This year marks the 945th anniversary of the first mention of the city of Braslav

January 17, Minsk / Anna Gromyko - BELTA /. This year marks the 945th anniversary of the first mention of the city of Braslav. Braslav region is called the "Pearl of the Belarusian Lake District" - one of the most beautiful corners of our country, which nature has generously endowed with numerous riches. Anyone who has visited this wonderful region once has forever left its unique beauty in their heart. Little historical information has been preserved about the ancient life of the Braslav region before the 12th century. Braslav is first mentioned in 1065 in the "Bychovets Chronicle" - a state chronicle of the early 16th century, and in the chronicle of Maciej Stryjkowski in connection with the campaign of Lithuanian princes to the Polotsk lands. Ironically, the year the city was destroyed became the official date of its founding. Braslav was founded by the Polotsk prince Bryachislav Izyaslavich, grandson of Rogneda. In the early 14th century, it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and was included in the appanage of Yawnut. In the early 15th century, it became the center of the Braslav poviat of the Vilnius Voivodeship. 510 years ago, during his visit to Braslav, Grand Duke Alexander granted the city incomplete Magdeburg rights. After Alexander's death, his wife Elena Ivanovna settled here, founded an Orthodox convent on Zamkovaya Hill, and lived there until her death in 1513. The lake region has experienced many hardships, as it was located on the routes of wars during the campaigns of the Swedes and other conquerors, as well as during the Patriotic War of 1812, and the First and Second World Wars. Braslav itself was repeatedly destroyed and fell into decline. From the first year of the occupation during the Patriotic War, patriotic underground resistance began to operate in Braslav, and a broad partisan movement was launched. There are villages in the Braslav region that shared the tragic fate of Khatyn, burned down with their inhabitants. The Braslav Historical and Local Lore Museum preserves the memory of the life and selfless dedication of many talented people, and of events from distant times and our days. There are also churches in the Braslav region, built with human skill and inspiration. It is in Braslav that remarkable architectural monuments of the 19th century are located - the Braslav St. Nicholas Church, and the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the main altar of which is kept the icon of the Mother of God of Braslav - a Catholic shrine most revered in the Braslav region. Braslav is one of the centers of tourism and recreation in Belarus. The city has two tourist bases, "Drivyaty" and "Braslav Lakes".-0-