Białystok Voivodeship (1919-1939)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 Area and location
2 Population
3 Cities and administrative division
4 Railroads and industry

[edit] Area and location

In interwar Poland (1918-1939), Bialystok Voivodeship was located in mid-northern part of the country. It bordered Germany (East Prussia) to north-west, Lithuania to north-east, Wilno Voivodeship and Nowogródek Voivodeship to the east, Polesie Voivodeship and Lublin Voivodeship to the south and Warszawa Voivodeship to the west. Its area was 26 036 sq. km. Landscape was flat, with the mighty Bialowieza Forest located right in the middle.

[edit] Population

Inhabited mostly by Poles (in 1931 they made 66.9% of the population), it also had significant Belarusian (16.3%) and Jewish (12.1%) minorities. Interesting is the fact that in 1931, 2.8% claimed Russian as their native tongue. Population, according to the 1931 Polish census was 1 263 300.

Białystok Voivodeship, 1938.

[edit] Cities and administrative division

Since April 1, 1938 (see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938) it consisted of 10 powiats (counties). These were:

- Augustow county (area 2 035 sq. km., pop. 74 800),

- city of Bialystok county (area 39 sq. km., pop. 91 100),

- Bialystok county (area 3 079 sq. km., pop. 140 100),

- Bielsk Podlaski county (area 4 989 sq. km., pop. 204 500),

- Grodno county (area 4 459 sq. km., pop. 213 100),

- Sokolka county (area 2 333 sq. km., pop. 103 100),

- Suwalki county (area 2 246 sq. km., pop. 110 100),

- Szczuczyn county (area 1 451 sq. km., pop. 68 200),

- Wolkowysk county (area 3 938 sq. km., pop. 171 300),

- Wysokie Mazowieckie county (area 1 467 sq. km., pop. 87 000).

According to the 1931 census, the biggest cities were:

- Bialystok (pop. 91 100),

- Grodno (pop. 49 700),

- Suwalki (pop. 21 800),

- Wolkowysk (pop. 15 100),

- Augustow (pop. 12 100).

[edit] Railroads and industry

In the interwar period, Bialystok Voivodeship was part of the so-called "Poland B". It meant that it was underdeveloped, with 23.1% of population illiterate. Railroad network was scarce (total lenght 1 377 km., density - 4.2 per 100 sq. km.), forested areas covered 24.4% of Voivodeship's area. The city of Bialystok (whose population reached 107 000 in 1939), was Voivodeship's lone industrial center. Agriculture was at a low level.

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