Aboltsy

Aboltsy Абольцы (Belarusian) Обольцы (Russian)
Agrotown
Aboltsy
Coordinates: 54°35′40″N 29°49′44″E
Country	Belarus
Region	Minsk Region
District	Talachyn District
First mentioned	1385
Population  (1994)[1]
• Total	450
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK)

Aboltsy (Belarusian: Абольцы, romanized: Aboĺcy;^[2] Russian: Обольцы, romanized: Oboltsy) is an agrotown in Talachyn District, Vitebsk Region, Belarus.^[2] It is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) west-northwest of Orsha.^[3] It serves as the administrative center of Aboltsy selsoviet.^[2] In 1994, it had a population of 450.^[1]

History

Aboltsy is first mentioned in 1385 under the name Obolchi (Оболчи) as belonging to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the List of Russian Cities, Far and Near.^[1] In the 15th and early 16th century, it was the center of a powiat within the land of Vitebsk.^[1] Following the administrative reforms of 1565–1566, it belonged to the county of Orsha within Vitebsk Voivodeship.^[1]

Following its incorporation into the Russian Empire, Aboltsy had a population of 265 in 1885.^[1]

In 1923, there were 353 Jews living there out of a total population of 382.^[3]

World War II

During World War II, it was under German military occupation from early July 1941 until June 1944.^[4]

The Germans established a ghetto on 14 August 1941 and about 150 people or 25 families were placed in two single-story buildings of a local school.^[3] On 5 March 1942, news of the mass murder of Jews in Smalyany reached the ghetto, and at midnight, 60 Jews escaped from the school according to survivors' accounts.^[3] The number of escapees may be an exaggeration, but it is known that a number of young Jews from the village later fought for partisan units such as the Zaslonov brigade.^[3] The ghetto was liquated on 4 June and approximately 100 Jews were shot.^[3]

Geography

Aboltsy is situated 36 kilometres (22 mi) from Talachyn, 116 kilometres (72 mi) from Vitebsk, and nine kilometres (5.6 mi) from the station Lyemnitsa [be].^[1]

References

1. Беларуская энцыклапедыя, p. 32
2. Gaponenko, Irina Olegovna (2009). Назвы населеных пунктаў Рэспублікі Беларусь: Віцебская вобласць. Minsk: Тэхналогія. p. 439. ISBN 978-985-458-192-7.
3. Megargee & Dean 2012, p. 1709.
4. Megargee & Dean 2012, p. 1708.

Sources

• Беларуская энцыклапедыя: У 18 т. Т. 1: А — Аршын. Minsk: Беларуская энцыклапедыя. 1996. p. 32. ISBN 985-11-0036-6.
• Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Dean, Martin (2012). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume II. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 1709. ISBN 978-0-253-35599-7.