Vilensky Uezd

The Vilna uezd^[a] was a county (uezd) of the Vilna Governorate of the Russian Empire, with the administrative centre in Vilna (which is in modern-day Vilnius). The uezd was bordered by the Sventsyany uezd to the east, the Oshmyany and Lida uezds to the south, the Troki uezd to the west, and the Vilkomir uezd of the Kovno Governorate to the north. The district covered the area of modern Vilnius County of Lithuania.

Vilna uezd Виленскій уѣздъ
Uezd
Coat of arms
Location in the Vilna Governorate
Country	Russian Empire
Krai	Northwestern
Governorate	Vilna
Established	1795
Abolished	1920
Capital	Vilna
Area
• Total	6,185.14 km2 (2,388.10 sq mi)
Population  (1897)
• Total	363,313
• Density	59/km2 (150/sq mi)
• Urban	42.53%
• Rural	57.47%

History

A part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Vilnius Voivodeship was annexed by the Russian Empire as a part of the Partitions of Poland. In 1796, the Lithuania Governorate was established, which included the Vilna uezd, and later became a part of the Litva-Vilna Governorate.

The Russian rule on Vilnius land came to an end ephemerally in 1915 when Imperial Germany established the Supreme Commander of All German Forces in the East, also known as Ober-Ost, followed by the Kingdom of Lithuania. After the Polish occupation, the Soviet authorities formally abolished it in 1924.

Administrative divisions

The subcounties (volosts) of the Vilna uezd in 1912 were as follows:^[1]

Name	Name in Russian	Capital
Bystritsa volost [be; lt]	Быстрицкая волость	Bystritsa [be; lt; pl; ru]
Vornyany volost [be; lt]	Ворнянская волость	Vornyany [be; lt; pl; ru]
Gedroytsy volost [lt]	Гедройцкая волость	Gedroytsy
Gelvany volost [lt]	Гелванская волость	Gelvany
Ilyino volost [lt]	Ильинская волость	Ilyino [lt; pl]
Malyaty volost [lt]	Малятская волость	Malyaty
Meyshagola volost [lt]	Мейшагольская волость	Meyshagola
Mitskuny volost [lt]	Мицкунская волость	Mitskuny
Musniki volost [lt]	Мусникская волость	Musniki
Nemenchin volost [lt]	Неменчинская волость	Nemenchin
Podberezye volost [lt]	Подберезская волость	Podberezye
Rudomino volost [lt]	Рудоминская волость	Rudomino
Rukoyni volost [lt]	Рукойнская волость	Rukoyni
Resha volost [lt]	Рѣшанская волость	Resha
Solechniki volost [lt]	Солечникская волость	Malye Solechniki [be; lt; pl]
Shirvinty volost [lt]	Ширвинтская волость	Shirvinty
Shumsk volost [lt]	Шумская волость	Shumsk
Yanishki volost [lt]	Янишская волость	Yanishki

Demographics

Russian Empire Census

At the time of the Russian Empire Census on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, the Vilna uezd had a population of 363,313 (with the city of Vilnius included), including 183,598 men and 179,915 women. The majority of the population indicated White Russian to be their mother tongue, which followed by Jewish, Lithuanian, and Polish speakers.^[2]

Linguistic composition of the Vilna uezd in 1897^[2]

Language	Native speakers	Percentage
Belarusian[b]	93,896	25.84
Jewish	77,224	21.26
Lithuanian	76,030	20.93
Polish	73,088	20.12
Great Russian[b]	37,906	10.43
German	2,844	0.78
Tatar	771	0.21
Little Russian[b]	557	0.15
Latvian	211	0.06
Gypsy	15	0.00
Others	771	0.21
Total	363,313	100.00

Notes

1. • Russian: Ви́ленскій уѣ́здъ, romanized: Vílenskiy uyézd
   • Lithuanian: Vilniaus apskritis
2. Prior to 1918, the Imperial Russian Government classified Russians as the Great Russians, Ukrainians as the Little Russians, and Belarusians as the White Russians. After the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1918, the Little Russians identified themselves as "Ukrainian".^[3] Also, the Belarusian Democratic Republic which the White Russians identified themselves as "Belarusian".^[4]