Rahachow

Rahachow (Belarusian: Рагачо́ў, pronounced [raɣaˈtʂou̯], Łacinka: Rahačoŭ, Russian: Рогачёв, Polish: Rohaczów) is a town in the Gomel Region of Belarus. It is center of Rahachow District. Rahachow is located at 53°6′N 30°3′E, between the Drut and Dnieper rivers. The population is 34,727 (2004 estimate).

Rahachow Рагачо́ў (Belarusian) Рогачёв (Russian)
Rogachov, Rogatchov transcription(s)
Flag Coat of arms
Rahachow
Coordinates: 53°6′N 30°3′E
Country	Belarus
Voblast	Gomel Region
Founded	1142
Area
• Total	18.06 km2 (6.97 sq mi)
Elevation	136 m (446 ft)
Population  (2009)[1]
• Total	33,702
• Density	1,900/km2 (4,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3 (FET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (not observed)
Postal code	247250
Area code(s)	+375 2339
Licence plate	3
Website	Official website (in Russian)

The town is first mentioned in 1142 in Russian chronicles. From the late thirteenth century it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1772 the Rahachow district was annexed by the Russian Empire.

On 16 July 1863 the local landowner Tomasz Hryniewicz was executed here by a Russian firing squad for leading the Rahachow detachment of Polish insurgents.

During World War II, Rahachow was occupied by the German Army from 2 July 1941 to 13 July 1941, and again from 14 August 1941 to 24 February 1944.

The notable Rabbi, Yosef Rosen (1858–1936), known as the Rogatchover Gaon ("The Genius of Rogatchov" (the Yiddish pronunciation of Rahachow)), was born and raised here. The artist Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan was born (1902) and brought up here, as was former NHL hockey player Sergei Bautin. Rahachow also has a popular dairy product factory in it, whose products are supplied across Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.