In 1795, as a result of the Partitions of Poland, Bełżyce was annexed by the Austrian Empire, it became part of the newly established administrative region of West Galicia. Since 1809 it had been in borders of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw and since 1815 of Congress Poland, later forcibly integrated into Imperial Russia. The 19th century was a period of changes, as a castle was transformed into a distillery. In 1860 the city occupied nearly 950 ha with about 150 buildings. After the January Uprising, as part of anti-Polish repressions Bełżyce was stripped of its town rights, as it later turned out for nearly 100 years. Two major fires affected the city – first, in 1866, which destroyed 25 buildings, second, in 1913. The whole town was almost destroyed; residents formed a fire brigade. In 1917, 3666 people populated the town, mostly Jewish, as a result of the Russian discriminatory regulations.