Smaliavičy is a city founded on the Plisa river. It is the administrative center of the Smaliavičy District of the Minsk Region. In 2010, it officially became a satellite city of Minsk.

The first mention in written sources dates back to 1448. The name of the city comes from the word “smala” (tar), which was mined and processed by locals. As a result, a barrel of tar is depicted on the city's coat of arms. In 1508, the Grand Duke of Lithuania Žyhimont I handed over Smaliavičy to the Grand Lithuanian Hetman Kanstancin Astrožski. In 1586, the city was owned by the Barysaŭ Headman and Hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Kryštaf Radzivil. From that moment on, trade and handicrafts began to develop rapidly in the town. In the first half of the 18th century Smaliavičy was a rather significant settlement with about 1,000 inhabitants. However, during the Great Northern War (1700–1721), it was severely destroyed.

As a result of the Second Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1793, Smaliavičy was annexed to the Russian Empire. The construction and opening of the Brest–Moscow railway in 1871 created new opportunities for the industrial development of Smaliavičy. From June 1924, Smaliavičy became the center of the district, and from September 27, 1938, the town was given the status of an urban-type settlement.

Intensive development of Smaliavičy began after the Second World War. A bakery plant and a tar works, the Smaliavičy Power Plant, a peat enterprise and a peat engineering plant, a broiler poultry farm and a feed mill were built. On March 7, 1968, the settlement received the status of a city, and since 2010, the city of Smaliavičy has been granted the status of a satellite city of Minsk. In this regard, there is active building of housing fund, social facilities and infrastructure.

Publication date: 21.04.2022.

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