Hrodna voblast
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Grodno Region Гродзенская вобласць (Belarusian) Гродненская область (Russian) Hrodna Region |
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| Administrative center | Grodno | ||
| Largest cities |
Grodno - 332,300 Lida - 98,200 Slonim - 51,600 |
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| Districts | 17 Cities: 12 Urban localities: 21 |
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| City districts | 6 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Chairman | Vladimir Kravtsov | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 25,118.07 km2 (9,698.14 sq mi) | ||
| Highest elevation | 323 m (1,060 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 80 m (260 ft) | ||
| Population (2009 census) | |||
| • Total | 1,072,381 | ||
| • Density | 43/km2 (110/sq mi) | ||
| Website | www |
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Grodno/Hrodna Region (Belarusian: Гродзенская вобласць, Hrodzienskaja vobłasć; Lithuanian: Gardino sritis; Polish: Obwód grodzieński; Russian: Гродненская область, Grodnenskaya oblast) is one of the regions of Belarus. It is located in the northwestern part of the country.
The capital, Grodno, is the biggest city of the region. It lies on the Neman River. Grodno's existence is attested to from 1127. Two castles dating from the 14th - 18th centuries are located here on the steep right bank of the Nemen. Many consider this city one of the most beautiful in Belarus: one of its masterpieces survived through the centuries, Orthodox St Boris & St Gleb (Kalozhskaya) Church dating back to the 12th century, is the second oldest in Belarus.
This region was the westernmost "borderlands" of the Early East Slavs (tribal union Dregovichs?) on the lands of the Balts in the 6th-9th centuries. In the 12th-14th centuries it was part of the area sometimes known as Black Ruthenia, that was fully incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) by the rulers of Lithuania in the 13th century.
In 1413, the area around Grodno, part of the Duchy of Trakai, was transformed into newly established Trakai Voivodeship. Grodno became the seat of Grodno County. In 1441, Magdeburg Law charter was granted to the capital by Casimir IV Jagiellon Grand Duke of Lithuania and future King of Poland. In 1444, Grodno received its Coat of Arms from Casimir's hands as well as substantial trade privileges.
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Wikipedia