 The area was settled in the prehistory, and, as the Western Dvina always has been an important waterway, there are multiple archaeological sites in the district.The fortress of Porechye () is first mentioned in 1499, and since 1514 it belonged to the Grand Duchy of Moscow, at the border with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.In 1580, after the Livonian War, the area was transferred to Poland, where it was included into Vitebsk Voivodeship.