Belostok Oblast (; ) was an administrative-territorial unit (''

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

'') of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

with its capital in Belostok (''

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

''). The region today is now mostly part of

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 ...

History

The

was created from former

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n Białystok Department (until 1795 Białystok in Poland), gained in 1807 by Russia in the

Treaties of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit (), also collectively known as the Peace of Tilsit (; ), were two peace treaties signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland, at the end of the War o ...

. The oblast was abolished in 1842 when it was included into

Grodno Governorate Grodno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Grodno. It encompassed in area and consisted of a population of 1,603,409 inhabitants by 1897. Gro ...

Administrative divisions

In the 19th century, some of the oblasts were administrative divisions which had a status roughly equal to that of the guberniyas; i.e., they existed independently from the guberniyas, not as their parts as it used to be the case in the 18th century. In 1808, the

Oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

was divided into four

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

s (districts): * Belostok including the cities of

Choroszcz Choroszcz () is a town in north-eastern Poland, located in Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Choroszcz. The Baroque palace in Choroszcz was the summer residence of the noble Branicki family, and is now part of the Museum of P ...

Goniądz Goniądz (; ) is a town in northeastern Poland, located at the Biebrza river, (pop. 1,915) in Mońki County in Podlaskie Voivodeship. History The town was founded sometime in the 14th century when dense forests covered the area. The first mentio ...

, Gródek, Knyszyn,

Suraż Suraż is a town in north-eastern Poland situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Suraż in the Białystok County. Suraż, which has a long and rich history, and was a royal town in the Kingdom of Poland, currently is one of the smal ...

, Trzcianne and

Zabłudów Zabłudów (; ) is a town in Białystok County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland, seat of Gmina Zabłudów. History The town of Zabłudów was founded in 1553, it was also granted Magdeburg rights, Magdeburg town rights. An annual ...

* Bielsk including the cities of

Bielsk Podlaski Bielsk Podlaski (, , ) is a town in eastern Poland, within Bielsk County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 24,883. Geography Bielsk Podlaski is located in the geographical region of Europe known as ...

Boćki Boćki is a village in Bielsk County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Boćki. It lies approximately south-west of Bielsk Podlaski and south of the regional capita ...

Brańsk Brańsk (Podlachian language: ''Бранськ, Branśk'', , ) is a town in eastern Poland. It is situated within Podlaskie Voivodeship (province). Etymology The name of the town comes from the river Bronka, a nearby tributary of the Nurzec River ...

Kleszczele Kleszczele (, , Podlachian: ''Kliščéli'') is a town in Hajnówka County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland. History Kleszczele was granted town rights by King Sigismund I the Old in 1523. It was a royal town of Poland. Queen conso ...

Narew The Narew (; ; or ) is a 499-kilometre (310 mi) river primarily in north-eastern Poland. It is a tributary of the river Vistula. The Narew is one of Europe's few braided rivers, the term relating to the twisted channels resembling braided h ...

and Orla *

Sokółka Sokółka (; , ) is a town in northeastern Poland, seat of the Sokółka County in Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is a busy rail junction located on the international Warsaw–Białystok–Grodno line, with additional connections which go to Suwałki a ...

including the cities of

Dąbrowa Białostocka Dąbrowa Białostocka is a town in Sokółka County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 5,305. Data for territorial unit 2011014. History Jewish history The Jewish community of D� ...

, Janów,

Korycin Korycin (; ) is a village in Sokółka County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Korycin. It lies approximately west of Sokółka and north of the regional capital B ...

, Kuźnica, Nowy Dwór, Odelsk,

Sidra Sidra may refer to: *Sidra (name) Places *Gulf of Sidra, a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya *Sidra, Libya, a Libyan port *Sidra, Sokółka County, a village in Poland *Gmina Sidra, a Polish administrative di ...

Suchowola Suchowola (; , ''Suchavolja'') is a town in north-eastern Poland in Sokółka County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, located on both banks of the Olszanka River. Its population is 2,196 (2017). History Suchowola was founded in the 16th century and ...

and

Wasilków Wasilków is a town in north-eastern Poland, in Białystok County, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, about north of Białystok, with 12 559 inhabitants (2022). It is a northern suburb of Białystok, situated on the Supraśl River. History The first ...

Drohiczyn Drohiczyn () (, ) is a town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The town has a population of 2,110 and is situated on the bank of the Bug River. Drohiczyn has a long and rich history, as in the past it was one of the most impo ...

including the cities of

Ciechanowiec Ciechanowiec (; )JewishGen Locality Page - Ciechanowiec, Poland
, f ...

Mielnik Mielnik is a village in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in eastern Poland, close to the border with Belarus. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Mielnik. It lies approximately south-east of Siemiatycze ...

, Niemirów and

Siemiatycze Siemiatycze ( ''Siamiatyčy'') is a town in eastern Poland, with 14,391 inhabitants (2019). It is the capital of Siemiatycze County in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. History The history of Siemiatycze dates back to the mid-16th century, when the vil ...

In 1842 the number of districts was reduced to three when Drohiczyn District was merged into Bielsk District.

References

Historical geography of Poland History of Białystok Oblasts of the Russian Empire {{Russia-hist-stub