Region

The Krugloe region is located in the north-west part of the Mogilev oblast of Belarus. It borders on the Belynichi and Shklov regions of the Mogilev oblast, the Tolochin region of the Vitebsk oblast and the Krupki region of the Minsk oblast. The Drut River is the biggest river of the region.  In 1955, during the construction of the Teterino Hydroelectric Station, a reservoir was set up on the river of Drut. The oldest settlements of the region are the village of Teterino (1390) and the village of Shupeni (1522). There are 29 archeological sites in the Krugloe region. The region was founded on July 17, 1924 as a part of the Orsha district of the Mogilev Province (gubernya). It was twice abolished (in 1931 and 1959) and restored (in 1935 and 1966).

The region lies within the Orsha-Mogilev and the Central-Berezina lowlands. The prevailing heights are 180-200m. The highest point (223m) is located near the village of Bokanovo. Raw materials are peat, gravel-sandy materials, clay.

There are three natural monuments in the Krugloe region. These are two springs Krynitsa 1, located near the Teterino Hydroelectric Station, and Krynitsa 2, located near the village of Teterino, and Lake Khotomie, located in the forestry Teterinskoe. Forests cover 20% of the region. The biggest forest areas are located in the western part of the region. There are coniferous, fir and birch forests in the region. Marshes cover 3.8% of the region. There are three regional hydrological reserves, namely, Shchitok, Borovukha and Zaborovskoe. The latter is located within the Drut River floodplain.   

The territory of the Krugloe region was inhabited many centuries ago. During the Neolithic Age (circa 3 – 5 thousand BC), Verkhniya Dvina tribes lived in the region. The settlement of Krugloe was first mentioned in 1524. In 1967, the settlement received the status of a town.

In 9-13 centuries, the history of the Krugloe region was connected with the Polotsk and Drutsk principalities. In the early 17th century, the settlements of Krugloe and Teterino became the properties of Lev Sapega, the Chancellor of the Great Principality of Lithuania. In 1750, famous politician Mikhail Kazimir Oginsky took possession of many manors in the Krugloe region. In 1872, Catherine the Great handed over the settlement of Krugloe and its lands to Princess Catherine Dashkova (the President of the Russian Academy, the Director of Petersburg’s Academy of Sciences). The area belonged to her until 1810.

In 1802, Catherine Dashkova consecrated Sts. Kir and John Orthodox Church. The construction of the church was funded by her as well.

The Soviet system was established in the Krugloe region on November 17, 1917. The region started to develop collective farms, processing industry, educational sphere.
Before the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), around 40 thousand people lived in the Krugloe region, of them 1.2 thousand people lived in Krugloe.

The flax mill employing 130 people was then the biggest manufacture in the region.

From July 8, 1941 to June 28, 1944 the Krugloe region was occupied by the Nazis. More than 8 thousand residents of the region joined the Red Army. During the war, the villages of Goyenka and Berezka were destroyed completely, 1,144 residents of the region were killed, 1,527 people were taken to Germany to work as slave laborers. During the war, several partisan brigades operated in the Krugloe region.

The region was completely restored in 1966 with new social and cultural facilities, roads and collective farms constructed. Today, the region continues developing.