Vileyka

Vileyka
Вілейка (Belarusian)
Вилейка (Russian)
Town
Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Flag of Vileyka
Flag
Coat of arms of Vileyka
Coat of arms
Vileyka is located in Belarus
Vileyka
Vileyka
Coordinates: 54°29′50″N 26°54′40″E / 54.49722°N 26.91111°E / 54.49722; 26.91111
CountryBelarus
RegionMinsk Region
DistrictVileyka District
Elevation
183 m (600 ft)
Population
 (2024)[1]
 • Total
26,625
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK)
Postal code
222410
Area code+375 1771
License plate5
WebsiteOfficial website

Vileyka or Vilyeyka (Belarusian: Вілейка, romanized: Viliejka,[a] [vʲiˈlʲɛjka]; Russian: Вилейка; Lithuanian: Vileika, Polish: Wilejka) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus.[1] It serves as the administrative center of Vileyka District.[1] It is located on the Viliya River, 100 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Minsk. The first historical record dates from 16 November 1460. As of 2024, the town has a population of 26,625.[1]

The Vileyka VLF transmitter operated by the Russian Navy is located near Vileyka. It provides VLF communication between Russian Navy's headquarters and atomic submarines in the Atlantic, Indian and parts of the Pacific Ocean.

History

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In the 10th–13th centuries, the territory was under the Principality of Polotsk, and in XIV–XVII under Grand Duchy of Lithuania as manor house Kurenets. The city was first mentioned in 1460 as a borough center of the Vileyka Starostwo of the Ashmyany county in Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Wilejka in the 1920s

Geography

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The modern city is located on the right bank of the river Viliya, in the northwest part of the Minsk region, 100 kilometers from Minsk. The town's population numbers 30,000 people. There is a railway station of the Maladzyechna–Polotsk line in the city. The roads to Maladzyechna, Smarhon, Myadzyel, Dokshytsy, Plyeshchanitsy run through the city. The town's industry is represented by the Zenit plant, wood processing enterprises (including a furniture factory), a motor repair plant, building materials plants, light and food enterprises. Vileyka also houses the Museum of Regional Studies.

The territory of the Vileyka district is 2,400 square kilometres (930 sq mi). Forests account for 41% of the territory. The main part of the district is situated within the borders of Narach-Vileyka lowland. In the year 1974, near the town of Vileyka Belarus's largest artificial reservoir was built — Vileyka reservoir with a total area of 63.3 km2 (24.4 sq mi) and a volume of 238 million cubic metres (8.4×10^9 cu ft).

Demography

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
18973,600—    
19213,417−5.1%
19315,848+71.1%
19397,500+28.2%
19598,200+9.3%
197012,200+48.8%
YearPop.±%
197920,747+70.1%
198928,077+35.3%
200628,103+0.1%
201826,760−4.8%
202326,811+0.2%
Source: [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]

According to the 1921 census, the town's population was 62.8% Polish, 27.4% Belarusian and 8.1% Jewish.[6]

Notable residents

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  • Alaksandar Ułasaŭ(1874-1941), a Belarusian politician, a founder and the first editor of the newspaper Naša Niva, and a victim of Stalin's purges

International relations

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See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Belarus

Twin towns — Sister cities

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Vileyka is twinned with:

Notes

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  1. ^ Official transliteration.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Численность населения на 1 января 2024 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2023 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  2. ^ Mikoda, Janina, ed. (1997). Zbrodnicza ewakuacja więzień i aresztów NKWD na Kresach Wschodnich II Rzeczypospolitej w czerwcu – lipcu 1941 roku. Materiały z sesji naukowej w 55. rocznicę ewakuacji więźniów NKWD w głąb ZSRR, Łódź 10 czerwca 1996 r. [Criminal evacuation of NKVD prisons and detention centers in the Eastern Borderlands of the Second Polish Republic in June-July 1941. Materials from the scientific session on the 55th anniversary of the evacuation of NKVD prisoners deep into the USSR, Łódź, June 10, 1996] (in Polish). Warszawa: Główna Komisja Badania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu – Instytut Pamięci Narodowej. p. 76, 95–98. ISBN 83-903356-6-2.
  3. ^ a b Dr. Smilovitsky, Vileika (Polish: Wilejka) JewishGen, Yizkor Book Project. From materials of the Extraordinary Commission.
  4. ^ Zenit-BelOMO, zenit-belomo.by
  5. ^ Беларуская Савецкая Энцыклапедыя: у 12 т. / гал. рэд. П. У. Броўка. — Т. 12: БССР. — Мн.: Беларуская Савецкая Энцыклапедыя, 1975. — С. 697.
  6. ^ a b Skorowidz miejscowości Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Tom VII. Część II (in Polish). Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny. 1923. p. 78.
  7. ^ Drugi Powszechny Spis Ludności z dnia 9 grudnia 1931 r: alfabetyczny wykaz miast w Polsce w granicach administracyjnych z dn. 1.V.1933 r: wyniki tymczasowe Archived 2020-09-18 at the Wayback Machine. — Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny, 1933. — S. 1–5.
  8. ^ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1970 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик (кроме РСФСР), их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу". Демоскоп Weekly. Archived from the original on 2011-03-09. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  9. ^ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик (кроме РСФСР), их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу". Демоскоп Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  10. ^ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу". Демоскоп Weekly. Archived from the original on 2006-10-21. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  11. ^ Минская область в цифрах. — Мінск: Национальный статистический комитет Республики Беларусь, 2018. — С. 45–48.
  12. ^ Минская область в цифрах. — Мінск: Национальный статистический комитет Республики Беларусь, 2013. — С. 44–48.
  13. ^ "Численность населения на 1 января 2023 г. и среднегодовая численность населения за 2022 год по Республике Беларусь в разрезе областей, районов, городов, поселков городского типа". belsat.gov.by. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
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