Kalinkavichy

Kalinkavičy (, , ) is a town in the Gomel Region of south-eastern Belarus. Kalinkavičy is located beside the Pripyat River, opposite the town of Mazyr, and is the site of one of country's most important railway junctions. It has a population of 37,876 (2004 estimate). It has suffered radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster.
History.
Archaeological excavations have found traces of human settlement dating back to 26,000-24,000 years ago, the oldest yet discovered in Belarus.
The earliest historical mention of the town of Kalinkavičy dates to 1560. The town grew to prominence at the end of the nineteenth century with the coming of the railways.
Before the war a significant part of the population was Jewish, 3,386 out of 9,799 were Jews. The city was occupied by German forces in late August 1941, but before their arrival, a part of the Jewish population managed to evacuate the city by train.
On September 20, 1941, all the Jews were shot by the local policemen and German gendarmes in a trench.
Food processing (esp. pork products) is the largest industry. The extraction of peat (5.5 million tonnes of reserves) is also economically important.
Overview.
The mean January temperature is ; July . Precipitation totals per annum.
Kalinkavičy is also known for the annual Avtyuki comedy festival, held every June.
In 1998, the town was united with the surrounding rural area to form a single administrative unit, Kalinkavičy Rajon, covering , with a total population of 71,500.
Notable Figures born in Kalinkavičy.
One of the most notable figures born in Kalinkavicy was Solomon Simon (1895–1970), a well-known Yiddish author who emigrated to New York City in 1913. His autobiography, "My Jewish Roots," describes his early childhood years in Kalinkavicy (Kalinkovich). Katherine Locke, a stage and supporting screen actress of the 1930s and 40s was also born in Kalinkavicy, prior to emigrating to the United States.