Belz

Belz (Ukrainian: Белз, Pols: Bełz, Yiddish/Ebreu: בעלז translit. Belz), a smaw ceety in the Lviv Oblast (province) o Wastren Ukraine, near the border wi Poland, is locatit atween the Solokiya river (a tributar o the Bug River) an the Rzeczyca stream. The current estimatit population is 2408 (as o 2004), makkin it the smawest ceety in Ukraine. Oreegin o name Thare are a few theories as tae the oreegin o the name: Celtic leid − 'belz' (watter) or 'pelz' (stream), German leid − 'Pelz'/'Belz' (fur, furry) Auld Slavic leid an the Boyko leid − «белз» or «бевз» (muddy place), Auld East Slavic − «бълизь» (white place, a glade in the midst o daurk woods). The name occurs anerly in twa ither places, baith Celtic auries in antiquity: 'Belz' (depairtment Morbihan), Breetany, Fraunce 'Bălţi' (Бельцы/Beljcy, kent in Yiddish as 'Beltz' an aw), Moldovae (Bessarabie) References Freemit airtins (in Pols) Bełz Archived 2012-10-26 at the Wayback Machine (Belz) in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1880) Google location Blog for people who are researching ancestors in Belz