Bolekhiv

Bolekhiv
—  City  —
Seal
Bolekhiv
Coordinates: 49°04′01″N 23°51′05″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast (province)	Ivano-Frankivsk
Raion (district)	Bolekhiv city
Government
• Mayor	Zenon Makota
Population (2001)
• Total	10,590

Bolekhiv (Ukrainian: Болехів; Polish: Bolechów; Yiddish: באלעכוב) is a city in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It is designated into a self-administrated city district of oblast subordination. As the other numerous cities of the Western Ukraine Bolekhiv once was the home to a big Jewish community, population of which declined drastically during and after the World War II.

History

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	±%
2007	10,536	—
2008	10,594	+0.6%
2009	10,656	+0.6%
2010	10,703	+0.4%
Note: Urban population only 2010 data is valid thru October Source: Regional Statistics Office

The first mention of Bolekhiv, originally called Bolechów, dates back to 1371, when Hungarian Queen Izabela gave this property to one Danylo Dazhbohovych for meritorious service. But not too long after that the Polish King Jogaila defeated the Hungarians and it became part of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1546 Emilia Hrosovska established the local salt refinery in the town. The building of the refinery survived until the 21st Century. In 1603 Sigismund III Vasa gave the town the Magdeburg rights. In the 17th Century the region around the town was known for the famous Opryshky movement led by Oleksa Dovbush. Simultaneously the region started to be colonized by German population. In 1890, half the population was Jewish. By the start of the 20th century half of the town's population were Jewish, but of about 5000 Jews including children only 48 survived World War II. After the war the city became the Raion seat, but in 1964 its Raion was merged with the neighboring Dolyna Raion. Since 1993 the city has been under the direct Oblast subordination.

Bolekhiv Jews in World War II

On the 28th of October 1941, the Germans rounded up 800 of the richer Jews, doctors, and others from their homes, including the Rabbis, and marched them to Dom Katolitzi, a public building in the north of the town, were they were tortured for two days without food and finally taken to a nearby forest and murdered by shooting in what the Germans euphemistically called an Aktion. During these two days, the people were forced to stand in a pyramid, with the Rabbis naked on top, singing German praise songs. They were then thrown to the ground several times. One woman had her face smashed with a chair, another had his head severed so badly, that his son (Dr. David Lands) did not recognize his body, taken along with them to the killing site. Several people died of suffocation in the building, when forced to bow down.

A year later, on 3 - 5 September 1942, the Jews got a warning message from the Judenrat of Drohobych that a murderous attack was ensuing. Several local Ukrainian residents decided to begin the massacre before the Germans arrived. Mostly children were caught in houses and thrown out a window. A women who was in the middle of giving birth was dragged out to the town square, forced to stand during birth, the newly born child was stamped to death, amongst laughing local residents. Many children were killed by kicks. The German Gestapo policemen bragged that they had killed 600 children, and one Ukrainian civilian said that he alone had killed 97 children. (Following the war, a son of this man, living in the US, and serving as a priest read about these atrocities and dedicated the rest of his life helping commemorate the Jewish community of Bolekhiv). A total of 600-700 children and 800-900 adults were killed that day. Two thousand others were gathered and sent to Bełżec extermination camp. While marching to the train station they were forced to sing, mostly the song "Belz mein shtetele Belz".

At 1943, various murders and atrocities continued. At one stage, when there were still 900 Jews left, working at a local "work camp", for a few days groups of 100 and 200 Jews were taken to the nearby forest and shot. Evidence was given by local residents that the shots were so close, that some of the people drowned out the sound with heavy machinery.

Administrative divisions

Bolekhiv municipality (city council)

Until late 1993 Bolekhiv was a city of Dolyna Raion. The city of Bolekhiv received a status of the city with oblast subordination on October 21, 1993 encompassing six adjacent rural municipalities (communes) with eleven villages responsible to its administration. The Bolekhiv municipality borders with the Dolyna Raion and three raions of Lviv Oblast Zhydachiv Raion, Stryi Raion, and Skole Raion. According to the Ukrainian Census (2001) the city has population of 10,590 while its metro-area (all communities) - 21,232.

Rural municipalities (communes)

• Huziiv - Huziiv
• Kozakivka - Kozakivka, Sukil
• Mizhrichia - Mizhrichya, Zarichia
• Pidberezhia - Pidberezhia
• Polianytsia - Polyanytsia, Bubnysche, Bukovets
• Tysiv - Tysiv, Tanyava

Most populous communities

• Bolekhiv city - 10,590
• Tysiv commune - 3,352
• Mizhrichia commune - 1,891

The smallest community is the Huziiv commune with a population of 1,159 (2001).

Two main rivers that run through the Bolekhiv municipality are Sukil and Svicha eventually making their way to Dniester.

Famous people

• Ber of Bolechow or Dov Ber Birkenthal(1723–1805), a Jewish merchant and scholar. He wrote memoirs in Hebrew whose manuscript is in the National Library of Canada in Ottawa. The memoirs were translated into Yiddish (Klal-farlag, Berlin, 1922) and into English (Arno Press, New York, 1973) by Mark Vishnitzer.
• Daniel Mendelsohn (born 1960), a writer and scholar who wrote a book The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million about the Jewish community of Bolekhiv
• Natalia Kobrynska (1855–1920), famous Ukrainian writer and public activist. She organized the female movement in the region and was friend of Olha Kobylianska.
• Ivan Franko, he visited the city in 1884-1888 and later wrote its drama The Stolen Hapiness (Ukradene schastia)

Popular culture

The town is a principal subject of Daniel Mendelsohn's 2005 book The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million.

Location

Local orientation

Regional orientation

External links

• Castles and Temples of Ukraine (Ukrainian)
• Photographs of Jewish sites in Bolekhiv in Jewish History in Galicia and Bukovina
• Neighbors and Murderers a documentary movie on the murder of the Jews of Bolekhiv (Bolechow)
• Old map with town on it