Bełżec existed as a private village as early as medieval times. An attempt made in the 17^th century by the then owners of the village, the Lipskis, to charter the town, was not successful, because of the fact that there were bigger centers in the vicinity such as Tomaszów Lubelski and Florianów (Narol)[1.1]. In the 19^th century, Bełżec, which lay on the border between Galicia and the Kingdom of Poland, developed in terms of economy and demography, and that was, among other things, because of the border trade that took place there.

During World War I the village suffered considerable losses and most of its Jewish inhabitants moved to larger towns. In the interwar period it was a Polish-Ukrainian center with a small number of Jews.

During the occupation, a labor, and then, an extermination camp were built in Bełżec.