Astraviec is a city in the Hrodna Region, the center of the Astraviec District, located on the banks of the Loša river. The name of the city comes from a fortified island on the right bank of the Loša.

The first written mention of Astraviec dates back to 1468. The settlement is mentioned in connection with the donation that the magnates of the Haštoĺds family made to the local Catholic church. In 1542, after the death of Stanislaŭ Haštoĺd, the settlement passed to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Žyhimont Stary, who handed it over to his son Žyhimont Aŭhust. In 1546, Žyhimont Aŭhust presented Astraviec to Hieranim Karycki. In 1600, the settlement passed into the possession of Jan Korsak.

Astraviec suffered greatly during the war between the Moscow state and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which took place in the middle of the 17th century. Then the Astraviec monastery of the Dominicans was devastated. In 1777, a public school was opened in Astraviec. And in 1785, the construction of a new brick Dominican church and monastery began.

As a result of the third division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, Astraviec was annexed to the Russian Empire. Local residents participated in national liberation uprisings and social movements for the revival of Belarusian statehood.

In 1886, there were 22 yards, a mill, a sawmill, a brickyard, a brewery, and a drainage pipe workshop. In 1888, a horse-drawn railway connected the city with the Slabodka station.

During the First World War, in 1915, Astraviec was occupied by German troops. On March 25, 1918, according to the Third Constitutional Charter, Astraviec was declared a part of the Belarusian People's Republic. According to the Riga Peace Treaty of 1921, concluded between Poland and Soviet Russia, the town became part of the Second Polish Republic.

In 1939, with the beginning of the Second World War, Astraviec was included in Soviet Belarus, where in 1940, it became the district center. From June 1941 to July 3, 1944, Astraviec was under the Nazi occupation. After the liberation, it became part of the Maladziečna Region. In 1960, the town and district became part of the Hrodna Region. Since 1991, Astraviec has been the district center of the independent Republic of Belarus.

Publication date: 28.04.2022.

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