105 Jefferson Davis Blvd. Natchez, MS 39120
(601) 442-2873 or (800) 580-8765
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Byelorussia or Belarus {political since 1991} Byelo_russia means white_russia. Located between Poland and Russia and Lithuania and Ukraine this ancient land has been ruled by many but now is proudly independent. Conquered by the Tartars, Swedes, Lithuania, Poland and Russia, this place has seen many rulers. Napoleon fought through here invading Russia in 1812 and suffered severely in retreat. But the German invasion in 1941 devastated Byelorussia and the Russians pushing Germany out in 1944 completed the destruction. Cities were leveled . One in every four locals died here in WWII. Thousands of Jews were marched to the country and machined gunned and buried in pits. Many villages were burned to the ground. Partisans escaped to the woods and barely managed to survive but still were a fighting force for Byelorussia after the Germans pushed on towards Moscow. White Russia is cold and snowy in the winter but that is not how it got it's name. The white is symbolic of the white birch trees and white churches there. Many churches in Russia are brick or stone but in Belarus many have stucco and are painted white. Thus: White Russia.
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