Grodno Oblast is located in the North-West of the Republic. It borders in the West on Poland and in the North, on Lithuania. The Oblast occupies 12% of the country’s territory, 11.7% of the population reside here. Grodno (with a population of 309 thousand) is the center. The Oblast comprises 17 districts, 194 rural councils, 12 towns, including 6 towns of Oblast jurisdiction, 21 urbanized settlements.

The Chemical industry is a leader in the Oblast’s economy. The largest enterprises of it are located in Grodno and Lida. These are JSC “Grodno-Azot”, JSC “Grodno-Chimvolokno” and JSC Lakokraska. Food processing and machine engineering account for over a third of the total industrial output. The products of Neman glassworks in Lida District are well known beyond the bounds of Belarus.

Agriculture in the Oblast is rife. Its specialties are meat and milk production, pig breeding, potato growing, with flax production in the East and sugar beet cultivation in the West. Grain-cultivating areas are expanding, and poultry and vegetable growing is well-developed near major cities.

One of the Eurasian haulage motorways passes through the Oblast’s territory which is instrumental to the economic co-operation. Owing to its advantageous geographic position, Grodno Oblast may become an integrating trade hub between Western and Central Europe and CIS and Asian countries. The pending modernization of the infrastructure of European transport routes passing via the Oblast’s territory may still improve the potential of the region in expanding foreign trade links.

Major cities are Grodno, Lida, Slonim, Volkovysk, Smorgon, Novogrudok. The latter is a birthplace of Belarusian statehood. There, in the 12–13th centuries the Grand Duchy of Lithuania emerged and encompassed Belarusian lands. From the moment of the Duchy being created, the Belarusian language was considered as the state language. It was used in paper work and in court, in writing annals and chronicles, belles-lettres and religious works. Numerous memorials of historic architecture have been preserved, in particular, the 13–16th century castle, the Boris and Gleb Church (16–19th century), the Franciscan monastery (18th century), etc.

For more information please visit the website of Grodno Oblast Executive Committee