Gazetteer of the Pale
The Pale of Jewish Settlement existed from the late 1790’s until 1917. Much of Jewish ancestry hails from this region making it a popular target for Jewish research. After 1825, the Pale consisted of the fifteen western provinces of the Russian Empire, not including the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland). Before 1825 the province of Astrakhan was included, and until 1887 the Taganrog district around the mouth of the Don river was attached to the province of Ekaterinoslav. A small number of localities have been included from these areas. By 1881 there were 2.9 million Jews living in the Pale of Settlement, which amounted to 12.5% of the total population of Imperial Russia.The Gazetteer has been assembled to assist in finding settlements, once home to Jews, in over 5,000 locations in the former Pale. Many of these were home for Jews up to the end of WWI, as well as between WWI and WWII. Distinguishing between these two periods is not accomplished by this data set. However, comparisons of proximity for locations up to a 40 kilometer radius are given for every place search and links to additional information are found on pins in the map window. Localities (1,469) with links in the District column in search results are part of the JewishGen Communities Database.
Sources
Results for Polatsk
| Matching Town | Modern Country |
Pale Province |
Provincial District |
Alt. Names | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polatsk | Bel. | Vitebsk | Polotsk | Polatsk [Bel], Polotsk [Rus, Yid], Połock [Pol], Polazk [Ger], Polockas [Lith], Połack, Polozk, Polazak, Polatsak | 55°29'16"/28°47'08" |
| Nearby Towns | Modern Country |
Pale Province |
Provincial District |
Alt. Names | Distance (km) | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlovo | Bel. | Vitebsk | Polotsk | Urochishche Orlovo (only found on hist. map) | 14.08 | 55°31'11"/29°00'07" |
| Puchevitsa | Bel. | Vitebsk | Polotsk | Pochevitsa (Jewish agri col. 1842, along with Zvany, Cherkasy) | 18.54 | 55°36'17"/28°34'31" |
| Cherkasy | Bel. | Vitebsk | Polotsk | Jewish agri col. 1842 | 18.61 | 55°36'54"/28°35'35" |
| Zvany | Bel. | Vitebsk | Polotsk | Zvannoe (Jewish agri col. 1842) | 19.41 | 55°37'40"/28°36'04" |
| Voronichi | Bel. | Vitebsk | Lepel | Voronechi, Voronech', Varonichy | 20.02 | 55°19'36"/28°38'39" |
| Vetrino | Bel. | Vitebsk | Lepel | Veterino, Vyetryna | 21.81 | 55°24'40"/28°28'02" |
| Orekhovno | Bel. | Vitebsk | Lepel | Oriechowno, Oriekhov, Oriekhovno, Orzechowno | 28.60 | 55°21'53"/28°23'16" |
| Golovatchino | Bel. | Vitebsk | Polotsk | Golowtschin, Holovtchin, Jablonitsa, Urochishche Golovatchino | 30.60 | 55°23'12"/29°14'12" |
| Babynichy | Bel. | Vitebsk | Lepel | Bobynichi | 33.33 | 55°16'38"/28°24'37" |
| Obol' | Bel. | Vitebsk | Polotsk | Obal' | 35.12 | 55°21'24"/29°17'30" |
| Borkovichi | Bel. | Vitebsk | Drissa | Borkavichy | 35.37 | 55°40'15"/28°19'31" |
| Pligavki | Bel. | Vilna | Disna | Plihawki | 35.59 | 55°25'16"/28°14'01" |
| Ushachy | Bel. | Vitebsk | Lepel | Ushachy [Bel], Ushachi [Rus], Ushatz [Yid], Uszacz [Pol], Ushach, Ushatchi, Ushots, Ushatsh, Ušačy | 36.23 | 55°10'34"/28°37'10" |
| Kul'gai | Bel. | Vilna | Disna | Kulhaje Wielkie, Kul'gaye | 37.06 | 55°18'10"/28°17'52" |
| Disna | Bel. | Vilna | Disna | Disna [Rus], Disne [Yid], Dzisna [Pol, Bel], Dysna [Ger], Disneg | 37.44 | 55°34'03"/28°12'27" |
