Shklov

The town located by the villages of Stary Shklov and Khotimka was first mentioned in chronicles in 1535, when it was burned down by princes of Moscow. Another mentioning comes 45 years later, when Russian troops defeated Lithuanian army in a battle that took place near Shklov. The town used to belong to the princely families of the Khadkevichs, the Senyavskis, the Cherteryiskis, and in 1568 it became the center of Shklov County.

According to historian Mikhail Tkachev, in 1661 the town had several wooden fortifications, a castle that belonged to the family of Senyavskis, and a high tower.

After a major fire that took place in 1668 Shklov moved closer to the bank of Dnieper. This is where the town is currently situated. In 1708 Shklov was occupied by Swedish troops led by general Levengaupt. Russian Trade Consulate was founded in Shklov in 1763, and nine years later the town became part of the Russian Empire. In 1773 the twon belonged to Russian prince Grigory Potyomkin, who founded here a clock-making factory, and in 1778 Russian Queen Yekaterina II presented it to lieutenant-general Semyon Zorich. The queen visited Shklov on May 31 1780 to meet with German Emperor Joseph II. Shklov was known as a cultural center. Zorich founded here a theatre in 1788 (unfortunately, it was closed 12 years later). In addition, there was a ballet school and a music school in the town. The lieutenant-general also founded a cadet corps in Shklov. Zorich died in 1799 and was buried near the Dormitory Church. A marble cross war erected on his grave.

Many of Shklov’s monuments of architecture survived to the present day. These include a synagogue (late 17^th century), the town hall (18^th century), dwelling houses (18^th and 19^th centuries), a paper mill (1898), a cathedral (late 19^th century — early 20^th century), Preobrazhenskaya Church and a mansion (early 20^th century).

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