Vileyka Region (; ) was a territorial entity in the

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 19 ...

created on 4 December 1939 out of the eastern powiats of the Wilno Voivodeship after the

Soviet annexation of Western Belorussia On the basis of a secret clause of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union invaded Poland on September 17, 1939, capturing the eastern provinces of the Second Polish Republic. The eastern provinces of interwar Poland were inhabited by an ...

of (then part of the Kresy Zachodnie region in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

) into the Byelorussian SSR on 14 November 1939. The administrative centre of the region was the city of

Vileyka Vileyka or Vilyeyka is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vileyka District. It is located on the Viliya River, northwest of Minsk. The first historical record dates from 16 November 1460. As of 2025, the ...

. Initially the region consisted of

Ashmyany Ashmyany or Oshmyany is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus. It is located from Vilnius in Lithuania, and serves as the administrative center of Ashmyany District. The river Ashmyanka passes through the city. As of 2025, it has a population of 16 ...

Braslaw Braslaw or Braslav (; ; Lithuanian: Breslauja; Polish: Brasław) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Braslaw District. As of 2025, it has a population of 9,338. History The town was first mention ...

Dzisna Dzisna (; ; ) is a town in Miory District, Vitebsk Region, in northern Belarus. It is located on the left bank of the Daugava River, near the confluence of the Dysna. Dzisna is located northwest of Vitebsk. In 2017, its population was 1,500. ...

, Pastavy, and Sventiany districts. In January 1940, it consisted of 22 districts:

Astravyets Astravyets or Ostrovets is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Astravyets District. As of 2025, it has a population of 15,265. History Within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Astravyets was part of Vilnius V ...

, Ashmyany, Braslaw, Vidzy, Gadutsishki,

Hlybokaye Hlybokaye or Glubokoye (; ; ; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Hlybokaye District. As of 2024, it has a population of 17,746. The town is located on the international road from Polotsk to Vilniu ...

, Dzisna,

Dokshytsy Dokshytsy (; ; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Dokshytsy District. It is located approximately southwest of Vitebsk and one kilometer from the source of the Berezina, Berezina River. Its popula ...

, Dunilavichy,

Ilya Ilya, Iliya, Ilia, Ilja, Ilija, or Illia ( , or ; ; ) is the East Slavic form of the male Hebrew name Eliyahu (Eliahu), meaning "My God is Yahu/ Jah." It comes from the Byzantine Greek pronunciation of the vocative (Ilía) of the Greek Eli ...

Kryvichy Kryvichy (; ) may refer to the following places in Belarus: * Kryvichy, Brest Region, a village in Pinsk District, Brest Region * Kryvichy, Iwye District, a village in Iwye District, Grodno Region * Kryvichy, Lida District, a village in Lida Dist ...

, Kuraniets,

Maladzyechna Maladzyechna, or Molodechno, is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Maladzyechna District (and formerly of Molodechno Region from 1944 to 1960). Maladzyechna is located northwest of Minsk. In 2006, it had ...

, Miory,

Miadzieł Myadzyel or Myadel is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Myadzyel District. Myadzyel is located on the eastern shore of Lake Miastra, part of the Narach lake group in Narachanski National Park. As of 2 ...

, Pastavy, Plisa, Radashkovichy,

Smarhon Smarhon, or Smorgon, is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Smarhon District. It was the site of Smarhon air base, now mostly abandoned. Smarhon is located from the capital, Minsk. As of 2025, it has a p ...

, Sventiany,

Svir The Svir (; ; Karelian language, Karelian and Finnish language, Finnish: ) is a river in Podporozhsky District, Podporozhsky, Lodeynopolsky District, Lodeynopolsky, and Volkhovsky District, Volkhovsky districts in the north-east of Leningrad O ...

and

Sharkawshchyna Sharkawshchyna or Sharkovshchina is an urban-type settlement in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is located north of the capital Minsk, and serves as the administrative center of Sharkawshchyna District. As of 2025, it has a population of 5,945. Hi ...

. In November 1940, the Gadutsishki and Sventiany districts, as well as parts of the Astravyets, Ashmyany, Pastavy and Svir districts were transferred to the

Lithuanian SSR The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; ; ), also known as Soviet Lithuania or simply Lithuania, was '' de facto'' one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union between 1940–1941 and 1944–1990. After 1946, its terr ...

. Also, during the German occupation between 1941 and 1944, Ashmyany District was part of Wilna Land General Bezirk at Litauen and was part of General Bezirk Weissruthenien in

Reichskommissariat Ostland The (RKO; ) was an Administrative division, administrative entity of the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories of Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1945. It served as the German Civil authority, civilian occupation regime in Lithuania, La ...

. On 20 September 1944, the oblast was renamed to Molodechno Region, and the administrative centre was relocated to

. On the same day, Vidzy, Hlybokaye, Dzisna, Dokshitsi, Dunilovichi, Miory, Plisa, and Sharkovshchina Districts, as well as Kuropolye village in Postavy District were transferred to Polatsk Voblast, and the

Iwye Iwye is a town in Grodno region, Belarus. It is the administrative center of Iwye district. , Iwye has a population of 6,906. Iwye was historically a multicultural settlement with a Jewish majority, but nearly all of the town's Jews were kille ...

Valozhyn Valozhyn or Volozhin (, ; ; ; ; ) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Valozhyn District. It is located northwest of the capital Minsk, on the Valozhynka River in the Neman, Neman River basin, and the begi ...

, and Yuratsishky districts of

Baranavichy Region Baranavichy Region, Baranavichy Voblasts, or Baranovichi Oblast (; ) was a regions of Belarus, region (oblast, voblasts) of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Byelorussian SSR created after the annexation of Western Belorussia into the ...

were transferred to Molodechno. Vileyka, the former regional centre, was part of Kuraniets District and became a district centre after the district was renamed Vileyka on 5 July 1946.

External links

Administrative division of Belarus: a historical information
* * * * * Former subdivisions of Belarus Soviet occupation of Eastern Poland 1939–1941 {{Belarus-geo-stub