Stanisławów Voivodeship Explained

Native Name:Województwo stanisławowskie
Conventional Long Name:Stanisławów Voivodeship
Common Name:Stanisławów
Subdivision:Voivodeship
Nation:Poland
P1:Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Flag P1:Flag of Hesse.svg
S1:Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Flag S1:Flag of Ukrainian SSR (1937-1949).svg
Government Type:Voivodeship
Image Map Caption:Location of Stanisławów Voivodeship (red)
within the Second Republic of Poland (1938).
Capital:Stanisławów
Title Leader:Voivode
Leader1:Edmund Jurystowski
Year Leader1:1921 - 1925 (first)
Leader2:Stanisław Jarecki
Year Leader2:Jan - Sep 1939 (last)
Date Start:23 December
Year Start:1920
Event1:Soviet invasion
Date Event1:17 September 1939
Event End:replaced with Stanislav Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
Date End:27 November
Year End:1939
Stat Year1:1921
Stat Area1:18368
Stat Pop1:1348580
Stat Year2:1931
Stat Pop2:1480300
Stat Area3:16894
Stat Year3:1939
Political Subdiv:15 powiats

Stanisławów Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo stanisławowskie) was an administrative district of the interwar Poland (1920–1939). It was established in December 1920 with an administrative center in Stanisławów. The voivodeship had an area of 16,900 km2 and comprised twelve counties (powiaty). Following World War II, at the insistence of Joseph Stalin during the Tehran Conference of 1943, Poland's borders were redrawn, Polish population forcibly resettled and Stanisławów Voivodeship was incorporated into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic as Stanislav Oblast (later renamed as Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast).

September 1939 and its aftermath

Following German invasion on Poland, and in accordance with the secret protocol of Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939. As bulk of the Polish Army was concentrated in the west, fighting Germans, the Soviets met with little resistance and their troops quickly moved westwards. Polish authorities originally intended to organize anti-German resistance in Stanisławów Voivodeship (see: Romanian Bridgehead), with Polish Army units planning to stand ground until the spring of 1940 when a French attack on Germany was expected. However, the Soviet invasion of Poland rendered these plans ineffectual. It is estimated that prior to Soviet counter-offensive in the latter part of World War II, over 18,000 Polish civilians in Stanisławów Voivodeship fell victims to OUN-UPA massacres.[1] [2]

Demographics

The Voivodeship's capital was Stanisławów (now Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine). In 1921 was inhabited by 1,339,191 people, and its population density was 72.9 persons per km2. Ukrainians and Ruthenians constituted 70% of the population, especially in the countryside. Poles, distributed across the entire voivodeship, made around 22%, Polish Jews (mainly in towns), around 7%. Also, there were smaller communities of Galician Germans. In 1931 the population grew to 1,480,285 and the density to 88 persons per km2.

According to the census of 1921 the Stanisławów Voivodeship was inhabited by 1,339,191 people, of whom by nationality 70.2% were Ruthenian (Ukrainian), 21.8% were Polish, 6.8% were Jewish, 1.1% were German and 0.1% all others. By religion 74.3% were Uniate or Orthodox, 14.3% were Roman Catholic, 0.8% were Protestant and 10.6% were Jewish.[3]

In 1931 the voivodeship had 1,480,285 inhabitants, of whom by mother tongue 68.8% spoke Ukrainian and Ruthenian, 22.4% spoke Polish, 7.4% spoke Yiddish and Hebrew, 1.1% spoke German and 0.3% spoke other languages. By religion 73% were Greek Catholic and Orthodox, 16.6% were Roman Catholic, 0.8% were Protestant, 9.4% were Jewish and 0.2% were others.

The results of the 1931 census (questions about mother tongue and about religion) are presented in the table below:

Comparison of Polish and Ukrainian population of Stanisławów Voivodeship according to the 1931 census[4] !County Polish name!County!Pop.!Polish!%!Ukrainian & Ruthenian!%!Roman Catholic!%!Uniate & Orthodox!%
DolinaDolyna1183732115817.9%8388070.9%1563013.2%8981175.9%
HorodenkaHorodenka928942775129.9%5995764.5%1551916.7%6978975.1%
KałuszKalush1022521863718.2%7750675.8%1441814.1%8075079.0%
KołomyjaKolomyia1760005200629.5%11053362.8%3192518.1%12137669.0%
KosówKosiv9395267187.2%7983885.0%49765.3%8090386.1%
NadwórnaNadvírna1407021690712.0%11212879.7%1521410.8%11311680.4%
RohatynRohatyn1272523615228.4%8487566.7%2710821.3%9045671.1%
StanisławówStanyslaviv1983594903224.7%12021460.6%4251921.4%12395962.5%
StryjStryi1526312518616.5%10618369.6%2340415.3%10815970.9%
ŚniatynSniatyn780251720622.1%5600771.8%865911.1%6179779.2%
TłumaczTlumach1160284495838.7%6665957.5%3147827.1%7665066.1%
ŻydaczówZhydachiv838171646419.6%6109872.9%1509418.0%6314475.3%
Województwo StanisławowskieStanisławów Voivodeship148028533217522.4%101887868.8%24594416.6%107991073.0%

