Orsha
| Orsha | |||
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| Орша | |||
Orsha city
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 Orsha
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| Coordinates: 54°30′33″N 30°25′33″E / 54.50917°N 30.42583°ECoordinates: 54°30′33″N 30°25′33″E / 54.50917°N 30.42583°E | |||
| Country |
 Belarus
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| Voblast | Vitebsk Region | ||
| Raion | Orsha Raion | ||
| Mentioned | 1067 | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 38.90 km2 (15.02 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 192 m (630 ft) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| • Total | 117,225 | ||
| • Density | 3,000/km2 (7,800/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Postal code | 211030, 211381 - 211394, 211396 - 211398 | ||
| Area code(s) | +375 216 | ||
| License plate | 2 | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
Orsha (Belarusian: О́рша, Ворша; Russian: О́рша Russian pronunciation: [ˈorʂə]) is a city in Belarus in Vitebsk Region on the fork of the Dnieper and Arshytsa rivers.
Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha, making it one of the oldest towns in Belarus. The town was named after the river, which was originally also named Rsha, probably from a Baltic root *rus 'slowly flowing.'
In 1320, Orsha became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1398-1407, the Orsha castle was built. On September 8, 1514 the famous Battle of Orsha occurred, between allied Grand Duchy of Lithuania with Kingdom of Poland and Muscovite army. The Muscovites suffered significant defeat; however, the victorious Grand Duchy of Lithuania did not fully avail its victory.
In 1555, Mikołaj "Czarny" Radziwiłł founded a Calvinist (Protestant) order in Orsha, one of the first in the Belarusian lands. From the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries Orsha was a notable religious centre, with dozens of Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic churches and orders. The town was also home to a large Jewish population.
Orsha was granted Magdeburg Rights in 1620. In 1630, S. Sobal opened the first printing house at the Kuciejna monastery, which became a well-known centre of Cyrillic-alphabet publishing. The town was damaged during the Russo-Polish War (1654-1667), which was a disaster for Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During the First Polish partition the city was taken over by the Russian Empire in 1772, and became part of the Mogilyov Gubernia. Under Russian rule, it was stripped of its Magdeburg Rights in 1776 and went into cultural and economic decline. The population dropped sharply to just about 2,000 inhabitants. The city symbol in 1781 was changed to one which included the symbol of the Russian empire and five arrows.
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Wikipedia