History of the development
Kalinkavichy are fist mentioned in written sources in 1560 as a village in the Mozyr povet. In the 1670s, during the Russo-Polish war, the place was plundered and burned. By 1778 there were 25 buildings in Kalinkovichi and the village was a center of paraffy (parish). As a result of the second partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1793, the territory of the Kalinkovichi district became part of the Russian Empire. Soon after the accession, the Russian authorities transferred the town to the possession of Prince Shakhovsky, and in 1805 it passed to the state treasury. On February 5, 1882 railway station began to operate in Kalinkovichi on the Luninets-Gomel line, thanks to which by 1916 Kalinkavichy became an important transportation hub.
On January 1, 1919 Kalinkavichy became part of BSSR, but on January 16 Kalinkavichy, together with other lands of Eastern Belarus, were transferred to the RSFSR. On July 17, 1924 Kalinkavichy were returned to the BSSR, where they became the center of the district. On July 3, 1925 the settlement received the official status of a city. During the Great Patriotic War from August 12, 1941 to January 14, 1944, the city was under German occupation. With the beginning of the occupation, the local Jews were driven into the ghetto and soon they were shot. During the war, an underground organization «Smugnar» operated in Kalinkovichi. On January 14, 1944 Kalinkavichy were liberated by the troops of K. K. Rokossovsky. On March 7, 1963 Kalinkavichy received the official status of city of regional submission .
Tourism potential
Kalinkavichy by themselves, despite its long history, can not boast of an abundance of historical and architectural landmarks. Most of the monuments are associated with the heroic pages of the Great Patriotic War, among which guests of the city can visit Liberation Monuments for pilots, tank crews, partisans and underground fighters, as well as a memorial Alley of Heroes. In 1961, a unique XVII century monetary treasure was found in Kalinkovichi, which contained one of the largest quantities (among all the treasure found earlier) of solids - coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Of particular interest to tourists and scientists is the Yurovichi village in the Kalinkovichi district. According to the results of archaeological excavations, it was here 24 thousand years ago was located the oldest site of primitive man in Belarus . Another no less interesting attraction Yurovichi is Jesuit College Complex (middle of the XVIII century). The collegium operated until 1820, when it was transferred to the Bernardine Order. After the suppression of the uprising of 1830–31, the monastery and church were closed. On September 8, 1865, the church was consecrated in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. In 1993, the complex was transferred to the Turov diocese as a monastery. Today, the Orthodox monastery owns only the corps of the collegium and a few houses on the territory of the complex. The remaining buildings of the complex need reconstruction.
Every two years in Kalinkovichi and the villages of Great and Small Avtyuki all-Belarusian festival of folk humor «Avtyuki» arde held , where humorists from all over the country, as well as guests from Russia, Ukraine and Moldova compete. The festival program traditionally includes folk humor, concerts, presentations of tourist routes, Avtyuki Olympic Games, concert programs and much more.
The history and culture of the Kalinkovichi region can be learned in Kalinkovichi State Museum of Local History.
