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{{For|the inhabited localities in Russia|Orsha, Russia}}
{{Short description|City in Vitebsk Region, Belarus}}
{{Infobox settlement
|settlement_type    = [[List of cities and towns in Belarus|City]]
|name               = Orsha
|native_name        = Орша
|nickname           =
|image_skyline      =Orša Montage (2017).jpg
|imagesize          =
|image_caption      = '''Top''': Orsha Saint Joseph Church, Mill Museum (Muzey Mlyn), Orsha Trinitarian Monastery, '''Center''': The complex Jesuit Collegium of Orsha, '''Bottom''': Orsha Holy Trinity Church, Orsha Centralnaja Railroad Station (all item from left to right)
|image_flag         = Flag of Vorsza, Belarus.svg
|image_shield       = Coat of Arms of Vorsza, Belarus.svg
|flag_size          = 150
|shield_size        = 75
|pushpin_label      = Orsha
|pushpin_map        = Belarus
|image_map          =
|map_caption        =
|population_total   = 102,759
|population_metro   =
|population_est     =
|population_as_of   = 2024
|population_footnotes = <ref name="pop">{{cite web|url=https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_89355/|title=Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402055418/https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_89355/|archive-date=2 April 2024|website=belsat.gov.by|access-date=12 April 2024}}</ref>
|population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone          = [[Moscow Time|MSK]]
| utc_offset        = +3
| subdivision_type  = Country
| subdivision_name  = [[Belarus]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[Regions of Belarus|Region]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Vitebsk Region]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Districts of Belarus|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Orsha District]]
|leader_title       =
|leader_name        =
|established_title  = First mentioned
|established_date   = 1067
|area_magnitude     =
|area_total_km2     = 38.90
|area_land_km2      =
|area_water_km2     =
|population_note    =
|coordinates        = {{coord|54|30|33|N|30|25|33|E|region:BY|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_m        = 192
|postal_code_type   = Postal code
|postal_code        = 211030, 211381 - 211394, 211396 - 211398
|area_code          = +375 216
|blank_name         = License plate
|blank_info         = 2
|website            = [http://orsha.vitebsk-region.gov.by/ru Official website]
|footnotes          =
}}
'''Orsha'''<!--See WP:BELARUSIANNAMES--> ({{langx|be|Орша|}}; {{langx|ru|Орша}}, {{IPA|ru|ˈorʂə|IPA}}; {{langx|lt|Orša}}, {{langx|pl|Orsza}}) is a city in [[Vitebsk Region]], [[Belarus]]. It is situated on the fork of the [[Dnieper|Dnieper River]] and [[Arshytsa]] River, and it serves as the administrative center of [[Orsha District]].<ref name="pop"/> As of 2024, it has a population of 102,759.<ref name="pop"/>
==History==
[[File:Orsha COA (Mogilev Governorate) (1781).png|thumb|left|200px|Coat of Arms, 1781]]
[[File:Coat of Arms of Orša, Belarus, 1967.png|thumb|left|180px|Coat of Arms, 1967, made for the 900th anniversary of the city]]
Orsha was first mentioned in 1067 as Rsha,  making it one of the oldest towns in Belarus. The town was named after the river, which was originally also named Rsha, probably from a [[Baltic languages|Baltic]] root *''rus'' 'slowly flowing.'<ref>E. M. Pospelov, ''Geograficheskie nazvaniya mira'' (Moscow, 1998), p. 314.</ref>
In 1320, Orsha became a part of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. Between 1398–1407, the Orsha castle was built. On 8 September 1514 the famous [[Battle of Orsha]] occurred, between allied [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]] with [[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Kingdom of Poland]] and [[Grand Duchy of Moscow|Muscovite]] army.<ref name="baranauskas">{{in lang|lt}} [http://www.delfi.lt/news/ringas/lit/article.php?id=10641866 Tomas Baranauskas. ''Oršos mūšis – didžiausia Lietuvos karinė pergalė prieš Rusiją'' (Battle of Orsha - biggest military victory of Grand Duchy of Lithuania against Russia)]. Retrieved on 2008-01-18</ref> The Muscovites suffered significant defeat; however, the victorious Grand Duchy of Lithuania did not fully avail its victory.<ref name="baranauskas"/>
In 1555, [[Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł]] founded a [[Calvinist]] (Protestant) order in Orsha, one of the first in the Belarusian lands. From the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries Orsha was a notable religious centre, with dozens of Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic churches and orders. The town was also home to a large [[Jew]]ish population.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11780-orsha|title=ORSHA - JewishEncyclopedia.com|website=jewishencyclopedia.com|access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref>
Orsha was granted [[Magdeburg Rights]] in 1620. In 1630, [[Spiridon Sobol]] opened the first printing house at the [[Kuciejna]] monastery, which became a well-known centre of [[Cyrillic-alphabet]] publishing. The town was damaged during the [[Russo-Polish War (1654-1667)]], which was a disaster for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During the [[Partitions of Poland|First Polish partition]] the city was taken over by the [[Russian Empire]] in 1772, and became part of the [[Mogilev|Mogilyov]] [[Guberniya|Gubernia]]. Under Russian rule, it was stripped of its Magdeburg Rights in 1776 and went into cultural and economic decline.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}  The population dropped sharply to just about 2,000 inhabitants.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}} The city symbol in 1781 was changed to one which included the symbol of the [[Russian empire]] and five arrows.
