Mir, Belarus
| Mir | |||
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| Urban-type settlement | |||
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 Mir
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| Coordinates: 53°27′N 26°28′E / 53.450°N 26.467°ECoordinates: 53°27′N 26°28′E / 53.450°N 26.467°E | |||
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Country Subdivision |
Belarus | ||
| Mentioned | 1345 | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| • Total | 2,500 | ||
| Time zone | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Area code(s) | +375-1596 | ||
Mir (Belarusian: Мір; Russian: Мир; both meaning "world" and "peace"; but the name most likely originates from the name of the river the settlement is situated on) is a town in Kareličy (Карэлічы) raion, Hrodna Voblast, Belarus on the banks of Miranka River, about 85 kilometers southwest of the national capital, Minsk.
Prior to 1939 the town was in Poland.
Mir village was founded sometime prior to 1345. It is home to a late medieval castle, which made the town the target of many attacks over the centuries. The town belonged to the Illinicz family (Korczak coat of arms) first and then to the Radziwiłł family. It was destroyed by the Swedish forces in 1655 (Deluge) and again by the Swedes during the Great Northern War in 1706. In 1792, the Lithuanian division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth army under Józef Judycki was routed by the invading Imperial Russian army corps under Boris Mellin (see Battle of Mir). During the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in 1812, Russian Imperial cavalry, artillery and cossack regiments ambushed and routed the Duchy of Warsaw 3 uhlan divisions (Battle of Mir (1812)). The retreating Russians, withdrawing east, abandoned the town and dynamited the castle. During the Middle Ages it was first located in the Principality of Polotsk, after the Battle on the river Nemiga in the Principality of Minsk, then was taken over by Kievan Rus' but after the Mongol Invasion the Rus' rule diminished and since 1242 Mir belonged to the expanding and dynamic Duchy of Lithuania.
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Wikipedia