Berestechko


Berestechko is a town in Horokhiv Raion, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine.
It is located on the Styr River.

History

Berestechko received Magdeburg rights in 1547.
In 1651 the Battle of Berestechko took place near the settlement.
From 1795 until the Russian Revolution of 1917, Berestechko was part of Volhynian Governorate of the Russian Empire; from 1921 to 1939 it was part of Poland.
In September 1939 it became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, town since January 1940.
The Germans occupied Berestechko from 1941 to April 1944, during which they executed Jews from the town. A witness to the execution in the town stated, "The Jews dug their own pits, accompanied by ten requisitioned Ukrainians. People climbed on trees to watch the execution In spite of the ban. The Germans shot them so that they fell down into the pit."
A monastery once located near Berestechko was razed by the Soviet army.