In 1812, the city was badly burned during [[Napoleon's Invasion of Russia|Napoleon's invasion]]. At the time of Orsha had been taken under control of French troops, there was a French writer [[Marie-Henri Beyle]] (also known under the [[pen name]] [[Stendhal]]) in a rank of [[intendant]].<ref>{{in lang|be}} Viktar Korbut. [https://archive.today/20120712071843/http://pda.ng.by/ru/issues?art_id=32108 «Галоўная краса горада — манастыры», або Па слядах Стэндаля і Напалеона]</ref>
According to the census of 1897, on a total population of 13,161, about 7,000 are Jews.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia.com"/>
During the [[First World War]], the city was occupied by German forces in February–October 1918. From 2 February 1919, Orsha became a part of Homyel region (Vitebsk region, 1920) of [[Russian SFSR|Soviet Russia]].  After the formation of the Soviet Union, it was transferred to the [[Byelorussian SSR]] in 1924.
The population before [[World War II]] was about 37,000. The city was occupied by Germany on 16 July 1941. The occupiers founded several concentration camps in the city, where an estimated 19,000 people were killed.
[[File:Свято-Ильинский храм.JPG|thumb|220px|left|St. Elijah's Orthodox church]]
Orsha was one of the centers of the [[1991 Belarusian strikes|Belarusian strikes]] in April 1991. Hundreds of thousands of coal miners had been on strike across the Soviet Union since March 1. On April 3, the day after the central government had imposed consumer price increases, workers at several [[Minsk]] factories walked out raising the miners' demand for wages indexed to inflation. Virtually the entire labor force of that city followed on the 4th, joined soon thereafter by strikes across the Belarusian SSR. Mass demonstrations voted for additional demands (including the dissolution of the Union and Belarusian governments and the end of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party's]] privileges) and elected delegates from each enterprise to citywide strike committees, which in turn sent representatives to a central Belarusian Strike Committee (SKB). On April 23, the SKB resumed the general strike after the deadline for its demands to be met had passed. The next morning, [[Mikhail Gorbachev|Gorbachev]], [[Boris Yeltsin|Yeltsin]], and leaders of eight of the other [[Republics of the Soviet Union|Soviet republics]] published a joint declaration in the papers agreeing to democratic elections for the Soviet parliament and the presidency, a new union treaty that would "radically increase the role of the union republics," and measures to soften the impact of the price increase, but also the introduction of a "special work regime" in many industries.<ref>David Mandel, ''Perestroika and the Soviet People: Rebirth of the Labour Movement'' (1991).</ref>
In response, the Orsha strike committee issued a proposal for all local workers to block the railway junction, strategically located on the line linking [[Moscow]] and [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] to Eastern and Western Europe. This was quickly endorsed by votes to "lie down on the rails" at a citywide meeting at the railway station. On the 25th, the Belarusian authorities concentrated the republic's KGB and riot police forces on Orsha, but were resisted by the strikers who sent fuel trains primed to explode down the tracks. Gorbachev mobilized the nearby military forces in [[Pskov Oblast|Pskov]] with instructions to restore order over the railway; however many officers declared their refusal to comply, and brigade commander Gennady Sidorov professed a "lack of understanding" of the mission. Meanwhile, workers in other cities throughout Belarus held rallies threatening to retaliate if a drop of blood was shed in Orsha.
