Bohorodchany

Bohorodchany Богородчани
—  Town  —
Bohorodchany Location of Bohorodchany, Ukraine
Coordinates: 48°48′29″N 24°32′17″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Raion	Bohorodchany Raion
Area
• Total	12 km2 (4.6 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	7,573
• Density	631.08/km2 (1,634.5/sq mi)
Area code(s)	+380 3471

Bohorodchany (Ukrainian: Богородчани, pronounced [ˈboɦorodtʂanɪ]; Polish: Bohorodczany) is a small town in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, several miles from Ivano-Frankivsk. It is the administrative center of the Bohorodchanskyi Raion.

It is located in Ukraine, although it has previously belonged to Poland and Austro-Hungary. The town was first mentioned in 1441 as a property of certain Jan of Buczacz, the starost of Trembowla. Since the second half of 15th century the local estate belonged to the Potocki family. In 1691 Konstancja Potocka née Truskolaska, widow of the owner of the village Dominik Potocki, established a Roman Catholic church and a parish there. In 1742 the wooden church was replaced with a more permanent construction, founded by Stanisław Kossakowski and devoted to the cult of Holy Mary. In 1765 the new church was donated to the Dominican Order, whose friars established a convent there.

Later in 18th century the town's area acted as a base for a local band of outlaws led by Oleksa Dovbush, a semi-legendary Hutsul folk hero, who according to a local legend took the town by force in 1744. In 1786 the town had 314 permanent buildings and 1134 inhabitants.

Following the Partitions of Poland the town became part of the Habsburg Empire and then Austria-Hungary. In 19th century the town was a scene of intense social and economic activities by all three major groups of inhabitants - Jews, Ukrainians and Poles. Already in 1770 a Polish language grammar school was established, followed by a Jewish Hertz Homberg school in 1785 and a state-sponsored German language grammar school in 1789. In 1848 a local branch of a Russka Rada (Ruthenian Council) was established by 29 local Ukrainians. Around the same time numerous Jewish social and educational facilities were established, including a Hebrew School of the Union of Hebrew Teachers of Austria (1908-1914), a local branch of Ezrat Israel zionist union (1896), a Torat Haim yeshiva (1908) and a grammar school for girls (1909). By the end of 19th century the town grew to 4597 inhabitants, including 2009 Jews, 1788 Greek Catholics and 800 Roman Catholics. The largest estates in the surrounding area belonged to Count Rudolf Stadion.

In the aftermath of World War I the town briefly belonged to ZUNR, but in 1919 was taken over by reborn Poland. The local life continued to flourish until World War II. The town was made a seat of a commune. In 1929 a Gmilut Hasadim welfare association was founded in the town.

Following the joint Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland, on September 19, 1939 the town was seized by the Soviet Union and soon afterwards attached to Ukrainian SSR. Since 1991 it is a part of Ukraine.

Jewish culture

Bohorodchany is also known by its Yiddish name, Brotchin. A first-hand description of Jewish life in Bohorodchany pre-World War II can be found in the autobiography of Mark Hasten, who grew up there.

Notable people

• Oleksa Hirnyk, a Soviet dissident.

References

Local orientation

Regional orientation