Vitebsk Gubernia
At the top level of administration, Belarus is divided into six regions and the city of Minsk, which has a special status being the capital of Belarus. Minsk is also the capital of Minsk Region.
At the second level, the regions are divided into raions (“districts”).
The layout and extent of the regions were set in 1960 when Belarus (then Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic) was a part of the Soviet Union. Further information.
- Originally, Vitebsk Gubernia was comprised of 11 districts (uyezds): Drissa, Dvinsk, Gorodok, Lepel, Liutsin, Nevel, Polotsk, Rezhitsa, Sebezh, Velizh, and Vitebsk.
- In 1917, Dvinsk, Rezhitsa and Liutsin uyezds became part of Latvia.
- In 1917, Sebezh, Nevel and parts of Gorodok and Velizh uyezds became part of Russia.
- Parts of Gorodok and Velizh, Drissa, Lepel, Polotsk and Vitebsk became part of Belarus.
Uyezd of the Vitebsk gubernia
| Russian | Lithuanian / Belarusian |
Yiddish | Polish | Towns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drissa Дрисса |
Vyerkhnyadzvinsk / Верхнедвинск |
Drisa | Dryssa | Osveya, Rositsa, Verkhnyadzvinsk (Drissa), Volntsy, Yukhomichi |
| Gorodok Городок |
Haradok | האָראָדאָק Horodok |
Horodek | Haradok, Shumilina |
| Lepel Лепель |
Lyepyel | ליעפּליע Lepel |
Lepel | Beshenkovichi, Bocheykovo, Chashniki, Kamen, Kublichi, Lyepyel', Sloboda, Ulla, Ushachi |
| Orsha | ||||
| Polotsk Полоцк |
Polatsak | פּאָלאָצק Polock |
Polock | Polatsk, Shulyatino, Sirotsina |
| Vitsyebsk Витебск |
Vertebskas | וויטעבסק Witebsk |
Wizebsk | Babinavichy, Beshankovichy, Chashniki, Dubroŭna, Haradok, Kopys, Lepiel, Lukoml, Lyady, Orsha, Polotsk, Syanno, Talachyn, Vitebsk |
Resources for the Vitebsk Gubernia
- Shtetls of Vitebsk Gubernia
- Populated Places in Vitebsk Region
- Article by Alex Friedman
- Guberniya District Maps from the 1899 edition of Vsia Rossiia, by Michael Steinore. Link for Vitebsk Gubernia is at the bottom of this page.
- Jewish population of Vitebsk gubernia according to the 1897 census
- Jewish agricultural colonies in Western Russia, prior to 1904, by Lou Goldman
- Yivo Encyclopedia article on Dvinsk
- Jewish population of Vitebsk uezd according to the 1897 census, by Alex Friedman
- Vitebsk area duma lists, 1906, 1907, and 1912
- Memory Book: Martyrdom of the Jews of Vitebsk, killed in World War II (PDF, 1MB)
