit of the Russian Empire....
, but Catherine the Great deemed it wise to transfer the town to the
OryolOryol or Orel is a city in Russia, administrative center of Oryol Oblast. It is located on the Oka River, approximately 360 km south-south-west of Moscow. In Russian, the word means eagle. Population: 333,310...
guberniyaA guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of Imperial Russia, usually translated as government, governorate, or province. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin , in turn from Greek...
in 1779. She also promulgated the town's coat of arms.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the economy of Bryansk, which had become a regional trading center, was based on the Svenskaya fair, the largest in Western Russia. The fair was held annually under the auspices of the
Svensky MonasterySvensky Monastery is a Russian Orthodox monastery located at the confluence of the Desna and Svin Rivers, three miles from Bryansk, Russia...
. After canon and ammunition started to be manufactured there for the
Imperial Russian NavyThe Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the Bolshevik Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
in 1783, Bryansk evolved from a regional market town into an important industrial center for
metallurgyMetallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and textiles. The city's population exceeded 30,000 by 1917.
In 1918 the Belarusian People's Republic claimed Bryansk, but the town was taken by
BolshevikThe Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903...
forces in 1919. During the
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bryansk was occupied by the Germans (from October 6, 1941 to September 17, 1943) and the city was heavily damaged by fighting. About 60,000
Soviet partisansThe Soviet partisans were members of a resistance movement which fought a guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during the Second World War....
were active in and around Bryansk, inflicting heavy losses on the German army. Soon after its liberation, Bryansk became the administrative center of
Bryansk OblastBryansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. Population: 1,378,941 ; -Time zone:Bryansk Oblast is located in the Moscow Time Zone...
(1944).
Modern city
Today Bryansk is an important center for
steelSteel is an alloy consisting mostly of iron, with a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most cost-effective alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and machinery manufacturing, and is home to many large factories. Railway wagons and locomotives are important products. Bryansk also has two universities, three theatres and a technical academy. The city and the region was mildly affected by the Chernobyl accident. The city has a developed Trolley bus network and is a hub of several road and rail connections.
Russian cosmonaut
Viktor M. AfanasyevViktor Mikhailovich Afanasyev is a colonel in the Russian Air Force, who is also a test cosmonaut of the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. He was born December 31, 1948, in Bryansk, Russia, and is married to Yelena Ya. Afanasyeva, born 1952. They have two children. His father, Mikhail Z....
,
shot putThe shot put is an athletics event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball as far as possible...
athlete
Svetlana KrivelyovaSvetlana Vladimirovna Krivelyova is an athlete who specialises in the shot put....
, sculptor and the
architectAn architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. Etymologically, architect derives from the Latin architectus, itself derived from the Greek arkhitekton , i.e. chief builder...
Naum GaboNaum Gabo KBE, born Naum Neemia Pevsner was a prominent Russian sculptor in the Constructivism movement and a pioneer of Kinetic Art.-Early life:...
, and classical pianist
Valentina IgoshinaValentina Igoshina is a Russian classical pianist.-Personal life:Valentina Igoshina was born into a family of musicians. Her mother was a teacher of piano, and Igoshina first took lessons at home at the age of four...
were born in Bryansk.
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
n communist leader
Stanke DimitrovStefan Dimitrov Todorov , better known as Stanke Dimitrov or under the pseudoym Marek , was a high-ranking Bulgarian Communist Party activist and anti-fascist. He was one of the supporters of a plan that later went on to become the St Nedelya Church assault....
(Marek) died in an aviation accident near the city.
Partner cities
According to the city's official page, Bryansk is twinned with:
ChernihivChernihiv, , also known as Chernigov , is a historic city in northern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Chernihiv Oblast , as well as of the surrounding Chernihivskyi Raion within the oblast...
,
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
.
DobeleDobele is a town in Latvia which, located in Zemgale, lies in the near center of Latvia on the banks of the river Bērze. It received city status in 1917 while a part of the German occupied Courland Governorate during the First World War.
...
,
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
.
DupnitsaDupnitsa is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Kyustendil Province, at the foot of Rila, about 65 km south of Sofia.The town has existed since Antiquity. The names Tobinitsa, Doupla and Dubnitsa are mentioned throughout history, the last one surviving until the Liberation of...
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
. Gomel,
BelarusBelarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel , Mahilyow and Vitebsk...
.
GyőrGyőr is the most important city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Győr-Moson-Sopron county, and lies on one of the important roads of Central Europe, halfway between Budapest and Vienna. The city is the sixth largest in Hungary, and one of the seven main regional centres of the...
,
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
.
KoninKonin is a city in central Poland.Konin may also refer to:*Emperor Kōnin , emperor of Japan who reigned 770–781*Kōnin , a Japanese era name for the years 810–824...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
KarlovoKarlovo is a picturesque and a historically important town in central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Stryama at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains...
,
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
.
Naujoji AkmenėNaujoji Akmenė is a new town that was established in 1952 and is therefore one of the newest cities in Lithuania. Its name means the New Akmenė. It is an industrial base with concrete as its main product, with Public company Akmenės cementas producing 700,000 tonnes of concrete annually...
,
LithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of...
.
OrelOryol or Orel is a city in Russia, administrative center of Oryol Oblast. It is located on the Oka River, approximately 360 km south-south-west of Moscow. In Russian, the word means eagle. Population: 333,310...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
SeverodvinskSeverodvinsk is a city in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk. The town was founded as Molotovsk . Population has declined in recent years .-History:...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
External links
Official website of the city Bryansk24 - Main website of the city History of Bryansk on the website of the regional administration Unecha - towns in Bryansk Oblast Google Maps Satellite Image