Smolensk

Smolensk, city, west central European Russia, capital of Smolensk Oblast, on the Dnieper River. The city is an important railroad junction and a commercial, manufacturing, and cultural center. Products include processed food, road-building machinery, and textiles. Notable structures in the city include two 12th-century churches and the Cathedral of the Assumption (17th-18th century).

Smolensk was first mentioned about ad865, when it was a commercial center. From the 12th to the 14th century it was the seat of an independent principality. The city was taken by Lithuania in 1408 and was held by Moscow from 1514 to 1611, when it was incorporated into Poland. The Russians regained the city in 1654. Smolensk was badly damaged during World War II, when it was occupied by German forces from 1941 to 1943. Population (2002) 325,500.