Editing Minsk (section)

=== Russian rule ===
[[File:Staražoŭka, carkva. Старажоўка, царква (2019).jpg|alt=|left|thumb|Orthodox church of St. Mary Magdalene (built in 1847)]]
Minsk was annexed by Russia in 1793 as a consequence of the [[Second Partition of Poland]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=(RU) История |language=en-US |url=http://minsktourism.by/en/istoriya |access-date=31 May 2019 |archive-date=7 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907005434/http://minsktourism.by/en/istoriya |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Минск — Столица Белоруссии |url=https://geographyofrussia.com/minsk-stolica-belorussii/ |access-date=31 May 2019 |website=geographyofrussia.com |date=17 March 2010 |archive-date=28 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928005459/https://geographyofrussia.com/minsk-stolica-belorussii/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1796, it became the centre of the [[Minsk Governorate]]. All of the initial [[street or road name|street names]] were replaced by Russian names, though the spelling of the city's name remained unchanged. It was briefly occupied by the [[Grande Armée]] during [[French invasion of Russia]] in 1812.<ref>{{cite web |date=26 December 2012 |script-title=ru:Какие следы оставили войска Наполеона на территории современной Беларуси? |url=https://news.tut.by/society/322931.html |access-date=31 May 2019 |website=TUT.BY |language=ru |archive-date=14 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814232748/https://news.tut.by/society/322931.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Throughout the 19th century, the city continued to grow and significantly improve. In the 1830s, major streets and squares of Minsk were cobbled and paved. A first public library was opened in 1836, and a fire brigade was put into operation in 1837. In 1838, the first local newspaper, ''Minskiye gubernskiye vedomosti'' ("Minsk province news") went into circulation. The first theatre was established in 1844. By 1860, Minsk was an important trading city with a population of 27,000. There was a construction boom that led to the building of two- and three-story brick and stone houses in ''Upper Town''.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=darriuss |date=25 September 2015 |title=Было — стало: Минск вековой давности и сейчас – Недвижимость Onliner |url=https://realt.onliner.by/2015/09/25/revolution |access-date=31 May 2019 |website=Onliner |language=ru |archive-date=4 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704150656/https://realt.onliner.by/2015/09/25/revolution |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=История |url=https://minsk-starazhytny.by/history |access-date=31 May 2019 |website=minsk-starazhytny.by |archive-date=7 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607072824/https://minsk-starazhytny.by/history |url-status=live }}</ref>

Minsk's development was boosted by improvements in transportation. In 1846, the Moscow-[[Warsaw]] road was laid through Minsk. In 1871, a railway link between Moscow and Warsaw ran via Minsk, and in 1873, a new [[Libau–Romny Railway|railway from Romny in Ukraine to the Baltic Sea port of Libava]] ([[Liepāja]]) was also constructed. Thus Minsk became an important rail junction and a manufacturing hub. A [[water supply network|municipal water supply]] was introduced in 1872, the telephone in 1890, the horse tram in 1892, and the first power generator in 1894. By 1900, Minsk had 58 factories employing 3,000 workers. The city also boasted theatres, cinemas, newspapers, schools and colleges, as well as numerous monasteries, churches, synagogues, and a mosque. According to the 1897 [[Russian Empire Census|Russian census]], the city had 91,494 inhabitants, with some 47,561 Jews constituting more than half of the city population.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |last=darriuss |date=9 August 2017 |title=Было — стало: Минск, который мы, к счастью, потеряли – Недвижимость Onliner |url=https://realt.onliner.by/2017/08/09/vyoska |access-date=31 May 2019 |website=Onliner |language=ru |archive-date=31 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531142837/https://realt.onliner.by/2017/08/09/vyoska |url-status=live }}</ref>