{
  "place_id": "verkhnodvinsk#8098_11551",
  "wikidata": "Q954610",
  "country": "BY",
  "local_name": "Верхнядзвінск",
  "forms": [],
  "names": {
    "en": {
      "main": "Verkhnyadzvinsk",
      "why": "Belarusian-based English reference spelling; Russian-based forms and dated national-system spellings are distinguished below.",
      "alternatives": [
        {
          "name": "Verkhnedvinsk",
          "why": "Russian-based English name from Верхнедвинск."
        },
        {
          "name": "Vierchniadzvinsk",
          "why": "Belarusian national geographical romanization (2007), recommended by the UN in 2012; dated system form, not a claim that Belarus retained these domestic rules after 2023."
        },
        {
          "name": "Drysa",
          "why": "Former Belarusian name, replaced by Verkhnyadzvinsk in 1962."
        },
        {
          "name": "Drissa",
          "why": "Russian form of the former name, familiar in English accounts of the 1812 campaign."
        },
        {
          "name": "Dryssa",
          "why": "Polish historical spelling of the former name."
        },
        {
          "name": "Vyerkhnyadzvinsk",
          "why": "Belarusian-based BGN/PCGN (1979) form and current English reference heading, with ye for е; selected main is a shorter widely indexed variant."
        },
        {
          "name": "Verkhniadzvinsk",
          "why": "French reference spelling for matching French titles cited in English; not a claimed common English exonym."
        },
        {
          "name": "Верхнядзвінск",
          "why": "Original Belarusian spelling for matching local sources quoted in English."
        }
      ]
    },
    "fr": {
      "main": "Verkhniadzvinsk",
      "why": "French reference spelling uses kh and ia; former Drissa remains relevant in French accounts of the 1812 campaign.",
      "alternatives": [
        {
          "name": "Drissa",
          "why": "Former name retained in French Napoleonic histories; replaced by Verkhniadzvinsk in 1962."
        },
        {
          "name": "Verkhnedvinsk",
          "why": "Russian-based alternative explicitly given in the French locality reference; retained for older French-source matching."
        },
        {
          "name": "Verkhnyadzvinsk",
          "why": "English international spelling for matching sources quoted in French; independent French prose frequency is unverified."
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "about_en": "Verkhnyadzvinsk is a town on the Western Dvina River in northern Belarus. Formerly called Drysa, it stands near the mouth of the Drysa River.",
  "about_fr": "",
  "certainty": "medium",
  "notes": "Drysa/Drissa renamed Verkhnyadzvinsk in 1962. French Drissa remains important for Napoleonic history; the earlier fortified camp was associated with the town but was not the entire municipality. Belarusian 2007/UN 2012 labels are dated; domestic rules changed in 2023. Sources checked 2026-11-15: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyerkhnyadzvinsk ; https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verkhniadzvinsk ; https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Верхньодвінськ ; https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/Верхнядзвінск.",
  "rank": 1387,
  "slug": "verkhnyadzvinsk"
}