Oszmiana powiat

OSZMIANA PROVINCE (Powiat)- Lying within Wilno gubernia, it borders with Lida province on the west, on the northwest with Wilno, on the northeast with Swiecian province, to the east with Wilia province as well as Minsk gubernia, which borders it for equal distances on the southeast and east. The province contains 2,727 square miles (another count has it at 2,696 square miles) of which there are 1,742,800 acres in total; 69,550 acres (4%) in settlements, 490,460 arable acres (28.1%), 153,650 acres of (grazable) moors (8.8%), 194,400 acres pasturage and meadow (11.2%), 727,300 acres of forests (41.7%), and 107,400 acres barrens or water bodies (6.2%). In 1859, 385,290 acres belonged to the government (22.1%), 5,087 acres to towns (.3%), 6,720 acres to Orthodox and Catholic churches (.4%), with the remaining 1,345,500 acres in private hands (77.2%).

In the northern part of the province, the topography is elevated and hilly, occasioned by the [ed.-- morainal] hill chain Awratyn. The highest locations are found near the villages Topiszki (1175 feet above sea level), Lojce (1049'), Donkni (766'), Widnopol estate (729' asl.) and the town of Jewie (610' asl.). The southern part in the Berezina river basin is lowlands, marshes and covered in forest. The central part consists of evenly rolling hills. Soils in the northern part are clayey or sandy; in the south marshy and humic. Bog-iron mines are found in the marshy lowlands, with especially rich deposits in the vicinity of Naliboki and Wisznew where deposits contain up to 50% iron. Oszmiana province, having the highest topography in the entire gubernia near Wilno, is very poorly endowed with lakes with none very large. Some of the most important are: Dub, Dubina, Kroman, and Reczuny, "The Swamp", as well as many small ones in the southern part of the province contributing to the notable Purwilski Marsh, out of which flows the Purvil river in turn contributing to the Olszanka River. The Wilia River flows from this same area to the northwestern border, and is the largest in Oszmiana province. The Nieman River flows along the southwestern border, fed by the Berezina, the Olszanka, the Wolozyn, and Isloch, Usze, and the Sutle tributaries. Towards the western border, the Zyzma flows into the Gawia which itself originates from the Klewa River (the Gawia emptying into the Nieman).

In 1880, there were 162,285 inhabitants in the province [ed.-- unclear if the statistics include the town of Oszmiana which had special privileges], broken down as follows: 5,749 gentry, 287 clergy of all faiths, 69 honorary [ed.- major or titled?] landowners, 22,827 townspeople, 128,011 peasants, 5,084 military men, 220 foreigners, and 38 of uncertain status. By religion, there were 50,440 Orthodox, 891 Roskolnikovs (Old Believers), 99,020 Catholics, 162 Evangelicals (Protestants), 11,131 Jews, and 641 Moslems. In 1859 there were 128,666 inhabitants in the province (60,515 men and 63,547 women), counting 27,394 White Russian Orthodox, 20,650 Catholic Poles, 62,571 Catholic Lithuanians, and 2,527 Lithuanian Orthodox. In 1871, 142,688 inhabitants; in 1875, 152,261; and in 1878, 156,218. According to 1858 tax receipts, there were 15,425 horses [ed.--registered breeding horses?], 38,873 horned cattle, 18,911 common sheep, 8,974 specialty sheep, 7,980 plow or work horses, and 20,636 pigs, which comes to .19 animals per acre. The population is a mixture of Lithuanians and White Russians. The predominant language of the inhabitants is changing from Polish to White Russian, with additionally incorporated Lithuanian expressions.

The most recent province administration consists of four (state) police districts: Zuprany, Smorgon, Dziewieniszki, and Wolozyn. There are 2 peacetime (civil) courts for peasant legal affairs at Oszmiana and Poloczany; 4 districts for performance of military obligations in Oszmiana, Smorgon, Subotniki, and Wolozyn; 3 District Inquiry Courts, with bureau offices in Oszmiana, (G)Holszany, and Smorgon, namely the 4th-tier District Circuit of Lida for 8 gminas, and three district review boards at Smorgon for the rest of the gminas. The province is further composed of 23 gminas: Polany, Soly, Holszany, Grauzyszki, Kucewicze (1st police district); Smorgon, Bienica, Krewo, Poloczany and Horodzki (2nd police district); Dziewieniszki, Subotniki, Lipniszki, Siedliszcze, Iwie, Lugomowicze, Traby, Juratiszki (3rd police district); and Wolozyn, Wiszniew, Naliboki, Derewno, and Bakszty (4th police district). Those gminas are broken down into 142 rural districts (sheriffs domains), 1,353 villages and other residential units, and 12,340 huts or cabins. The following are identified towns within the province: (1st police district) Slobodka, Zuprany, Soly, Holszany, Oszmiana Murowana, Boruny and Grauzyszki; (2nd police district) Zaskiewicze, Bienica, Smorgon, and Krewo; (3rd police district) Subotniki, Lipniszki, Konwaliszki, Gieranony, Hermaniszki, Dziewieniszki, Trobiele, Iwie, Mikolajow, Dudy, Lazduny, Traby, Surwiliszki, and Juratishki; (4th police district) Wolozyn, Wiszniew, Slowiensk, Zabrzez, Derewno, and Naliboki.

The chief occupations of the inhabitants are mainly agriculture and lumbering with transportation down the Berezina. Industrial fabrication is poorly represented. Of the industrial facilities, the one notable exception is the iron foundry of Prince Witgenstein in Naliboki [ed.- Kletistche, destroyed in World War II], manufacturing various forged and cast iron products with an annual revenue of 44,025 rubles. Other factories worth mentioning: a pottery factory at Krewo, and wool products made at Holszany (belts, stockings, and socks).

