Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Belz
- This article is about a town in Ukraine. For the Hasidic dynasty, see Belz (Hasidic dynasty). For other meanings, see Belz (disambiguation).
Belz (Ukrainian Белз, Polish Bełz, Yiddish בעלז) is a small town in western Ukraine, near the border with Poland. It has 2,408 inhabitants (2004). Geo-coordinates in degrees (decimal): 50.38°N, 24.02°E.
The town has existed since at least the 11th century, when it was part of Rus. In 1366 it became a part of Poland, to which it belonged until 1793. It then passed to the Austrian Empire, later the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where it was a part of the region of Galicia. During that time, the town became home to a Hasidic dynasty, which was named Belz after the town.
From 1918 to 1939 Belz was again part of Poland. Then from 1939 to 1941 it was occupied by the Soviet Union, and occupied by Germany from 1941 to 1944. After the war it reverted to Poland until 1951 when, after a minor border readjustment, it passed to the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Since 1991 it has been part of independent Ukraine.
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