Yelsk, Belarus

Yelsk (Belarusian: Ельск, romanized: Jeĺsk; Russian: Ельск; Polish: Jelsk; Lithuanian: Jelskas) is a town in Gomel Region, in southern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Yelsk District.^[1] As of 2025, it has a population of 8,623.^[1] It is located in Polesia.^[2]

Yelsk Ельск
Town
Holy Trinity church
Flag Coat of arms
Yelsk
Coordinates: 51°49′N 29°09′E
Country	Belarus
Region	Gomel Region
District	Yelsk District
Population  (2025)[1]
• Total	8,623
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code	247831, 247872, 247873
Area code	+375 2354
License plate	3

Yelsk was greatly affected by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

History

Early-20th-century photo from Yelsk

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.^[2]

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.^[3]