Byelorussian pre-adhesive postmarks

by Lev Kolosov

---

Regular postal service was introdused in Russian by the second half of XVII century. In 1667 Lithuanian postal sevices started in Vilno. That time the only postal route though Byelorussia was Moscow to Vilno postal "trackt" via Vyazma, Smolensk, Mogilev and Minsk. In XVIII century postal routes network was enlarded in the area. In 1780 postal route between Byelorussia and Lifland was introduces and in important Byelorussian towns post offices ( espeditsiya ) were established.

Although the first Polish postmarks for Minsk and Grogna are known since the end of XVIII century but the first known Russian postmarks were introduced at post offices about 1810 and become widely used at all Byelorussian post offices about 1830.

These pagesshow development of Russian postal services and postmaks in Byelorussia and based on feragents of exhibiting entries which took a part in numberous national and international stamp exhibitions and awarded with more than 40 medals ( from bronze to large vermeil ).