Grodno Governorate

Overview

Grodno, a western province or governorate of the former Russian Empire, currently located in Belarus, was situated between about 52° to 54° N latitude and 21° to 24° E longitude, and bounded N by Vilna E by Minsk S by Volhynia and W by the former kingdom of Poland. Its land size was 14,961 sqmi. The province was a wide plain in parts, very swampy and covered with large pine tree forests. Of these, that of Białowieża in the district of comprising a circuit of over 100 mi deserves notice. There, bisons were preserved. The navigable rivers are Niemen, Bug, Narev, and Bobra, the most important of those being the Bug. The soil is chiefly alluvial intermixed with sand waws, which was favorable for agriculture anil, rearing of cattle and bees. The atmosphere was damp, misty and the climate in winter was cold. Large quantities of rye, barley, oats, hops, hemp and flax were raised but the amount of fruit and vegetables grown was small. The products produced in the region were insignificant, but included woolen cloths, hats, leather, paper and spirits. There also a good export trade in grain, wool, cattle. Some forty fairs were held annually in the province.

It was divided into nine districts:

• Grodno,
• Brest,
• Bielsk,
• Volkovysk,
• Kobryn,
• Prushana,
• Slonim
• Belostok.

The administration of the whole province was in the governor appointed by the crown. In 1870 the population was 1,008,521 comprising Lithuanians, Poles, Belarusians, Tartars, and a few German colonists. Grodno's capital was Grodno, on the right bank of the Niemen, and was connected by railway with Moscow and Warsaw. It contained eight Roman Catholic, one Eastern and two United Greek Catholic churches, a chapel, and two Jewish synagogues. There were two fine erected respectively by Stephen Batory who died here 1586 and Augustus III (kings of Poland). Among other buildings were a public library, a school of a gymnasium, and several seminaries. The 24,789 were engaged in the manufacture of woolen hats, paper, and the preparation of wax. Three fairs were held annually.

Grodno was built in the 12th century until 1795 belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The diet held there in 1793 ratified the partition of Poland. Two years later Stanislaus, the last king, signed his abdication there.

Administrative divisions

The seat was in Grodno. It divided into 9 Uyezds:

• Grodnensky Uyezd ()
• Belostoksky Uyezd ()
• Belsky Uyezd ()
• Brestsky Uyezd ()
• Kobrinsky Uyezd ()
• Pruzhansky Uyezd ()
• Sokolsky Uyezd ()
• Slonimsky Uyezd ()
• Volkovyssky Uyezd ()

History

Slonim Governorate (1795–1796)

The governorate was formed in 1796, in the aftermath of the final partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and originally known as Slonim Governorate, but that only existed until December 12, 1796, when Paul I merged it with Vilna Governorate to form Lithuania Governorate.

The Slonim Governorate had 8 provinces:

• Brest ()
• Volkovysskij ()
• Grodno ()
• Kobrin ()
• Lida ()
• Novogrudok ()
• Pruzhany ()
• Slonimsky ()

Lithuania Governorate (1796–1801)

Main article: Lithuania Governorate

Just a year later, on December 12, 1796, by order of Tsar Paul I they were merged into one governorate, called the Lithuanian Governorate, with its capital in Vilnius.

Lithuania-Grodno Governorate (1801–1840)

After Paul's death, by order of Tsar Alexander I on September 9, 1801, the Lithuanian Governorate was split into the Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate and the Lithuania-Grodno Governorate. The Lithuania-Grodno Governorate was restored within the borders of 1796 Slonim Governorate.

The Lithuania-Grodno Governorate had 8 provinces:

• Brest ()
• Volkovysskij ()
• Grodno ()
• Kobrin ()
• Lida ()
• Novogrudok ()
• Pruzhany ()
• Slonimsky ()
• Sokolka Province ()

Grodno Governorate (1840–1870)

In 1840 the word "Lithuania" was dropped from the name by Nicholas I.

In 1843, another administrative reform took place. The Vilnius Governorate received the Lida district from the Grodno Governorate and the Belostok Oblast was incorporated into it as the districts of Belostok, Belsk and Sokolka. Also, Novogrudok one to Minsk Governorate

The Grodno Governorate had 9 provinces:

• Brest ()
• Volkovysskij ()
• Grodno ()
• Kobrin ()
• Pruzhany ()
• Slonimsky ()
• Belostok Province ()
• Belsk Province ()
• Sokolka Province ()

World War I and after

Bialystok-Grodno District (1915–1917)

Main article: Bialystok-Grodno District

The Grodno Governorate was occupied by the German Empire in 1915 during the Battle of Vilnius in World War I. It was known as the Bialystok-Grodno District of Ober Ost until February 1, 1918, when it was integrated into the Lithuania District as its southern part. From then, until November 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Lithuania.

After 1918

On December 1–2, 1918, a congress in Grodno, consisting of several hundred delegates from the whole of the Grodno Governorate (including Białystok, Sokółka, Brest Litovsk, Slonim, Vawkavysk, Bielsk, Pruzhany etc.) voted to join Lithuania. The delegates declared that all authority should rest with the region's inhabitants. Given Grodno Governorate's historical and economic ties to Lithuania, they resolved to annex the Grodno Region to Lithuania while granting it autonomy rights. The congress participants assigned the implementation of this decision to the elected executive body – the Grodno Region's Belarusian Board.

After the Treaty of Riga on 18 March 1921, which ended the Polish–Soviet War, the governorate became the voivodeships of Białystok, Nowogródek and Polesie of the Second Polish Republic.

Governors

• General Maurice de Lacy of Grodno (died 1820)
• Mikhail Muravyov (1830–1831)

Notes

References

Sources

References

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