Fearing a clash, and seizing on the government's offer to negotiate with its representatives and grant it radio and air time, the SKB suspended the general strike that evening.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://basta-news.net/03041991/|title=Basta! » С ДНЁМ ВСЕБЕЛАРУСКОЙ СОЛИДАРНОСТИ!|website=basta-news.net|access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref>
===Sports===
The [[bandy]] club [[Start (Orsha bandy club)|Start]] has produced players for the [[Belarus national bandy team]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bandy2008.ru/by-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-blr-teamroster-eng.pdf|title=bandy2008.ru|website=www.bandy2008.ru|access-date=13 January 2018}}{{cbignore|date=October 2018}} <!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20110904234152/http://www.bandy2008.ru/by-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-blr-teamroster-eng.pdf is broken, only shows a blank page --></ref><ref>http://www.bandyvm.se/eng2/read.asp?newsID=103 {{Dead link|date=September 2022}}</ref>
=== Population change ===
* 16th-17th century: est. 5,000
* 1776: less than 2,000{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
* 1939: 37,000
* 1970: 100,000
* 2004: 125,000
==Climate==
{{Weather box
| width       = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location    = Orsha (1991–2020)
| Jan record high C = 3.7
| Feb record high C = 4.2
| Mar record high C = 11.0
| Apr record high C = 21.9
| May record high C = 26.7
| Jun record high C = 28.8
| Jul record high C = 30.4
| Aug record high C = 30.5
| Sep record high C = 25.3
| Oct record high C = 18.2
| Nov record high C = 9.9
| Dec record high C = 5.2
| year record high C = 30.5
| Jan high C = -2.8
| Feb high C = -2.1
| Mar high C = 3.3
| Apr high C = 12.1
| May high C = 18.5
| Jun high C = 22.1
| Jul high C = 24.1
| Aug high C = 23.1
| Sep high C = 17.1
| Oct high C = 9.8
| Nov high C = 2.7
| Dec high C = -1.4
| year high C = 10.5
| Jan mean C = -5.0
| Feb mean C = -4.8
| Mar mean C = -0.3
| Apr mean C = 7.0
| May mean C = 13.0
| Jun mean C = 16.7
| Jul mean C = 18.7
| Aug mean C = 17.5
| Sep mean C = 12.1
| Oct mean C = 6.2
| Nov mean C = 0.7
| Dec mean C = -3.3
| year mean C = 6.5
| Jan low C = -7.7
| Feb low C = -7.9
| Mar low C = -3.9
| Apr low C = 2.1
| May low C = 7.2
| Jun low C = 10.9
| Jul low C = 12.9
| Aug low C = 11.9
| Sep low C = 7.4
| Oct low C = 2.9
| Nov low C = -1.5
| Dec low C = -5.6
| year low C = 2.4
| Jan record low C = -22.6
| Feb record low C = -20.6
| Mar record low C = -13.5
| Apr record low C = -4.4
| May record low C = -0.2
| Jun record low C = 3.8
| Jul record low C = 7.4
| Aug record low C = 5.1
| Sep record low C = -0.1
| Oct record low C = -5.5
| Nov record low C = -11.5
| Dec record low C = -16.4
| year record low C = -22.6
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 38.6
| Feb precipitation mm = 35.6
| Mar precipitation mm = 35.4
| Apr precipitation mm = 38.8
| May precipitation mm = 68.4
| Jun precipitation mm = 73.9
| Jul precipitation mm = 81.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 72.6
| Sep precipitation mm = 57.3
| Oct precipitation mm = 59.1
| Nov precipitation mm = 45.9
| Dec precipitation mm = 40.3
| year precipitation mm = 647.6
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 11.0
| Feb precipitation days = 9.4
| Mar precipitation days = 9.0
| Apr precipitation days = 7.2
| May precipitation days = 9.9
| Jun precipitation days = 9.8
| Jul precipitation days = 10.2
| Aug precipitation days = 9.4
| Sep precipitation days = 8.2
| Oct precipitation days = 10.0
| Nov precipitation days = 10.1
| Dec precipitation days = 10.9
| year precipitation days = 115.1
| source = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="WMONormals">{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Belarus/CSV/ORSHA_26763.csv
|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Orsha
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = January 12, 2024}}</ref>
}}
== Transportation ==
[[File:Vorsha railway station 2005.jpg|thumb|Railway station.]]
Orsha became an important transportation center after the construction of a Dnieper River port. The coming of [[railway]] lines in the second half of the nineteenth century greatly contributed to the city growth:
* 1871: [[Moscow]]–[[Minsk]]–[[Brest, Belarus|Brest]]
* 1902: [[Zhlobin]]–[[Mogilev]]–[[Vitebsk]]
* 1923: Orsha-[[Krychaw]]
* 1927: Orsha-[[Lepel]]
Today, Orsha is a major railway node where the Minsk–Moscow crosses the northern Vitebsk line, which branches south to [[Mogilev]] and [[Krychaw]].  All trains from Moscow and [[Saint-Petersburg]] bound for [[Western Europe]] pass through Orsha.
The city is also a junction of the important motorways: The M1 (E30) Moscow-Brest and the M8/M20 ([[European route E95|E95]]) Saint Petersburg - Odessa.
