Byaroza Beryoza Бяроза |
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Location in Belarus | |||
Coordinates: 52°33′N 24°58′E / 52.550°N 24.967°E | |||
Country | Belarus | ||
Region | Brest Region | ||
District | Byaroza District | ||
Founded | 1477 | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 150 km2 (60 sq mi) | ||
Population (2009) | |||
• Total | 30,171 | ||
• Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
• Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
Postal code | 225210 | ||
Area code(s) | +375 1643 | ||
License plate | 1 | ||
Website | Official website (Russian) |
Byaroza (Belarusian: Бяро́за, official Belarusian romanization standard: Biaroza, also Бяро́за-Карту́зская; Russian: Берёза, tr. Beryoza; Polish: Bereza) is a town of 31 000 inhabitants (1995) in Western Belarus in Brest Region and the administrative center of the Byaroza District.
The village of Byaroza (meaning birch) was first mentioned in 1477 as part of the Slonim paviet. In the 15th century, the village probably received the town charter. Between 1538 and 1600 it was an important centre of Calvinism. Later the town became the private property of the Radziwiłł family.
In the 17th century, the village belonged to Sapieha family, who founded a fortified monastery and a palace here. In 1648, the monastery was presented to the Carthusian monks, who came from the Italian town of Treviso and settled here. The pope Alexander VII granted the title of a prince to Lew Sapieha, being thankful for the noble deed. The monastery was also expanded and became one of the biggest charterhouses (Carthusian monasteries) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Carthusian order gave its name to the second part of the town’s name in the form in which it has been used till late 1940s: Byaroza-Kartuzskaya (Polish: Bereza Kartuska).