Vilna Governorate
The government Vilnius (in Russian Russian Виленская губерния / Wilenskaja Gubernija ) was an administrative unit of the Russian Empire. It bordered on the Russian -Polish Governorate Suwałki and to the provinces of Kovno, Vitebsk, Minsk and Grodno. It was subordinate to the Governor-General of the northwestern krais, also based in Vilnius ( Vilna and General Government ).
It had an area of about 42,530 km ², capital was Vilnius ( Lithuanian Vilnius).
By today's terms, it took the southeast Lithuania and northwestern border region of Belarus. Made it was from the division of the government of Lithuania -Vilnius 1843, where being the subsequent government of Kovno was separated and Vilnius as compensation received for areas to the south and east. The territory itself came up with the Third Partition of Poland in 1795 to Russia. Formally, it was up to the independence of Lithuania and Poland after the First World War, de facto lost the Russian control of the area as early as 1915.
By 1900, the area was divided into seven Ujesdy (circles):
- Disna ( weißruss. Dsisna ), since 1843
- Lida
- Oschmjany ( weißruss. Aschmjany )
- Swenzjany ( lit. Švenčioniai )
- Troki ( lit. Trakai )
- Wilejka, since 1843
- Vilnius
Statistics
According to the census of 1897, the province had 1,591,207 inhabitants. Of these, 891 903 Belarusians, Lithuanians, 279 720, 202 374 Jews, 130 054 Poland, 78 623 Russians, as well as smaller groups of Germans and Tatars.
Main occupation of the population was agriculture, further garden and meadow culture. The harvest yielded 1905 tons: 293 872 rye, barley, 51 053, 126 805 oats, potatoes 772 883. With flax 1904 28.226 hectares were ordered, which provided 7.5 million kg of flax fibers. In cattle there were 1904 240.000 horses, 700,000 cattle, 505,000 ( grobwollige ) 520 009 sheep and pigs. Beekeeping was declined sharply in 1900. The industry had little significance, there were 1900 1759 commercial establishments with 14,010 workers and 18.4 million rubles production value. The focus was on leather industry, distillery and brewery, paper, tobacco and Hufnägelfabrikation.