Find Your Roots in Belarus and Lithuania with Radzima.net
Radzima.net is the largest online project helping people from all over the world reconnect with their homeland and family history. Since 2009, we have been uniting those who are searching for their roots in Belarus, Lithuania, and the eastern voivodeships of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The project’s database contains information on more than 77,000 settlements and 3,000 church parishes. The project covers the territories of the former Vilna, Vitebsk, Grodno, Minsk, and Mogilev provinces of the Russian Empire, as well as the Białystok, Vilnius, Nowogrodek, and Polesie voivodeships of the Polish Republic. This makes the site one of the most extensive and comprehensive genealogical resources in the region.
Most of the historical and reference information — including archival maps, data about parishes, and administrative affiliations — is available to users with a Premium registration. Premium access provides extended research tools for those who are serious about exploring their family history.
What You Will Find on Radzima.net
— Historical location of the settlement where your ancestors lived — shown on modern and old maps;
— Administrative changes — how the administrative affiliation of the settlement changed over the last 150 years;
— Information about parishes — which Catholic or Orthodox parish a village or town belonged to;
— Tips on where to find genealogical documents in the archives of Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia;
— Information on the preservation of church records of births, marriages, and deaths (archive, years, collection and file numbers);
— Direct links to scanned metric books (when available) for independent research without visiting the archive;
— Information about estates and landowners who owned the locality in the mid-19th century.
The degree of document preservation varies for each settlement: for some areas, the records have unfortunately not survived. However, the site clearly indicates which materials are available for each locality.
More Than Just a Database
Radzima.net is not only an information resource but also a platform that connects people. Here, you can post announcements to search for relatives who remained in Belarus or emigrated abroad. Thanks to our project, hundreds of families have already reunited after decades of separation.
Radzima.net is not affiliated with archival institutions and does not issue official certificates. We provide guidance and tools for independent genealogical research and show where relevant documents — from metric books to confessional registers — may be stored in the archives of Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, or Russia.
Premium Registration — Your Key to Family History
By obtaining a Premium registration, you gain access to unique historical and archival materials, extended maps, parish data, and archival sources. Your support helps us develop the “Find Your Roots” and “Homeland of My Spirit” projects, so that even more people can reclaim a piece of their personal history.
Start your journey in the footsteps of your ancestors today!
