Kovno Governorate

The government of Kovno (Russian Ковенская губерния / Kowenskaja Gubernija ) was an administrative unit of the Russian Empire. As long as this stock had, it was part of the General Vilna.

It took one by today's standards about the western half of Lithuania, its main part was the scenery Žemaitėjė. In the south, it bordered on East Prussia and in the Russian Empire to the governorate Kurland and Vilnius as well as the Russian-Polish government Suwalki.

It had an area of ​​40,641 km ², capital was Kovno ( Kaunas Lithuanian )

Made it in 1843 by the division of the government of Lithuania -Vilnius, which likewise formed Gouvernement Wilna received for areas to the south and east. Inventory it had until the independence of Lithuania, where it de facto since the German occupation of Western Russia (Upper East) from 1915 no longer existed.

Divided into seven it was Ujesdy (circles):

• Kovno
• Nowoalexandrowsk (now Zarasai )
• Ponewesch ( lit. Panevėžys)
• Rossieny ( lit. Raseiniai )
• Siauliai ( Šiauliai lit. )
• Telschi ( lit. Telšiai )
• Wilkomir (now Ukmergė )

Statistics

According to the census of 1897, the province had 1,544,564 inhabitants. Of these, 574 853 Lithuanians, 444 921 Schmuden, 212 028 Jews, 139 618 Poles, Russians 72 872, 37 798 Belarusians, 35,188 Latvians, 21,762 German, as well as smaller groups of Ukrainians and Tatars.

Agriculture was the main occupation of the population and was on a relatively high level. End of the 19th century, larger projects for the elimination of the income have been made about the drainage of the marshes and to improve the cattle stand. The harvest was 1902 63.0282 tonnes of wheat, 438 300 tonnes of rye, 183 134 tonnes of oats, 109,995 tonnes of barley, 328 730 tonnes of potatoes. In addition, the cultivation of flax was of greater importance, which was favored by the mild, humid climate. The livestock amounted to 500,000 head of cattle, 330,000 horses, 310,000 ( grobwollige ) sheep, 260,000 pigs and 100,000 goats. Many geese were drawn. The mining industry was quite meaningless, yet little developed industry and limited with the exception of Kovno and Siauliai on the processing of agricultural products. They counted 1893 138 factories with 1,500 workers and 8 million rubles production value. The trade extended to cereals, flax and wood.