Belastok Voblast
Encyclopedia
Belastok Voblast or Belostok Oblast was a territorial unit in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR) from September 1939 to August 1945.
The Voblast consisted of 24 raion
s: Augustow , Bialystok , Belsky , Bryansk , Volkovysk , Grodno , Grajewo , Dombrowski , Zabludavski , Zambravski , Kolnavski , Krynkovsky , Lapski , Lomzhinsky , Monkavski (in the same year was renamed to Knyshynski), Porechsky ( in the same year transferred to the Lithuanian SSR ), Sakolkavski , Sapotskinsky , Skidelsky , Svislochsky , Snyadovski , Tsehanovetsky , Chyzhavski and Yadvabnavski .
and annexation
of West Belarus
into BSSR in November 1939.
in June 1941 this western portion of then-Belarus, which until 1939 belonged to the Polish state
was placed under German Civil Administration (Zivilverwaltungsgebiet). As Bezirk Bialystok
, the area was under German rule from 1941 to 1944/45, without ever formally being incorporated into the German Reich.
in September 1944, the territory was administered by the BSSR, but according to the Border Agreement between Poland and the USSR of 16 August 1945
, 17 raions, together with 3 raions of the Brest Voblast
were passed on to the Białystok Voivodeship of Poland. The remaining raions were annexed into the Hrodna Voblast
of the BSSR.
Administrative units
The administrative center of the voblast was the city of Belastok .The Voblast consisted of 24 raion
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
s: Augustow , Bialystok , Belsky , Bryansk , Volkovysk , Grodno , Grajewo , Dombrowski , Zabludavski , Zambravski , Kolnavski , Krynkovsky , Lapski , Lomzhinsky , Monkavski (in the same year was renamed to Knyshynski), Porechsky ( in the same year transferred to the Lithuanian SSR ), Sakolkavski , Sapotskinsky , Skidelsky , Svislochsky , Snyadovski , Tsehanovetsky , Chyzhavski and Yadvabnavski .
History
1939-1941
Belastok Voblast was created after the Soviet invasion of PolandSoviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
and annexation
Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
Immediately after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, which marked the beginning of World War II, the Soviet Union invaded the eastern regions of the Second Polish Republic, which Poles referred to as the "Kresy," and annexed territories totaling 201,015 km² with a population of 13,299,000...
of West Belarus
West Belarus
West Belarus is the name used in reference to the territory of modern Belarus which belonged to the Second Polish Republic between 1919 and 1939. The area of West Belarus was annexed into the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic following staged elections soon after the Nazi-Soviet Invasion of...
into BSSR in November 1939.
1941-1944
In the aftermath of the German attack on the Soviet UnionOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in June 1941 this western portion of then-Belarus, which until 1939 belonged to the Polish state
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
was placed under German Civil Administration (Zivilverwaltungsgebiet). As Bezirk Bialystok
Bezirk Bialystok
The Bezirk Bialystok , also Belostok was an administrative unit that existed during the World War II occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany...
, the area was under German rule from 1941 to 1944/45, without ever formally being incorporated into the German Reich.
1944-1945
After the Soviet liberation of the whole territory of BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
in September 1944, the territory was administered by the BSSR, but according to the Border Agreement between Poland and the USSR of 16 August 1945
Border Agreement between Poland and the USSR of 16 August 1945
The Border Agreement between Poland and the USSR of 16 August 1945 refers to the ratification of borders between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Republic of Poland signed by the Provisional Government of National Unity formed by the Polish communists...
, 17 raions, together with 3 raions of the Brest Voblast
Brest Voblast
Brest Voblast or Brest Oblast is a province of Belarus with its administrative center being Brest.Important cities within the voblast' include: Baranovichi, Brest, and Pinsk.-Geography:...
were passed on to the Białystok Voivodeship of Poland. The remaining raions were annexed into the Hrodna Voblast
Hrodna Voblast
Hrodna Voblast or Grodno Oblast is a voblast in northwestern Belarus.The capital - Grodno is the biggest city of the province. It lies on the Neman River. Grodno's existence is attested to from 1127. Two castles dating from the 14th - 18th centuries are located here on the steep right bank of...
of the BSSR.