Smalyavichy

Smalyavichy stands on the Plisa, a tributary of the Berezina, in the forested country east of Minsk. In the sixteenth century it was held by Konstanty Ostrogski, Grand Hetman of Lithuania, before passing to the Radziwiłł family. The history of the settlement is bound to the great estates of these magnates. During Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, military warehouses were established in the town, bringing the campaign's demands to its inhabitants.