History

In the mid 19th century the modern regional center was not anything but a marsh tract where the locals used to make tar in a special place called “budka”. That is how the name “Buda” has originated. Koshelevo was the village housing the volost administration. By 1861 the village Buda was a part of Koshelevo volost, Rogachev uezd.

Buda-Koshelevo was first mentioned in the mid 19th century as the village of state peasants. The construction of Libava-Romensk railway in 1873 boosted the development of the timber, woodworking and weaving industries. Yet, farming remained the main engagement of local residents. At that time there were 95 of them in the village. By 1897 the population of the village increased up to 517 residents.

Beautiful oak-woods around Buda-Koshelevo were well known in Western Europe. The specimens of Buda-Koshelevo oaks were showcased at the world exhibitions in Paris. The woods that were in state property were sold almost for nothing to German industrialists.

The first school in Buda-Koshelevo was built in the 1890s.

The first hospital appeared in 1914.

A parochial school opened in 1910.

After the revolution in 1917 the Buda-Koshelevo region joined the RSFSR first and in 1924 – BSSR.

On August 14, 1941 the region was occupied by the Nazis. At that time there were underground movement groups led by E. Lavrinovich, N. Stefanovich, A. Bajkov. By 1943 the partisan movement became large-scale involving more and more people. The 1st Gomel, Buda-Koshelevo and Uvarovichi partisan brigades were engaged in combat actions in the region.

Over 11 thousand residents of the region were involved in the underground and partisan movements. The title of the Hero of the Soviet Union was awarded to the commander of the subversive platoon E. Lavrinovich, komsomol member- partisan A. Isachenko, Red Army soldiers A. Ponomarev and A. Kravtsov. The pilot P. Golovachev was awarded the title twice.

The region was liberated on November 27, 1943 during the Gomel-Rechitsa offensive by the Belarusian frontline forces under command of Konstantin Rokossovskiy.