Kobrin district on maps

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

Throughout centuries-old history of our city the territory which is understood as the word "Kobrin district" repeatedly significantly changed. During the different periods on a whim of historical destinies Kobrin lands were a part of these or those political associations and in turn became an independent administrative unit, and then lost this independence.

The present article is devoted to the short review of such changes in their chronological sequence. In the most remote past our lands were the porubezhny suburbs of the Old Russian state bordering on Poland. In process of emergence of certain early feudal principalities on the arena of history there is a Turovsky principality entering an orbit of political influence and military alliances of Kievan Rus'. In its territory written sources mention such cities as Pinsk, Berestye, Slutsk and Mazyr.

In the second half of the XII century when value of the Turovsky principality began to fall, of it the Pinsky principality using to a greater or lesser extent independence though the coming considerable influence of the Vladimir-Volynsk principality was allocated. And at the end of the XII century, in process of strengthening of Galitsko-Volynsky Russia, the Beresteysky volost with which Kobrin district was directly connected gets to political dependence on the Vladimir-Volynsk principality as a part of which remains up to its gain Lithuanians in 1315-1323.

Gedemin distributed the occupied lands between the sons, and the Beresteysky earth with the cities of Berestye, Kobrin, Kamenets got in possession to Keystut. For possession of Volhynia and Beresteyshchina between Lithuania and Poland the long war which ended in 1366 when between the grand duke Lithuanian Olgerd and the Polish king Kazimir the peace treaty according to which the above-mentioned cities remained beyond Lithuania was signed was started. According to this contract the city of Ratno in which possession there was Kobrin with other northern Volynsk cities was ceded to Poles. However after Olgerd's death in 1377 his son Fedor Ratnensky is mentioned. Obviously, at that time Ratno with Kobrin still submitted to Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

One of Fedor Ratnensky's sons, Roman, in 1404 received from the grand duke Vitovta Kobrin, having become thus the ancestor of sovereign princes Kobrin. Leaning on sketchy written sources, it is possible to define borders of the new principality only very approximately. Its territory from Kobrin generally stretched in the northeast direction, including Dobuchin (Pruzhana), Bluden, Gorodets. The hunting princely yard is mentioned in Dobuchin. The greatest extent of the principality from the southwest on the northeast reached hundred versts.
In 1413 division of the territory of Grand Duchy of Lithuania into Vilenskoye and Trokskoye's voivodeships took place, and Russian lands and principalities were included in the Troksky voivodeship. At the subsequent administrative division in 1520 poveta Beresteysky, Kobrin, Kamenetsky were included in structure of the neogenic Podlyashsky voivodeship in which remained till 1566 when all of them were integrated in one Beresteysky povt, included in the new Brest-Lithuanian voivodeship which existed till 1796.

And since 1520 in general the name "Kobrin Principality" replaced with terms Kobrin disappears povt, or economy. In 1589 Mr. Kobrin acquires the so-called Magdebourg right, i.e. administrative and judicial self-government which privileges the population used till 1766.

During liberating war of the Ukrainian and Belarusian people in the middle of 17 century, and also at the beginning of Northern war Kobrin strongly suffered as a result of military operations. These disasters in 1711 were aggravated by the morovy craze which exterminated considerable part of the population whereas the fire which happened the same year destroyed more than a half of structures of citizens. Brought to extreme extent of decline, Kobrin, along with many other Lithuanian cities, in 1766 the resolution of diet it was deprived of the city rights and Kobrin is included in structure of royal table estates of the Brest economy under the name Key.

Reunion of Kobrin district with Russia took place in 1795. In the beginning Kobrin "is appointed" by the district city of the Slonimsky namestnichestvo, and since 1797. The Lithuanian province which, in turn, in 1802 was renamed on the Grodno province. Among nine Counties of Grodnenshchina Kobrin occupied one of the largest areas - 4620 sq. versts, i.e. surpassed the present area by 2,5 times. It is enough to note that if Zhabinka was its western suburb, then in the east his limits included the town of Ivanovo. However, the most complete idea of the Kobrin County before World War I can be gained from the dry list of 27 volosts entering it: Strigovsky, Pruskovsky, Sekhnovichsky. Zbirogovska, Rogoznyanska Podolesska and Kozishchenska, Ozyatsky, Divinsky and Mokransky, Blotsky, Verkholessky, Gorodetsky and Zalessky, Antopolsky, Zelovsky, Ilovsky, Drogichinsky, Imeninsky, Brashevichsky, Homsky, Bezdezhsky, Osovetsky, Volovelsky, Odrizhinsky, Vorotsevichsky, Ivanovo, Druzhilovichsky, Osovnitsky, Motolsky. On perimeter of Kobrinskaya the county bordered with next Brest, Pruzhansky, Pinsky (The Minsk province), Kovelsky (The Volynsk province) counties.

Such territory was occupied by the Kobrin County till 1919 when it was occupied by bourgeois and landowner Poland. According to new administrative division in 1921 Kobrin was organized povt, included in structure of the Polesia voivodeship. In passing it should be noted the funny fact: though under the Polish constitution Pinsk nominally was considered as the main town of the Polesia voivodeship, actually all voyevodsky establishments were concentrated in Brest. The territory of a povet occupied 3894 sq.km, and it bordered on the Brest, Pruzhansky, Drogichinsky and Kamen-Kashirsky povet. We consider not superfluous to provide the list gmin (volosts) of our povet in borders till 1939: Antopol, Divin, Detkovichi, Gorodets, Kobrin, Lelikovo, Novoselki, Ozyata, Podolesye, Tevli, Zhabink.

Since September, 1939 Kobrin district was reunited with BSSR. In the first several months borders of the povet renamed into the county continued to remain, and since January 15, 1940 borders of new Kobrin district which area makes 2000 sq.km now were approved.

 A. Martynov

Martynov, A. Kobrin district on maps / A. Martynov//Kobrin-inform. – 2009. – January 8. – Page 6.



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