Regarding churches: Oszmiana province is divided into the two Orthodox deaconates of Oszmiana and Wolozyn, the first of which contains 14 parishes: Oszmiana, Smorgon (two-- the Transfiguration of Christ and St. Michael), Bienica, Krewo (two: Holy Trinity and St. Alexander Nevsky) Zalesie, Losk, Holszany, Traby, Cycyn, Juratiski, Sutkowo, and Michalowszczyzna. There are 14 Orthodox parish churches, 8 affiliates, 9 cemeteries, 4 chapels, and 23,392 parishioners (11,693 men and 11,699 women). The Wolozyn Orthodox deaconate has 12 parishes: Wolozyn (two: St. Joseph and St. Constance), Wiszniew, Zabrzezie, Mikolajow, Slowiensk, Dubina, Horodzilow, Hruzdow, Douwbeny, Bakszty and Horodzki, with 12 parish churches, 3 affiliates, 6 cemeteries, 3 chapels, and a count of 27,400 parishioners (13,515 men and 13,885 women). Within the borders of the province are 52 Orthodox churches and 7 chapels.

Oszmiana province equally has two Catholic deaconates: Oszmiana and Wiszniew. The first contains 6 parishes: Oszmiana with chapels in Olany, Horodniky and Polany (8,040 parishioners), Holszany with an affiliate in Bohdanowie and a chapel in Holszany (8,457 faithful); Soly with an affiliate in Daukszyszke and a chapel in Soly; Slobodka, Raczuny, Proniuny, and Gudogaje (8,591 parishioners); Grauzyszki (3,013 parishioners); Zuprany also with a chapel there (5,030 faithful); and Oszmiana Murowany (4,309 parishioners). All told, there are 37,440 Catholic parishioners in this deaconate. Previously there were also parishes in Smorgon, Krewo and Bienica. The Wiszniew deaconate contains 12 parishes: Wiszniew with a chapel and cemetery (4,877 parishioners); Gieranony with an affiliate in Dziewieniszki and a chapel in Berkowszczyzna (7,421 faithful); Hruzdowo-Oborek with a chapel in Cholchlo, Czernowo and a burial cemetery (3,312 faithful); Derewna (4,842 par.); Iwie with an affiliate in Dudy and a chapel in Jatoltowicze and a burial cemetery (11,460 parishioners); Konwaliszki with a chapel in Stolki (2,525 faithful); Lipniszki with a chapel in Zygmunszczyske (5,900 par.); Naliboki (4,344 faithful); Subotniki with an affiliate in Lazduny and a chapel in Kwiatkowce (9,545 par.); Surwiliszki with a chapel in Klewica (3,041 faithful); Traby with a chapel in Jancewicze and a burial cemetery (3,592 parishioners); and Zabrzezie with a chapel in Rozeslawie (3,891 parishioners). In all there are 65,110 parishioners in the Wiszniew deaconate. Formerly, there were also parish churches in Losku, Wolozyn, and Horodzilowie.

Concerning central communications linkages in the northern part of the province, there is the Lipawa [ed.- today Lith. Klaipeda]-Roniny rail line with stations at Soly, Smorgon, and Zalesie. Postal roads take one from Soly station through Oszmiana and Holszany to Subotniki; from Holszany station to Wolozyn; from the town of Smorgon to Wojstom station (in Swiecian province), as well as from Smorgon to the town of Krewo. Postal stations are at Oszmiana, Smorgon, Subotniki, Soly, Wolozyn, Holszany, Iwie, and Krewo. The Oszmiana provincial coat-of-arms, confirmed in the Ukaze of June 9, 1845, exhibits an escutcheon divided into two fields, on the higher the symbol of Wilno gubernia represented by a Lithuanian blazon on a black field, and in the lower a bear on a blue field.

The provincial Marshals of Oszmiana before the Partitions were (in alphabetical order): Ludwig Jacob Chominski, h. Poraj (1717), Nicholas Chrapowicki, h. Gozdawa & Samuel Jerome Kociell, h. Pelikan (1683); Marcin Oskierko, h. Murdelio (1765); Nicholas Wladyslaw Przezdziecki (1672); Nicholas Kristof Szors, h. Mora (1637); Anthony Sulistrowski, h. Lubicz (1747); Kristof Stachowski, h. Oronczyk & Thoma s Wolan, h. Lis (1632); Alexander Wolan & Jan Zenowicz from Bratozyna Deszpot (1648); and Kristof Zenowicz, h. his own person (1697). After the Commonwealth Partitions, marshals were: N. Achmatowicz (1863); Brochocki, h. Osorya (1862); Casimir Czechowicz, h. Ostoja (1825); Aurelian Dmochowski, h. Pobog (1853); Casimir Feldman & Jan Lubanski, h. Poraj (1853); Francis Pozniak, h. Belty (1798); Adam Przeciszewski, h. Grzymala (1805); Wladyslaw Puslowski, h. Szeliga following a change & Joseph Sulistrowski, h. Lubicz (1846); Joseph Tyszkiewicz, h. Leliwa (1831); Alexander Tiufiajew (1871); Thomas and Jacob Umiastowski, h. Roch (1809); Konstanty Umiastowski (1858); Casimir Umiastowski & Marcin Skarbek Wazynski, h. Abdank (1820); Edward Wazynski (1840), Ignace Zaba, h. Kosciesza (1811); and Anthony Zaba (1812).

Editor's Note: All Slownik longitudes in this article have been converted to modern coordinates which is based on the Greenwich zero meridian. All Polish measurement units (land areas, distances, height above sea level, etc.) were converted to American-English equivalents.  Monetary units, where identified, were left in zlotys/zl. or rubles/rs.

Source: Slownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego - Warsaw [1886, vol. 7, pp. 753-754]