Dukhovshchina, Smolensk Oblast

Dukhovshchina is a town and the administrative center of Dukhovshchinsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vostitsa River northeast of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population:

Dukhovshchina developed on the spot of the Dukhov Monastery, established at some point in the 15th century. It was granted town status in 1777. It was captured by Napoleon's Grande Armée during the 1812 Battle of Smolensk and was occupied during World War II by the Wehrmacht from July 15, 1941 to September 19, 1943.