General information
Skidzel is a town located in the Grodno district on the river Skidlyanka, 25 km to the east of Grodno. The population is about 12 thousand inhabitants. The status of city of regional submission was given in 1974 and the status of the satellite town of Grodno was given in 2014.
The name of the city comes from the ancient Baltic word ‘skidos’ which means ‘shield’.
History of Skidzel
Skidzel was mentioned for the first time in documents in 1501. From 1615 the Radzivill family were the owners of the city. During this period of time the city was famous for its fairs and the auction. During its history, Skidzel suffered from destructive wars more than once. In 1706, the city was destroyed by the troops of the Swedish king, Karl the 12th. After the 3rd partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, Skidzel became a part of the Russian Empire and in 1921 it was a part of Poland. Big destructions were brought by the Great Patriotic War, an extermination camp was created on the territory of the city where more than two thousand people were tortured and killed.
Skidzel reference information
| Belarusian (latin) | Skidal |
| Belarusian(cyrillic) | Скідаль |
| Russian (latin) | Skidzel |
| Russian (cyryllic) | Скидель |
| Founded | 1501 |
| Population | 10, 869 |
| Region | Grodno region |
| Area (sq.km) | |
| Phone code | +375 152 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 |
| Postal code | 231761 |
| License plate | 4 |
Sightseeing in Skidzel
Unfortunately, the Antonovichi-Chetvertinskie estate in Skidzel is no longer in existence today, it was burned by the partisans during the last war. The gate of the estate has survived and has an appearance of two round towers with lancet apertures. There is also the opportunity for one to go for a walk in the old park surrounding the estate.
The Yeshibah building in Skidzel which was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century is a peculiar sight in the town. Until recently it was used as factory for the production of leather products, but at the moment it stands empty.
Those that are interested can visit the museum of M. Vasilek where you can get acquainted with the life and career of the Belarusian poet. The annual fair of ‘Skidelskiykirmash’ is held in the city on a big scale attracting many tourists.
Accommodation in Skidzel
There are a couple of hotels, a number of farmsteads and sanatoriums called ‘Energetik’, ‘Porech’e’, and ‘Ozerniy’ available for accommodation in the region.
Economy
Among the main enterprises of Skidzel is ‘Agrokombinat Sidelsky’ which is a grain processing mill with a productivity of 370 tons per day. There are 4 pig-breeding complexes cultivating 24-31,000 of pig heads per year. The Skidelsky sugar plant is one of the largest enterprises of the city which produces the sugar and lemon acid.