Smolevichi

Smalyavichy city was firstly mentioned in archive documents in the middle of the fifteenth century. It appeared in the charter, written by Lithuanian boyar, the voevode (commander of an army) of Vilna - Olehno Sudimontovich. It is believed that its name originated fr om the main residents’ craft – resin production. On the current Smalyavichy coat of arms a barrel with resin is depicted.

In 1508 Smalyavichy ceased to be a village. Konstantyn Ostrogski, the former Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, got it from the King Sigismund. Ostrogski built St. Nicholas Church in Smalyavichy. Sixty years later, it was governed by the Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Christopher Radziwill. Later, the city was in the possession of Wittgenstein and Hohenlohe.

Smalyavichy had good geographical position. It gave the city a possibility to successfully develop trade and crafts in the second half of the 16th century. In the early 17th century there were about a thousand citizens and one hundred and twenty yards. The city was badly damaged during the Russian-Polish War (1654-1667). In the 18th century significant damage to the city was caused by the Swedish army during the Northern War (1700-1721). Like the majority of the lands of modern Belarus, after the second partition of Poland, in 1793 Smalyavichy was a part of the Russian Empire. And in the beginning of 1795 the town became a head Borisov Country.

In 1863 there in the time of Zemstvo (elective district council), a public school was opened, postal and telegraph office, a distillery and a forge were  functioning, as well as the production of clothing and footwear was established. In 1871 Brest-Moscow railway was built, which passed through Smalyavichy. The opening of the station, which was called "Wittgenstein", led to the further development of industry sectors.

In 1924, the city became a district center and since 1938 it was reckoned an urban village.

During World War II in June 1941 immediately after the declaration of war, the city was occupied by German troops. Soviet troops liberated the city from the invaders only in July 1944. It is known that the occupiers set up a ghetto in Smalyavichy, from wh ere around 3,000 of people did not return. In addition, the city lost 2,000 inhabitants.

After the war, the inhabitants of the city restored the affected enterprises and built new ones. Among them is a mechanized bakery, workshops of machine and tractor stations, resin factory, the plant of peat engineering, integrated poultry farm. Also the state district power station was opened.

After the devastation, people had to rebuild houses and residential quarters of Smalyavichy from square one. Similarly, schools and kindergartens, hospitals, shops and office buildings were rebuilt.

In March 1968 Smalyavichy was returned the status of a town with a population of nine thousand and a half residents.

The city is located on the river Plisa, thirty-five kilometers from the capital of Belarus, and from 2010 it is considered to be a satellite town of Minsk. According to 2014 population census, there lived more than fourteen thousand of people in Smalyavichy.

Perhaps, the main attraction of the city is the Mound of Glory, which is located on the 21st kilometer of Minsk-Moscow highway. The Annunciation monastery in Lyady (18th century), the church in the village Zabolot’e (19th century), a water mill in Visokoe village and St. George's Church (early 20th century) are considered to be remarkable ones.

Peat, mortar sand, sand and gravel material are extracted in Smalyavichy area.