Vileyka

Vileyka be: Вялейка / ru: Вилейка
Vialejka Church of Saint Mary of Egypt
Flag Seal
Vileyka
Coordinates: 54°29′50″N 26°54′40″E
Country	Belarus
Voblast	Minsk Voblast
Raion	Vileyka Raion
Population (2009)
• Total	28,000
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Vileyka [viˈlʲejkə] (Vileika, Vilejka, Belarusian: Вялейка, Вiлейка, Russian: Вилейка, Polish: Wilejka, Lithuanian: Vileika) – town in Republic of Belarus, the capital of the Vileyka Raion in the Minsk Voblast. It is located on the river Viliya, 100 km to northwest from Minsk. First documental record: 16 November 1460.

Time zone: II (GMT +2 hours). Population of Vileyka district in 2009: 55 thousand people (Vileyka 28.5 thousand). International phone code: +375 1771 xxxxx. Postal index: 222410.

The 43rd Russian Navy's long-haul communications center is located near Vileyka (54°27′50″N 26°46′40″E). It provides VLF communication between Russian Navy's headquarters and atomic submarines in Atlantic, Indian and part of Pacific ocean.

History

In X–XIII centuries the territory was under Kingdom of Polotsk, and in XIV-XVII under Grand Duchy of Lithuania as manor house Kurenets. The town was first mentioned in 1460 as a borough center of the Vileyka Starostwo of the Ashmyany county in Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

• 1635 - Władysław IV Vasa bestowed Vileyka upon Aleksander Korwin Gosiewski "for exclusive service to the state".
• 1765 - Vileyka has 30 houses, 165 inhabitants, and became a county center.
• 1793 - during Second Partition of Poland the town goes to Russian Empire.
• 1795 - under the decree of Catherine II of Russia the town receives a city status and became a center of Vileyka uyezd in Minsk Governorate, then Vilna Governorate (1842–1917).
• 1810, May 24 - almost all the city destroyed by the fire.
• 1861 - 2931 inhabitants, 1880 – 3450, by the end of XIX century - more than 3500 inhabitants.
• 1906 - big sawmill started.
• 1907 - the city acquires a branch of Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway and a city station.
• 1915, September 14 - occupied by German Army, but several days later was moved back by Russian Army during Sventiany Offensive.
• 1917, November 8 - Soviets came to power during October Revolution
• 1918, December - occupied by German Army
• 1919 - as a result of Polish–Soviet War the city left under Poland, becoming the center of the Wilejka county in Wilno Voivodeship (1923–1939)
• 1939 - annexed back to Soviet Union under Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Was made the center of the Vileyka Voblast of BSSR.
• 1941, June 26 - the town was occupied by German Nazis, who massacred over 15,000 civilians, including 6,972 Jewish people and ruined the town to the ground.
• Several hundred people, mostly Polish political prisoners, sick and wounded, were executed prior to the departure of the occupying Soviet guards on June 24, 1941.^{[citation needed]}
• 1944, July 3 - Russian Army has cleared town from Nazis in the frames of Operation Bagration
• 1944 - the center of the Vileyka Raion.
• 1954 - furniture plant started.
• 1959 - repair plant started.
• 1973 - "Zenit-BelOMO" optical plant started
• 1973 - Vileyka reservoir started
• 1998 - Vileyka hydropower station started

Nowadays

The modern town is located on the right shore of the river Viliya, in northwest part of the Minsk region, 100 kilometers away from Minsk. The town’s population numbers 30,000 people. There is a railway station of the Molodechno-Polotsk line in the town. The roads to Maladzechna, Smarhoń, Myadzel, Dokshytsy, Pleshchanitsy run through the town. The town’s industry is represented by the Zenit plant, wood processing enterprises (including furniture factory), 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 2400 km². Forests account for 41% of the territory. The main part of the district is situated in the borders of Narach-Vileyka lowland. In the year 1974, near the town of Vileyka there was built Belarus's largest artificial reservoir — Vileyka Lake with a total area of 63.3 km² and volume of 238 million cubic meters.

Points of interests

• Vileyka VLF transmitter

International relations

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

Twin towns — Sister cities

Vileyka is twinned with:

• Mozhaysk, Russia
• Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
• Willmar, Minnesota, USA

External links

• Pictures of nearby Russian Navy long-haul communications center
• Photos of Vilejka at Radzima.org
• Foto,Forum,Articles - Vilejka.be.together! (Belarusian)
• Vilyka portal (Russian)