East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-09-07
CURRENT THINKING
BREST IITOVSK

! The worlds war interest is nov
held by the German Russian cam.
paign and more particularly this in
terest is eentered upon the Russia n
fortress of Brest Litovsk, the point
d'appui on the Bug, one of the
strongest fOruesses in Europe, the
central point in the Muscovites' Fu-
ropean defense and offense, and one
OF the most important depots for. and
distributing points OF. military sup
plies near the western frontiers.
Brest Litovsk, rated by military crit
les as much more important strate-
gic point than Warsaw. around which
the armies of Russia are regrouping
for the defense of the empire. is de-
scribed in geographical sketch is
sued by the National Geographical
Society.
Brest Iitovsk, powerfully forti-
lied Russian stronghold. is one of the
oldest important fortresses in north
ern Europe and its history has been
changefuI and stirring one 1t is
first mentioned ON the occasion of
its capture by Boleslav the Brave Of
Poland in 1920. Next Casimer the
Just of Poland built a tight castle
here, in country where the outposts
of several nations met Princes of
Galicia, VOlhynia, Lithuania, grand
masters of the Teutonic knights, Tar
tar chieftaiRs and kings of Poland
held and stormed the Getty in turns,
and from its fOrtffiCations iravaged !
the region around.
Tartars swept over the place like |
plague in 1241, moving most of
the town into its mnddy river. The |
Teutonie knights devastated its su-
burbs in 1879, and Mengly Ghyrey, |
Kahn of the Crimea, burnt the city /
with conscientious attention to de-
tail. his visitation coming in the lat |
ter part of the fifteenth century Pol |
ish diets were held here. 1t was out
out the deliberations Of council of |
bishops from western Russia, held at
Brest in 1894, that the Uniat rite was
born. The Swedes gave the city its
last thorough piliaging in 1906. At
1he second partition of Poland it was
incorporated in Russia, and patience
ished upon it by the great northern
empire to make it as nearly impreg
nable as possible.
Brest Litovsk is situated at the
junction of the nayigable rivers Bug
and Mukhoyets, and at the point OF
confluence stands the city fortress,
1t lies upon the right bank of the
Bug, here sharply cut, where the riv-
er turns from north to northeast.
Railways from odessa, Kiev, Moscow,
WARSAW, wilma and east Prussia inter-
sect here. Further, it lies upon the
inland waterway from the Baltic to
the Black sea, the course Of which
is connected up by canal behind
Brest. between the upper Mukhovets
river and the Pripet river. Thus, the
city is served by a well-nigh perfect
system Of communications, reaching
to the north, the east, the south and
to points in the interior etween, and
again from Brest toward
the northwest, the west and the
southwest
Brest lies in the government OF
Irodno, 131 miles south Of the city
Of Grodno. It has a population OF
about $4,000, more than half OF
which is Jewish.
The older Notifications lie about
one mile east of Brest and have
Of four miles. The
Held works have been kept up to
late and everything possible has been
lone By Russia to make them uncon-
luerable. Brest Litovsk is regarded
Dy Russia as the most powerful in
iividual stronghold in the empire