Geography

The Stanisławów Voivodeship's area was 16,894 square kilometers. It was located in south-eastern corner of the country, bordering Tarnopol Voivodeship to the northeast, Lwów Voivodeship to the west, Czechoslovakia (Between 1919 and 1938), Hungary (Between 1938 and 1939) and Romania to the south. It was in large part covered by forests of the Carpathian Mountains, with numerous mountain spas (Worochta, Skole, Dolina, Żabie, Sławsko, Woronienka, Jaremcza, Kuty). The landscape was hilly (in the north) and mountainous (in the south), with Hoverla in the Chornohora range as the highest peak (2060 meters above sea level). The other significant mountain range was the Gorgany.

The main river was the Dniester, which also marked border with the Tarnopol Voivodeship. Other rivers were: the Prut, the Stryj and the Cheremosh (the last one was at the same time bordering Poland from Romania).

Administrative divisions

Before the onset of World War II the Stanisławów Voivodeship consisted of 15 powiats (counties) (earlier 12), 29 towns, 904 villages and numerous smaller communities (futory, kolonie). Those were the same 12 powiats that were part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria with the addition of Turka powiat later on. Its capital Stanisławów was the largest city, with population of some 60,000 (as of 1931). Other important municipal centers of the voivodeship were: Kołomyja (pop. 33,800), Stryj (pop. 30,500), Horodenka (pop. 12,200), Kalusz (pop. 12,100), Sniatyn (pop. 10,800) and Bolechow (pop. 10,700).

The Stanisławów Voivodeship consisted of 12 powiats (counties):

  1. Dolina Powiat (2,397 km2)
  2. Horodenka Powiat (849 km2)
  3. Kałusz Powiat (1,137 km2)
  4. Kołomyja Powiat (1,339 km2), joined with Peczeniżyn Powiat
  5. Kosów Powiat (1,839 km2)
  6. Nadwórna Powiat (2,472 km2)
  7. Rohatyn Powiat (1,147 km2)
  8. Stanisławów Powiat (1,249 km2), joined with Bohorodczan Powiat
  9. Stryj Powiat (2,081 km2), joined with Skolski Powiat
  10. Śniatyń Powiat (567 km2)
  11. Tłumacz Powiat (934 km2)
  12. Żydaczów Powiat (883 km2)

Railroads and industry

The Stanisławów Voivodeship was located in the so-called Poland "B" region, which meant that it was underdeveloped, with low level of industry and considerable numbers of inhabitants living in poverty. Agricultural production was low due to poor quality of soil. Since mid-1930s, the area was quickly gaining popularity as a tourist destination, with numbers of visitors to mountain springs rising steadily year by year. Railroad network was well-developed in the north, with such important junctions as Stanisławów, Kołomyja and Stryj. In the south, however, rail connections were lacking.

On January 1, 1938, total length of railroads within Voivodeship's boundaries was 755 kilometers (4.5 km. per 100 km2).

Voivodes

The local government of voivodeship and city was located at address Ulica Karpinskiego, 7 (today - vulytsia Halytska, 2).

Following Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939, the voivodeship existed until 27 November 1939. On 6 October 1939 – 27 November 1939 the voivodeship was governed by Soviet provisional chairman of Civilian Administration Mikhail Grulenko who later continued to hold his post as the 1st secretary of the CPU in the region.

See also

References

External links

48.9234°N 24.7101°W

Notes and References

  1. [Władysław Siemaszko]
  2. Szczepan Siekierka, H. Komański, E. Różański, Ludobójstwo dokonane przez nacjonalistów ukraińskich na Polakach w województwie stanisławowskim w latach 1939–1946, Wrocław, 2007, op. cit., s. 36, 118, 169, 258, 292, 354, 419, 508, 591, 650, 716, 769.
  3. Web site: 1927 . Plik:Woj.stanisławowskie-Polska spis powszechny 1921.pdf – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia . 2024-06-10 . commons.wikimedia.org . pl.
  4. Web site: 1938 . Plik:Woj.stanisławowskie-Polska spis powszechny 1931.pdf – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia . 2024-06-10 . commons.wikimedia.org . pl.