A ''narodny dim'' ( uk, народний дім) is a

community hall Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

, used for cultural and social purposes by

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

in Ukraine and in the

Ukrainian diaspora The Ukrainian diaspora comprises Ukrainians and their descendants who live outside Ukraine around the world, especially those who maintain some kind of connection, even if ephemeral, to the land of their ancestors and maintain their feeling of Uk ...

. ''Narodoni dim'' literally means "people's home" or "national hall". ''Narodny domy'' (plural) were modeled after the ''chytalni'' or reading halls of

Austrian Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

, many of which were coordinated by the

Prosvita Prosvita ( uk, просвіта, 'enlightenment') is a society for preserving and developing Ukrainian culture and education among population that created in the nineteenth century in the Austria-Hungary Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. By the ...

society. Members of the

Supreme Ruthenian Council Supreme Ruthenian Council ( uk, Головна Руська Рада, Holovna Ruska Rada) was the first legal Ruthenian political organization that existed from May 1848 to June 1851. It was founded on 2 May 1848 in Lemberg (today Lviv), Austri ...

( uk, Головна Руска Рада) started establishing these halls in the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

-ruled

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

during the "

Spring of Nations The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

" period of European history.

Canada

''Narodni domy'' in Canada typically were either governed independently or affiliated with various political or religious groups who competed for members and funds. In Alberta in the early 20th century 45% of the halls were independent, 35% were communist, and the rest were Ukrainian Catholic-controlled. Independent halls were often linked to either the " Russo-Greek Orthodox" church or the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC; french: Église orthodoxe ukrainienne du Canada) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Canada, primarily consisting of Orthodox Ukrainian Canadians. Its former name (before 1990) was the Ukrainian Greek ...

. Socialist halls were organized by the Ukrainian Labour-Farmer Temple Association, and became known as "labour temples". The main function of the hall's governing board (''zariad'') is to organize plays, concerts, dances, and other cultural activities. They have differed from other community halls in Canada by offering Ukrainian-language music and plays and because of their political and religious associations. Small ''narodni domy'' were once common throughout the Ukrainian bloc settlements but many of those have since closed, and the remaining ones tend to be in larger urban centres. Examples are: * Ukrainian Cultural Centre of Toronto *

Ukrainian Labour Temple The Ukrainian Labour Temple is a hall and cultural centre in the north end of Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is run by the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians and is located at 591 Pritchard Avenue. The labour temple is one of the few left in a onc ...

, Winnipeg

Ukraine

The Prosvita ''chytalni'' / reading halls survived the

Ukrainian War of Independence The Ukrainian War of Independence was a series of conflicts involving many adversaries that lasted from 1917 to 1921 and resulted in the establishment and development of a Ukrainian republic, most of which was later absorbed into the Soviet U ...

from 1918 to 1921 and the Pacification of Ukrainians in Eastern Galicia in 1930. However, the network of these community halls was liquidated by the

Soviet regime The political system of the Soviet Union took place in a federal single-party soviet socialist republic framework which was characterized by the superior role of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the only party permitted by the Co ...

in 1939 after their annexation of West Ukraine (East Poland).Orlevych, I.
Narodny dim in Lviv (НАРОДНИЙ ДІМ У ЛЬВОВІ)
'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine.

Gallery

File:Український народний дім. Чернівці.JPG, Narodny dim, Chernivtsi, Ukraine File:Kamianka Buzka Narodny dim DSC 4364 46-221-0014.jpg, Narodny dim,

Kamianka-Buzka Kamianka-Buzka ( uk, Кам'янка-Бузька, Kamianka-Buzka, ) is a city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast, of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kamianka-Buzka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city was previous ...

, Ukraine File:Poltava Pushkina 20 Narodny dim im Korolenka SAM 7743 53-101-0712.JPG, Narodny dim, Poltava, Ukraine File:Brody Sokil.jpg, Narodny dim "Prosvita",

Brody Brody ( uk, Броди; russian: Броды, Brodï; pl, Brody; german: Brody; yi, בראָד, Brod) is a city in Zolochiv Raion of Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately ...

, Ukraine File:Стрийський Народний дім.JPG, Narodny dim, Stryi, Ukraine File:Шепарівці, народний дім і книгозбірня.jpg, Narodny dim, Sheparivtsi, Ukraine File:Народний дім в Яворові.JPG, Narodny dim,

Yavoriv Yavoriv ( uk, Яворів, ; pl, Jaworów; yi, יאַוואָראָוו , translit=Yavorov; german: Jaworiw) is a city in the Lviv region of western Ukraine which is around 15 kilometers from the Polish border. It is the administrative centre ...

, Ukraine File:NSH Sądowa Wisznia Narodniy Dim 001.JPG, Narodny dim,

Sudova Vyshnia Sudova Vyshnia ( uk, Судова Вишня) is a town in the Yavoriv district of the Lviv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Sudova Vyshnia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is . The town h ...

, Ukraine File:Bow Hill Trenton.JPG, Народний дім « Bow Hill»,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, USA

References

{{Reflist

Canada

Ukraine

Gallery

Further reading

References

See also