Polotsk in the early 20th century

At the beginning of the 20th century,Polotsk continued to develop as a district center of Vitebsk province.In 1904, there were about 24 thousand people; more than half of the population was Jewish.The industrial production of the city was mostly of small-commodity character. As of 1904, there were 288 craft workshops in Polotsk, more than 1,000 artisans, and 8 factories with 55workers.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 3 Orthodox Monasteries and 9 Churches, a Roman Catholic Church, an Old Believer Church, a Lutheran Church, and more than 20 Synagogues. There were 23 educational institutions, the largest of which were the Cadet Corps, the Teacher's Seminary and the Women's Gymnasium.