Obal (urban-type settlement)

Obal or Obol (Обаль; Оболь) is an urban-type settlement in Shumilina District, Vitebsk Region, Belarus. In 2023, it had a population of 2,139.

History
Obal was known since the 16th century as a village of the Połock Voivodeship, in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. in 1772, following the Partitions of Poland, it became part of the Russian Empire.

In 1866, the construction of the Riga-Oryol railway contributed to its growth. During the Second World War, German troops occupied the village from August 1941 to June 26, 1944. In 1968, the status of Obol was raised from village to urban-type settlement.

Geography
Located in the center of Vitebsk Region, Obal lies between Vitebsk (64 km southeast) and Polotsk (36 km northwest), and is crossed by the Obal River. It is located 21 km from Shumilina, 45 km from Novopolotsk and 228 km from Minsk. The town is served by the P20 highway and by the Smolensk-Vitebsk-Daugavpils-Riga railway.

Notable people

 * Zinaida Portnova (1926–1944), Russian partisan, Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1942 she joined the Belarusian resistance movement, becoming a member of the local underground Komsomol organization in Obal.

Twin towns

 * 🇸🇪 Ödeshög (Ödeshög Municipality, Sweden)