Molodechno Region
However, the nearby city of Maladzyechna (Molodechno) located 20 kilometres (12 mi) away from Vileyka escaped heavy destruction, and as a result, on 20 September 1944, Maladzyechna Region was established. Initially it contained 14 districts. These districts were Astravets, Ashmyany, Volozhin, Ilya, Iwye, Krivichi, Kurenets (Its center was relocated in Vileyka and renamed as Vileyka in 1946), Molodechno, Myadzyel, Pastavy, Radashkovichy, Smarhon, Svir and Yuratishki. However, on 8 January 1954, in course of administrative-territorial reforms of the Byelorussian SSR, the neighbouring Polatsk and Baranavichy voblasts (along with others) were disestablished.
Molodechno Region incorporated 10 raions (Ivyanets from Baranavichy; Braslaw, Vidzy, Hlybokaye, Dzisna, Dokshytsy, Dunilovichi, Miory, Plisa and Sharkawshchyna from Polotsk) from the two regions with its size growing from 14.8 to 24.3 thousand square kilometres. During the same reforms, Iwye raion was passed to Grodno Region. In 1957, Ilya raion was dissolved and was attached to Vileyka. In 1959, the Dzisna and Svir raions were dissolved and were attached to Myadzyel and Miory. The number of raions of the oblast was reduced to 20. However, on 20 January 1960, Maladzyechna Region too was disestablished. Its territory, with 848 thousand people, was divided between the modern Vitebsk (raions of Braslav, Vidzy, Hlybokaye, Dokshytsy, Dunilovichi, Miory, Plisa, Pastavy and Sharkawshchyna), Grodno (raions of Ostrovets, Oshmyany, Smorgon and Yuratishki and Bogdanov village of Volozhin) and Minsk regions (raions of Maladzyechna, Vileyka, Volozhin (except Bogdanov village), Ivyanets, Kryvichi, Myadzyel and Radashkovichy), with the city of Maladzyechna being incorporated into the latter. This turned out to be the last of the administrative division reforms in Belarus, and since then, the borders of the regions remain today.
External links
- Information on WHP (in Russian)