Maladzyechna, city, northwestern Belarus, northwest of Minsk. The city achieved eminence after becoming a railway junction at the end of the 19th century, and from 1939 until 1960 it served as a provincial centre (except during World War II, when much of it was destroyed). It is a centre of diverse food and other light industries, with some machine-building and building-material industries. Pop. (2006 est.) 98,400.