Zelva
Urban-type settlement in Grodno Region, Belarus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zelva[a] is an urban-type settlement in Grodno Region, in western Belarus.[1] It serves as the administrative center of Zelva District.[1][2] It is situated by the Zelvyanka River. As of 2025, it has a population of 6,193.[1]
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Zelva
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 Flag  Seal | |
  Zelva Location within Belarus | |
| Coordinates: 53°09′N 24°49′E | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Region | Grodno Region |
| District | Zelva District |
| First mentioned | 1258 |
| Area | |
• Total | 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 138 m (453 ft) |
| Population (2025)[1] | |
• Total | 6,193 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
| Postal codes | 231930, 231939, 231940 |
| Area code | +375-1564 |
History
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Initially Zelwa was a private possession of various nobles, by the mid-16th century it became a possession of the Polish Crown, and in the 17th century it became again a private possession of nobility, including the Sapieha, Połubiński, Radziwiłł, Jarmołowicz and Konarzewski families.[3] In 1720 weekly markets and annual fairs were established.[3] In 1739 a Piarist monastery was founded.[3]
In the interbellum, it was administratively located in the Wołkowysk County in the Białystok Voivodeship of Poland. According to the 1921 census, the population was 63.4% Jewish, 31.1% Polish and 5.3% Belarusian.[4]
Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, it was first occupied by the Soviet Union until 1 July 1941, and then by Nazi Germany until 12 July 1944 and administered as a part of Bezirk Bialystok. When the Germans entered the town, they killed 40 to 50 Jewish men and kept the Jews of the town imprisoned in a ghetto in very harsh conditions. In November 1942, the Jews were deported and murdered at the Treblinka extermination camp.[5]