Yelsk, Belarus


Yelsk is a town in Gomel Region, in southern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Yelsk District. As of 2025, it has a population of 8,623. It is located in Polesia.
Yelsk was greatly affected by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
WWW Official Site

History

Jelsk was a private town within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 16th century, it became a possession of the Spads, a family of French religious refugees who then took the name Jelski after the town.
During World War II, the town was occupied by German troops during summer 1941. The local Jews were gathered and deported towards Kalinkovichi and Mazyr. Approximately two weeks after the departure of the Jews of Yelsk, the Jews of the nearby Jewish village of Skorodnoye were brought in and locked inside a building. Then, the Germans set fire to the building all the Jews were burned alive.