== Military ==
OSGOEINT reported on the 571st Aircraft Repair Plant (ARP) located at Orsha Airfield ([[Balbasovo Air Base]]). Accordingly, the 571st ARP repairs Mi-8-17 HIP, Mi-24-35 HIND, as well as the Tu-134 CRUSTY and possibly the IL-76 CANDID. The report goes on to mention recent investment agreements with [[Ukraine]] where private firms planned on providing $12 million to finance facility upgrades during the 2012-2016 period. Press reporting stated that the investors planned on building a modern warehouse terminal as well as office buildings for customs services, banking, and a leasing company.<ref name="OSGEOINT">{{cite web|url=http://osgeoint.blogspot.com/2012/06/belarus-orsha.html|title=Blogger|website=osgeoint.blogspot.com|access-date=13 January 2018}}</ref>
==Notable people==
{{Category see also|People from Orsha}}
[[File:Igor Zhelezovski 1985.jpg|thumb|265px|[[Igor Zhelezovski]]]]
*[[Francis Dzierozynski]], [[Jesuit]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051101125937/http://www.plakaty.ru/authors?id=542&sort=lname Piotra Holub (Golub Petr Semionovich) (1913–1953)], artist, author of many well-known [[Soviet propaganda]] posters, such as "Болтун находка для шпиона" and many others
* [[Uladzimir Karatkievich]], Belarusian writer
* [[Mikhail Marynich]], opposition politician, who was imprisoned in Orsha
* [[Georgy Mondzolevsky]], 2-time Olympic volleyball champion
* [[Gershon Shufman]], Hebrew author, known as 'Gimel Shufman'
* [[Frida Vigdorova]], Soviet writer and journalist, famous for writing "White book" after [[Joseph Brodsky]] trial, in support of human rights in USSR ([[:ru:Вигдорова, Фрида Абрамовна]])
* [[Lev Vygotsky]] (1896–1934), psychologist
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0953515 Nathan Zarkhi (1900–1935)], Soviet playwright and film writer
* [[Faina Chiang]], became first lady of the [[Republic of China]] in 1978.
* [[Igor Zhelezovsky]], Olympic medalist speed skater
* [[Alina Talay]] (born 1989), [[track and field]] athlete
* [[Vyacheslav Zarenkov]] (born 1951), Belarusian entrepreneur
==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Belarus}}
Orsha is twinned with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Города-побратимы|url=http://orsha.vitebsk-region.gov.by/ru/goroda-pobratimy/|website=orsha.vitebsk-region.gov.by|publisher=Orsha|language=ru|access-date=2020-01-13}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Asha, Russia|Asha]], Russia
*{{flagicon|MDA}} [[Bălți]], Moldova
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Bondeno]], Italy
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Cherkasy]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Dubna]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Gagarin, Smolensk Oblast|Gagarin]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Ivanovo]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Ivanteyevka, Moscow Oblast|Ivanteyevka]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kardymovsky District]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Koptevo District|Koptevo (Moscow)]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Krasnogvardeysky District, Saint Petersburg|Krasnogvardeysky (Saint Petersburg)]], Russia
*{{flagicon|LVA}} [[Mārupe Municipality|Mārupe]], Latvia
<!--Mińsk Mazowiecki - not twinning-->
*{{flagicon|BUL}} [[Pernik Municipality|Pernik]], Bulgaria
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Pushkin, Saint Petersburg|Pushkin]], Russia
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Qingdao]], China
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Shishou]], China
*{{flagicon|TUR}} [[Silifke]], Turkey
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Smolensk]], Russia
*{{flagicon|ARM}} [[Spitak]], Armenia
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Telšiai District Municipality|Telšiai]], Lithuania
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Tver]], Russia
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Vaulx-en-Velin]], France
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Volgodonsk]], Russia
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Vyazma]], Russia
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Yiwu]], China
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Zapadnoye Degunino District|Zapadnoye Degunino (Moscow)]], Russia
{{div col end}}
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Orša|Orsha}}
* [http://krasnyborets.com RUPE "Machine-tool plant "Krasny borets"]
* [http://www.orsha-sity.info Orsha - city]
* [http://radzima.org/pub/miesta.php?miesta_id1=viarvors Photos on Radzima.org]
* [http://www.autoorsha.com/maps/belarus/vit_obl/orsha.jpg Map of Orsha]
* [http://www.jewishgen.org/belarus/newsletter/orsha.htm Memories from a childhood in Orsha]
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=143&letter=O Jewish Encyclopedia]
* [http://orshagorodmoy.info/ Орша - город мой! Orsha is my city]
* [https://archive.today/20130415224108/http://openbelarus.t15.org/archives/384 Travel Guide to Orsha]
* [https://belarusdigest.com/story/belarus-tries-to-raise-the-protesting-region-from-ruins-and-ashes/ Belarus tries to raise restive Orsha from the ashes] Belarus Digest
* {{JewishGen-LocalityPage|1947390|Orsha, Belarus}}
{{Vitebsk Region}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Orsha| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Vitebsk Region]]
[[Category:Orsha District]]
[[Category:Historic Jewish communities in Belarus]]
[[Category:Cities in Belarus]]
[[Category:Polochans]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 11th century]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Belarus]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Dnieper in Belarus]]