# Dzyatlava

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Town in Grodno Region, Belarus

Town in Grodno Region, Belarus

Dzyatlava Дзятлава (Belarusian) Town Catholic Church of the Assumption of Mary founded by Sejm Marshal Lew Sapieha Flag Coat of arms Dzyatlava Location of Dyatlovo Coordinates: 53°27′55″N 25°24′20″E / 53.46528°N 25.40556°E / 53.46528; 25.40556 Country Belarus Region Grodno Region District Dzyatlava District Founded 1498 Population (2025)[1] • Total 7,596 Time zone UTC+3 (MSK) Postal code 231471 Area code +375 1563 Website dyatlovo.grodno-region.by/en/

**Dzyatlava** or **Dyatlovo**[a] is a town in [Grodno Region](/source/Grodno_Region), [Belarus](/source/Belarus). It serves as the administrative center of [Dzyatlava District](/source/Dzyatlava_District).[2][1] It is located about 165 kilometres (103 mi) southeast of [Grodno](/source/Grodno). The population was 7,700 in 2016. As of 2025, it has a population of 7,596.[1]

## History

Being 80 kilometres south of present-day Lithuania, Zietela's environs had been known by linguists as the outermost indigenous Lithuanian speaking "island" apart from the contiguous Lithuanian language territory. The Lithuanian speakers spoke a unique dialect, known as the "Zietela dialect"; it has been speculated that the ancestors of its speakers might have been Lithuanized [Jotvingians](/source/Yotvingians). It drew the attention by many prominent linguists, such as [Christian Schweigaard Stang](/source/Christian_Schweigaard_Stang), [Vladimir Toporov](/source/Vladimir_Toporov), [Kazimieras Būga](/source/Kazimieras_B%C5%ABga) and [Juozas Balčikonis](/source/Juozas_Bal%C4%8Dikonis). In 1886, 1,156 people in nearby villages declared themselves Lithuanians, however, the real number might have been much greater.[3] At present the Lithuanian population is virtually extinct.[3]

### Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Zietela was first referenced in documents from 1498 when it was granted by the King of Poland [John I Albert](/source/John_I_Albert) to Prince [Konstanty Ostrogski](/source/Konstanty_Ostrogski), who later built a wooden castle there.

#### 17th century

In the 17th century, Zietela was owned by [Lew Sapieha](/source/Lew_Sapieha), who ordered a Catholic church to be erected on the main city square. The church was consecrated in 1646, renovated after a fire in 1743 and still stands.[4]

#### 18th century

During the [Great Northern War](/source/Great_Northern_War) of the anti-Swedish alliance, [Peter I of Russia](/source/Peter_I_of_Russia) visited Zietela and stayed there for a week in January 1708. In the 18th century, the town was owned by Stanisław Sołtyk, who built a Baroque residence there in 1751. After the [partitions of Poland](/source/Partitions_of_Poland), until the aftermath of [World War I](/source/World_War_I), the town was within the [Russian Empire](/source/Russian_Empire), in the [Grodno Governorate](/source/Grodno_Governorate), district of [Slonim](/source/Slonim).[5]

Market square in Zdzięcioł, 1938, before the [Soviet invasion of Poland](/source/Soviet_invasion_of_Poland)

### 20th century

Between [World War I](/source/World_War_I) and [World War II](/source/World_War_II), Zdzięcioł (now Dzyatlava) belonged to the [Second Polish Republic](/source/Second_Polish_Republic). It was the seat of [Gmina](/source/Gmina) Zdzięcioł in [Nowogródek Voivodeship](/source/Nowogr%C3%B3dek_Voivodeship_(1919%E2%80%931939)).[6] The population was composed predominantly of [Polish Jews](/source/Polish_Jews). The Soviet forces [invaded eastern Poland](/source/Soviet_invasion_of_Poland) on September 17, 1939, and stationed in the Voivodeship area until the outbreak of [their own war with Germany](/source/Operation_Barbarossa) in June 1941. After the Soviet rapid retreat, and several months of Nazi ad hoc persecution, on February 22, 1942 the new German authorities officially created [Zdzięcioł Ghetto](/source/Zdzi%C4%99cio%C5%82_Ghetto).[7][8]

Further information: [Jewish ghettos in German-occupied Poland](/source/Jewish_ghettos_in_German-occupied_Poland)

During [the Holocaust](/source/The_Holocaust_in_Poland), about 3,000–5,000 Jews were killed near the town during the [Dzyatlava massacre](/source/Dzyatlava_massacre) of 1942 by a German death squad aided by the [Lithuanian](/source/Lithuanian_Auxiliary_Police) and the [Belarusian Auxiliary Police](/source/Belarusian_Auxiliary_Police) battalions.[9] The old Jewish cemetery is considered a minor landmark.

