If you look at the map of Belarus, you will see a town with an unusual name of Korelichi in the western part of the map, in the east of Grodno oblast. A little eastward you will read a deep-toned Old Slavonic word “Mir”.
If you wish to get more intimately familiar with the Korelichi land, take the Moscow-Brest motorway. After traveling 90 km far from the Belarusian capital, take the exit to the town of Novogrudok. There your introduction to the Korelichi region will begin.
Founded in November 1940, the region borders on another four ones — Novogrudok, Stolbtsy, Nesvizh and Baranovichi regions. The Korelichi region occupies 1,100 square kilometers, stretching for 28 km from north to south and for 40 km from west to east. The region includes a town council and nine village councils.
Belarusians account for 93.7% of the Korelichi region population. They live in peace and harmony with Russians (3%), Poles (2%) and other nationalities (Ukrainians, Jews, and Tatars).
The town of Korelichi is the centre of the region, located 200 km far from the oblast city of Grodno and 125 km far from Minsk.
The mineral resources of the land are represented by sand and gravel, peat and iron ore. The national geologic preserve Miranka is located in the region.
Motorways to Minsk, Grodno, Baranovichi, Novogrudok and Liubcha cross the region.
The Korelichi land has a rich historical legacy. Korelichi and Mir were first mentioned in chronicles back in 1395. At that time the towns were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1793 Korelichi and Mir became part of the Russian Empire. From 1921 to 1939 the towns were part of the bourgeois Poland. Their owners changed. First, Korelichi was owned by grand princes of Lithuania, passed on to big magnates the Chartorizhskies, then to the Radziwiііs, then to the princes Wittgensteins, and to Prince Zheltovsky when the land was part of Poland. Far beyond the borders of the land tapestries made by manufactures in Korelichi and Mir were famous. The most outstanding tapestries were dedicated to the Radziwiііs.
Korelichi and Mir were strangers neither to historical events nor to outstanding persons. The Great Patriotic War was the greatest trial of the Korelichi land. Heroic fight of the local people against the Nazi invaders is immortalized in memorials and obelisks. The state safeguards 98 historical and cultural monuments, including 7 archeological monuments, 26 architectural ones, 36 memorials and obelisks erected on graves of fallen Soviet Army soldiers, guerillas, underground fighters, and Nazi victims, as well as 22 plaques.
Among the world famous writers and poets originating from the region are Yanka Bryl, Alexander Miliut, Alexander Bozhko, Vladimir Kolesnik, Olga Ipatova, Roman Tarmola. The Korelichi region was also home to such outstanding Belarusians as Ignatiy Domeiko, a naturalist, first rector of Santiago University and Chile’s national hero; Boris Kit, a member of the international Academy of Astronautics; Yan Chechet, a Belarusian-Polish poet and folklorist, composer Piotr Koniukh, People’s Artist of the USSR Alexander Ilyinskiy. Adam Mitskevich devoted many of his works to this land too. In Mir Vladislav Syrokomlya wrote his famous poem which Russian version became a popular song Yamschik (Coachman).
In May 2005, the travel agency Belinturist-Mir was opened in Mir. Mir Cattle is often used as a venue for tilting matches and international art festivals.
The 16th-century Mir Castle is a special pride of the region. The castle is a branch of the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus. In 2000 it was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Due to this specimen of architecture Mir settlement hosted Day of Belarusian Written Language in September 2002 and Belarusian Art Festival ‘Mir Castle’ in May 2003.
Agriculture
Our land is our main wealth. The agricultural production is the backbone of the regional economy. There are 11 agricultural companies, the livestock breeding farm Korelichi, farm Niva+, OAO Korelichi Selkhoztekhnika, private poultry farm Krasnoarmeiskaya.
The region specializes in production of milk, meat, grain and flax. The Korelichi region is the winner of the republican competition in flax production.
Industry. Construction. Transport.
The regional industrial sector is represented by a large flax processing company Korelichi-Len, Voroncha subsidiary of the Grodno Distillery, Mir Distillery, Korelichi Butter Factory which is a branch of the Novogrudok Butter Factory, Korelichi Kooprom.
Construction organizations: repair and construction companies РСП-12, МПМК-152, repair and construction department #158.
Motor Park #8 provides 17 local and 8 intercity bus services.
Trade. Public Services. Communications.
The main trade organization of the region is the Regional Consumer Society which accounts for 61% of the total trade turnover. The company has 129 retail outlets, including 21 grocery stores, 14 manufactured goods shops, 79 mixed stores. Some 85 shops are located in rural areas.
A share of privately-owned companies and sole traders has been increasing lately.
Health Care System, Social Security
Medical services are provided by: the central regional hospital (180 beds), a hospital in Mir (50 beds), the regional center of hygiene and epidemiology, 2 out-patients’ clinics (Korelichi, Mir), 5 rural doctor’s offices, a hospital in the village of Luki (25 beds), 21 doctor’s assistants’ offices, 2 ambulance teams, 7 drugstores.
Education
The education system of the region features:
the state gymnasium, 15 secondary schools, 5 school-kindergarten centers, 12 kindergartens, the training-production center in Mir, a center house of out-of-school activities, a children’s sports school, a center of correction-development education and rehabilitation, a children’s social orphanage. Some 9 schools, 4 kindergartens, 2 centers school-kindergarten are engaged in innovation and experimental activities.
Culture
The network of cultural establishments of the region includes the regional and town’s House of Culture, the House of Crafts, 12 rural culture centers, 10 rural clubs, 15 houses of social services, the regional museum of local lore “Land and People”, 2 children’s music schools, 2 art schools, 11 branches of music schools, 26 libraries, 3 clubs-libraries.
Sport and Tourism
There are 143 sports facilities in the region. Some 3 thousand people are engaged in sport and physical culture. Annually the region organizes more than 50 sports events, in which about 8 thousand people take part.
