Brahin, or Bragin, is an urban-type settlement in Gomel region, in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Brahin district. It stands on the banks of the Brahinka River, from the nearest railway (Khoiniki station). As of 2025, it has a population of 4,579.
History
The settlement is first mentioned in the Hypatian Codex in 1147Въ лѣто 6654 (1146) — въ лѣто 6655 (1147), ПСРЛ. — Т. 2. Ипатьевская летопись. — СПб., 1908. — Стлб. 327-360. as an important town in Kievan Rus'.
In 1511 Brahin was granted new privileges by King Sigismund I the Old. Since the late 16th century, it was a possession of the Wiśniowiecki family. It was administratively located in the Minsk Voivodeship of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
A significant part of Brahin's population traditionally was of Jewish descent. By the end of 19th century, 2,254 of 4,311 inhabitants were Jewish."Raspredelenie naseleniya mest Rossiyskoy Imperii po chislennosti naseleniya. Vseobshchaya perepis’. Materialy ob economicheskom polozhenii evreev v Rossii.(1898) (ed. Evr.Kol.O-va), as cited on JewishGen website.
During World War II, Brahin was under German occupation from 28 August 1941 to 23 November 1943. A Nazi prison was operated in the town. Many Jews in the area were killed by the German forces during that time:"Ghettos in the Gomel Region: Commonalities and Unique Features, 1941-42" by Leonid Smilovitsky, Ph.D., Diaspora Research Center Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of the Humanities Tel Aviv University (fulltext); citing Yad Vashem Archives, collection M-33/1120, p. 5.
On September 13, 1941, the Jews of Bragin were ordered to gather in a school for the purposes of selecting a monitor and his deputy, but when 300 Jews came at the indicated time the school they were surrounded by Germans and closed. After that, Jews were led out in groups to the edge of the village and shot.
As a result of the Chernobyl disaster, areas of the Brahin district were radioactively contaminated. 52 settlements were resettled, 9 of which are buried. From Brahin itself 1,651 families (4,892 people) were resettled.
Climate
Notable residents
Siarhiej Palujan (1890–1910), Belarusian writer and publicist
Notes
References
External links
Brahin at Belarus.by