## Notable people

- [Ivan Karizna](/source/Ivan_Karizna), cellist

- [Jacob ben Wolf Kranz of Dubno](/source/Jacob_ben_Wolf_Kranz_of_Dubno), the "Dubner [maggid](/source/Maggid)" (1741–1804)

- [Yisrael Meir Kagan](/source/Yisrael_Meir_Kagan) (Chofetz Chayim), 1839–1933

- [Zvi Yosef Resnick](/source/Zvi_Yosef_Resnick), [rabbi](/source/Rabbi) and [rosh yeshivah](/source/Rosh_yeshivah) (1841–1912)

- [Mnachem Risikoff](/source/Mnachem_Risikoff), rabbi and scholar (1866–1960), born in Dzyatlava

- [Baruch Sorotzkin](/source/Baruch_Sorotzkin) (1917-1979)

- [Tamara Lazakovich](/source/Tamara_Lazakovich), European All-Around Co-Champion (1971) and [Olympic medalist (1972)](/source/Gymnastics_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics) in [gymnastics](/source/Gymnastics)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Belarusian](/source/Belarusian_language): Дзятлава, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Belarusian): *Dziatlava*; [Russian](/source/Russian_language): Дятлово; [Polish](/source/Polish_language): *Zdzięcioł*; [Yiddish](/source/Yiddish_language): זשעטל, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Yiddish): *Zhetl*.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-pop_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-pop_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-pop_1-2) ["Численность населения на 1 января 2025 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2024 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа"](https://web.archive.org/web/20250329210112/https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_148168/). *belsat.gov.by*. Archived from [the original](https://www.belstat.gov.by/ofitsialnaya-statistika/solialnaya-sfera/naselenie-i-migratsiya/naselenie/statisticheskie-izdaniya/index_148168/) on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-enc_3-0)** Gaponenko, Irina Olegovna (2004). *Назвы населеных пунктаў Рэспублікі Беларусь: Гродзенская вобласць*. Minsk: Тэхналогія. p. 187. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [985-458-098-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/985-458-098-9).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GZ_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GZ_4-1) Gediminas Zemlickas, "Paminklas mirusiai ðnektai (2)" [Monument to the Extinct Dialect], Lietuviø kalbos instituto Kalbos istorijos ir dialektologijos skyriaus darbuotojai doc. dr. Danguolë Mikulënienë ir dr. Aloyzas Vidugiris. ["Mokslo Lietuva Main Page"](https://web.archive.org/web/20071010030610/http://ic.lms.lt/ml/167/snektai.htm). Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-23.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_bot:_original_URL_status_unknown))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Photographs, at globustut.by](https://globustut.by/dyatlovo/kostel_gallery.htm)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [JewishGen Communities Database for Dzyatlava, Belarus](https://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/community.php?usbgn=-1942808)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-GUS_7-0)** ["Województwo Nowogródzkie"](/source/Nowogr%C3%B3dek_Voivodeship_(1919%E2%80%931939)). *Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - Tom VII - Część I*. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej ([Central Statistical Office of Poland](/source/Central_Statistical_Office_(Poland))). 1923.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ushmm_8-0)** Holocaust Encyclopedia. ["Zdzieciol (Zhetel) Ghetto"](http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10007235) (Wikipedia [OTRS](/source/OTRS) ticket no. 2007071910012533). USHMM. Retrieved July 27, 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-eber_9-0)** Piotr Eberhardt, Jan Owsinski (2003). [*Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-century Central-Eastern Europe: History, Data, Analysis*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jLfX1q3kJzgC&dq=Nowogr%C3%B3dek+province+eberhardt&pg=RA1-PA199). M.E. Sharpe. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7656-0665-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7656-0665-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gerlach_10-0)** [Christian Gerlach](/source/Christian_Gerlach) (1999). [*Kalkulierte Morde: Die deutsche Wirtschafts- und Vernichtungspolitik in Weißrußland 1941 bis 1944*](https://books.google.com/books?id=wn0tAQAAIAAJ&q=Schutzmannschaften) [*Calculated Murder: The German economic and annihilation policy in Belorussia 1941 to 1944*] (in German). Hamburger Edition, Hamburg. pp. 206, 614, 702. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3930908549](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3930908549).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Dzyatlava](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dziatlava).

- [Info of Dziatłava](http://www.dyatlovo.com)

- [Photos on Radzima.org](http://www.radzima.org/pub/miesta.php?lang=en&miesta_id1=hrdzdzia)

- [(in Russian) Dyatlovo information portal](http://dyatlovo.by/)

- [ארגון יוצאי ז'טל ודורות ההמשך](https://www.zhetel.org/)

- [Dzyatlava, Belarus](https://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/community.php?usbgn=-1942808) at [JewishGen](/source/JewishGen)

- [Dyatlovo old website](https://web.archive.org/web/20110307152553/http://www.dyatlovo.by.ru/)

v t e Subdivisions of Grodno region, Belarus Districts (raiony) Ashmyany Astravyets Byerastavitsa Dzyatlava Grodno Iwye Karelichy Lida Masty Novogrudok Shchuchyn Slonim Smarhon Svislach Vawkavysk Voranava Zelva District centres Grodno Astravyets Ashmyany Dzyatlava Iwye Karelichy Lida Masty Novogrudok Slonim Smarhon Shchuchyn Svislach Vawkavysk Vyalikaya Byerastavitsa Voranava Zelva Cities and towns Grodno Astravyets Ashmyany Bruzgi Byarozawka Dzyatlava Iwye Karelichy Lida Masty Novogrudok Skidzyel' Slonim Smarhon Shchuchyn Svislach Vawkavysk Vyalikaya Byerastavitsa

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