Editing Velizh (section)

==History==
[[File:Vialiž. Вяліж (XVIII).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Seal of the [[Royal city in Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Royal Town]] of Wieliż from the times of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]]]
In the late 14th century, it used to be a border fortress of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. Muscovy recaptured it in 1536. Lithuania recaptured it in 1562, then Muscovy again in 1563, then Polish forces led by [[Jan Zamoyski]] captured it in 1580, confirmed by the 1582 [[Truce of Yam-Zapolsky]].<ref name=sgk/> In 1585, King [[Stephen Báthory]] of Poland established the coat of arms and granted [[privilege (law)|privileges]] for the townspeople.<ref name=sgk>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom XIII|year=1893|language=pl|location=Warszawa|page=329}}</ref> In 1654 it was occupied by Russia, but in 1667 it was restored to the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]].<ref name=sgk/>

After the [[First Partition of Poland]] in 1772 the town was annexed by Russia<ref name=sgk/> and included into newly established [[Pskov Governorate]], a giant administrative unit comprising what is currently Pskov Oblast and a considerable part of Belarus. After 1773, the area belonged to [[Velizhsky Uyezd]] of Pskov Governorate. In 1777, it was transferred to [[Polotsk Viceroyalty]]. In 1796, the viceroyalty was abolished and the area was transferred to [[Byelorussia Governorate]]; since 1802 to [[Vitebsk Governorate]]. Between July and October 1812, Velizh was occupied by the army of Napoleon advancing to Moscow. In 1924, Vitebsk Governorate was abolished, and Velizhsky Uyezds was transferred to Pskov Governorate.<ref name="dist_hist">{{cite web|url=http://velizh.admin-smolensk.ru/istoricheskaya-spravka/|script-title=ru:Историческая справка|publisher=Velizhsky District administration|language=ru|access-date=9 May 2016}}</ref>

In April 1823, Velizh was the site of an infamous [[blood libel]] incident, in which local Jews were wrongly accused of the murder of Christian boy who was found dead in a field. Based on the testimony of a drunk prostitute, over forty Jews were arrested and in 1826 the synagogues were closed. Some of the accused were not released until 1835.<ref>Jewish Virtual Library. [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0020_0_20358.html Entry on Velizh]</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Avrutin |first=Eugene |date=2017 |title=The Velizh Affair: Blood Libel in a Russian Town|location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190640521}}</ref>

In 1860 there were 649 craftsmen in the town, and in 1891 there were 67 industrial plants in the town, which employed 1,279 people.<ref name=sgk/> Two annual [[fair]]s were held in the town in the late 19th century.<ref name=sgk/> In 1897, the ethnic make-up, by mother tongue, was 49.1% [[Jews|Jewish]], 47.6% [[Belarusians|Belarusian]], 2.3% Russian, and 0.4% [[Polish people|Polish]].<ref name=c1897>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Первая Всеобщая перепись населения Российской империи, 1897 г.|volume=V|year=1903|language=ru|pages=76–79}}</ref>

[[File:Vialiž, Rynak-Illinskaja. Вяліж, Рынак-Ільлінская (1941) (3).jpg|thumb|left|Market square in 1941]]
On 1 August 1927, governorates were abolished, and Velizhsky District with the center in Velizh was established. It belonged to [[Velikiye Luki Okrug]] of [[Leningrad Oblast]]. On June&nbsp;17, 1929, Velizhsky District was transferred to [[Western Oblast]]. On 23 July 1930, the okrugs were also abolished and the districts were directly subordinated to the oblast. On 17 September 1937, Western Oblast was abolished, and the district was transferred to [[Smolensk Oblast]].<ref name="parfenov">{{cite web|url=http://www.journalsmolensk.ru/arhiv/12_124_10/14/14.PHP|script-title=ru:К истории формирования Смоленской области|last=Парфенов|first=Борис |author2=Ольга Хоренженкова |publisher=Smolensk|language=ru|access-date=9 May 2016}}</ref> During World War II, between July 1941 and September 1943, Velizhsky District was occupied by German troops.<ref name="dist_hist"/>

Much of the town was destroyed during [[World War II]]. During the war, Velizh was occupied by the [[Wehrmacht|German Army]] from July&nbsp;14, 1941 to September&nbsp;20, 1943. In September 1942, German occupation forces murdered all but&nbsp;17 of the town's 1,440&nbsp;Jewish residents.<ref>Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "Only Seventeen Jews Escape Massacre by Nazis in Russian Town of Velizh". September&nbsp;9, 1942.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yahadmap.org/#village/velizh-smolensk-russia.545|title = Yahad - in Unum}}</ref>

On 1 February 1963, during the abortive Khrushchyov administrative reform, Velizhsky District was merged into Demidovsky District, but on 12 January 1965 it was re-established.<ref name="parfenov"/>
{{Historical populations|1885|16372|1897|12193|1989|9146|2002|8343|2010|7620|source=<ref name=sgk/><ref name=c1897/>}}