Дореволюционная Россия на фотографиях Витебск около 1900 Pre-revolutionary Russia in photographs Vitebsk 1909 Here I present an album of photographs of the historic town of Vitebsk in Belarus, also known as Dbesk, Vidbesk, Videbsk, Vitepesk. When these photographs were taken,m the city was part of the Russian Empire. The citywas founded by Princess Olga of Kiev in 974. In the 12th and 13th centuries Vitebsk was the capital of the Principality of Vitebsk. In 1320 the city was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a dowry of the Princess Maria, the first wife of Algirdas. During the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Vitebsk was annexed by the Russian Empire and the centre of the city was rebuilt with Neoclassical architecture. Much of the old city was destroyed during the Great Patriotic War in the ensuing battles between the Nazis and the Red Army. Music: Allegro moderato from the Sonata in C-major by D. Bortnyansky
