Vitebsk (redirected from Vitsebsk)

Vitebsk (vē`tĕpsk, vē`tyĭpsk), city (1989 pop. 350,000), Belarusian Vitsyebsk, capital of Vitebsk region, N Belarus, on the Western Dvina River. It is a river port and large railroad junction in an agricultural district. Manufactures include machine tools, electrical instruments, processed food, textiles, and building materials. Vitebsk dates from the 11th cent. and was the capital of a Russian principality that came under (14th cent.) Lithuanian rule. It passed to Russia again in 1772.

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Vitsyebsk

 Russian Vitebsk

City (pop., 2001 est.: 349,000), northeastern Belarus. First mentioned in 1021, it was a major fortress and trading centre and was the chief town of an independent principality for some 200 years. It passed to Lithuania in 1320, later to Poland, and then to Russia in 1772. It was destroyed by the Poles in the 16th century, by the Swedes in the Great Northern War, by Napoleon in 1812, and by the Germans in World War II. There are two museums dedicated to Marc Chagall, a native of the city. A major industrial centre, it produces machine tools, electrical instruments, and a range of consumer goods.

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Vitebsk

a city in E Belarus, a port on the Dvina river: taken by Russia in 1772. Pop.: 344 000 (2005 est.)