Dubrowna or Dubrovno (; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, eastern Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper River and serves as the administrative centre of Dubrowna District. As of 2025, it has a population of 6,945.
Etymology The toponym originates from a Proto-Slavic term for an oak forest, which may explain the inclusion of oak leaves and acorns in the town's coat of arms.
History
It was a private town of the Hlebowicz and Sapieha families within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. During the Lithuanian–Muscovite War of 1512–1522 it was captured by the Muscovites in August 1514, and then recaptured by the Poles and Lithuanians in September 1514. During the next Lithuanian–Muscovite War, it was burned down by Muscovite forces in 1534. In 1630 Mikołaj Hlebowicz founded a Bernardine church and monastery.
Napoleon stopped in the town in 1813 during his retreat from Russia. In the 19th century Dubrowna was a centre for weaving. The town had a significant Jewish community that in 1898 formed more than half of its population.
During World War II Dubrovno was heavily affected. It was occupied by German forces July 17–20, 1941, and the town's Jews were killed.Catherine Merridale, Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 (Macmillan, 2007: ), p. 38. It was the scene of considerable partisan activity. From October 1943 to June 1944 it was at or near the front line, and was not finally reoccupied by Soviet forces until June 26, 1944.
Dubrowna hosts an annual folk song and dance festival, "Dnepr voices in Dubrovno".
Notable people Harry Batshaw (1902–1984), jurist Israel Dov Frumkin (1850–1914), journalist Charles Jaffé (c.1879 - 1941), chess master Brothers Yakov Polyakov, Samuel Polyakov (1837–1888) and Lazar Polyakov (1843–1914), businessmen Kazimierz Siemienowicz (c.1600 - c.1651), military engineer and rocket pioneer Anna Tumarkin (1875–1951), professor of philosophy Menachem Ussishkin (1863–1941), Zionist Zvi Zeitlin (1922–2012), violinist
References
External links
Dubroŭna Raion Executive Committee Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopaedia Online Jewish Encyclopedia The murder of the Jews of Dubroŭna during World War II, at Yad Vashem website