Shchuchin

General information

Shchuchin is a city and an administrative center of the Shchuchinsky district of Grodno region. The population is 15, 042 people. Shchuchin is located 57 km to the east of Grodno and 7 km from the railway station Rozhanka which connects the route Lida to Grodno.

The highest point of the territory of the region is 196 meters and is located near the village Bolshoe Mozheykovo. Minerals in the region are represented by peat, sand, gravel material, chalk, construction sand, brick raw materials, sapropels and clay.

History of Shchuchin

Shchuchin was mentioned for the first time in written sources in the first half of the 15th century, as it was at this time that a new church was founded in the city. According to legends the name of the city was derived from the surname of its founder ‘Shchuka’.

Shchuchin was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and belonged to Kuchuky, Kishki, and Radzivill families throughout the centuries. During ownership by the Radzivill family, Shchuchin was known for its craftsmen, whose goods were in demand in all of Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In the 18th century, Shchuchin came into ownership of marshal of Scipio de Campo. The well-known botanical garden of educational institution and a well resourced library unfortunately have not remained to date. From 1795, Shchuchin was a part of the Russian Empire, from 1921 it was a part of Poland and in 1939 the city finally became a part of BSSR.

Shchuchin reference information

Sightseeing in Shchuchin

Shchuchin hallmark is the Saint Theresa’s church, it was erected in 1827.

On the central square opposite the church is another church known as the Archangel Michael church and it was constructed in the pseudo-Russian style in 1865. There is also the monument to the Belarusian and Polish writer Elisa Ozheshko who was born near the city. The monument established in 1980 is near a city pond. In the same place it is possible to also find a military monument of the plane ‘MiG’.

Military airfield on the suburbs of Shchuchin is an exciting sight to visit. The airfield was constructed in 1939 and was working up until the fall of the Soviet Union. Now the air base is closed despite the fact that military hangars, control tower and the runway still remain.

Accommodation in Shchuchin

There are a couple of hotels and farmsteads available for accommodation.

Economy

The industry of the area is represented by four enterprises among which are ‘Shchuchinsky zavod Avtoprovod’ and ‘Shchuchinsky maslosyrzavod’. The agriculture specializes on meat, cattle breeding, pig-breeding, poultry farming, cultivating grain, leguminous crops and beet.