Vawkavysk or Volkovyvsk (Belarusian: Ваўкавыск, Russian: Волковыск, Lithuanian: Volkoviskas, Polish: Wolkowysk) is a town in the Hrodna Province of Belarus. It is the center of Vaŭkavysk district and has a population of around 48,000.
Volkovysk is an old town with over a millennium of history. The first mention of Volkovysk in the Turovskoj annals is in 1005. At that time Volkovysk was city-fortress on the border of the Baltic and the Slavic ethnic groups. Since 12th century, Volkovysk was the center of a small princedom. The Ipatevskoj annals mention the city in 1252.
During a campaign against the Lithuanian princes in 1277, the army of Rus princes Mstislav Daniilovich, Vladimir Vasilkovich, and Jury Lvovich stopped for a night's lodging at Volkovysk. The last time Volkovysk is mentioned in the annals is in 1289, when Lithuanian prince Budikid and his brother Budivid transferred Volkovysk to prince Mstislav in order to maintain the peace.
The archeological excavations conducted at the site of the ancient city attest that a Slavic settlement had already existed here by the late tenth century. This is based on the dwellings and defensive works which were discovered during the excavation.
The Volkovysk archeological complex includes three heights: "the Swedish mountain" (picture), Zamchishche, and Muravelnik. "The Swedish mountain" is located in a southeast suburb of modern Volkovysk. There is a legend that during The Deluge, "the Swedish mountain" was created by Swedish soldiers above the tomb of their commander. It is the highest point among associates Volkovysk of hills a moraine of a ridge.
The height of "the Swedish mountain" from the base to the top of the defensive wall varies from 28 to 32.5 meters. The mountain's base is round with a diameter of about 350 meters. A flat top of "the Swedish mountain" nearly round and is 55 meters wide east to west. The perimeter of the flat top is surrounded by a powerful defensive wall broken in the south by the entrance.
The archeological study of Volkovysk was begun in 1925 by the director of the Grodno Museum of History-Archeology, Jozef Jodkowski, who was author of several books about history of the area, as well as tourist guides of Grodno and vicinity, popular in the Second Polish Republic
Other local sights include the Roman Catholic church of St. Wenceslas (1846-48, picture) and the Peter Bagration Museum (picture). The more prominent noble families of Vaŭkavysk included the Gołgowski and the Piotrowicz.
