Cherven

Cherven сity: the story of renaming

Sometimes the destiny of the cities is amazing. They are similar to the fate of people: it can be that a person lives with a one name, and then change it. With a new name, he begins a very different life.

The city of Cherven was called Igumen until 1923. According to legend, it was named in honor of the convent, which was founded on the mandate of the Greek Mother Superior. However, this is nothing more than a legend, and historians do not know the exact origin of the name Igumen. The city received its new name from the Belarusian "cherven", - the name of the month June. However, the first name of the city has not been forgotten until now. So, for example, Cherven is located on the river Cervenka - aka Igumenka; there is a department store called Igumenksy in the town.

From the estate to the city

The very first mention of Igumen refers to 1387. Igumen belonged to the Kezhgaylovich family and also was a church place in the XV century. City status was granted to the little town only in 1795. The city had its own coat of arms on 22 January 1796. The silver bouquet of flowers was depicted on the emblem, over which were five bees. An explanation of why the image of the emblem was like this is pretty interesting. It turns out that the main income of inhabitants was beekeeping in those days. The inhabitants of the city have an apiary even now and Chervensky area - a kind of Belarusian center for training beekeepers. By the way, coat of Cherven is still in effect.

There worked two tanneries, were opened a town school and a hospital at the beginning of the XX century in the city. The city became a district center in 1924. Cherven survived the arrival of Soviet power, the occupation by German and Polish troops. The war was really the black spot: 4265 people were killed from 6000 pre-war inhabitants only in Cherven.

Distance - is no obstacle

Cherven is only 62 kilometers from Minsk. Distance from Cherven to the Puhovichi railway station is 30 kilometers. Cherven city is located close to the M4 highway Minsk-Mogilev.

The former territories of the settlements Mirny and Zagorje also became a part of Cherven. According to the data of 04 Jan 2016, 9718 people live in the town of Cherven. The population is employed in various enterprises. There are mainly factories of food, wood and forestry industries.

United by grief

The citizens of Belarus, Lithuania and Poland were shot in Cherven during Stalin's repressions. Within the city are monuments that resemble descendants of those terrible events. Mourning ceremonies in memory of the victims are held on the site of the shooting every year, in late June.

Cherven attractions

You can learn more the history of Cherven and also look at old photos in the museum of the city. The old Jewish cemetery is in the city. There are a lot of ancient buildings, historical monuments on the streets of the city. For example, a monument - a gun, was erected on an artificial mound on the streets of Minsk after the release of Cherven and the area from the Nazi invaders.

You can visit the Church of the Holy Cross and St. Nicholas Church in the city.

Who knows if it had not changed the name of Igumen to Cherven name what would have been with the fate of the city? It’s another mystery stories that already cannot be answered. In any case, another town with its unique history has been created in Belarus.