Sharhorod (; , ), also known as Shargorod, is a town located within the
Vinnytsia Oblast
Vinnytsia Oblast ( uk, Ві́нницька о́бласть, translit=Vinnytska oblast; ; also referred to as Vinnychchyna — uk, Ві́нниччина) is an oblast of western and southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia. ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. It serves as the administrative center of
Sharhorod Raion
Sharhorod Raion ( uk, Шаргородський район) was one of raions of Vinnytsia Oblast, located in southwestern Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion was the town of Sharhorod. The raion was abolished and its territory was me ...
, one of 33 regions of Vinnytsia Oblast. Population:
History
Early history
Sharhorod was founded in 1579 by
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
chancellor and hetman,
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Sariusz Zamoyski ( la, Ioannes Zamoyski de Zamoscie; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, and the 1st ''ordynat'' of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Chance ...
. It was located very close to the border with the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
Sharhorod was established as a city under
Magdeburg law
Magdeburg rights (german: Magdeburger Recht; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within c ...
in 1588.
In the seventeenth century, because of its location along wine and cattle trading routes, Sharhorod emerged as one of the largest towns in
Podolia
Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...
. The Turks occupied Sharhorod between 1672 and 1699, when the town was called "Little Istanbul". During that time the
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
was converted into a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
. In the nineteenth century, the town became a center of Jewish
Hasidism
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
.
Rabbi
Jacob Joseph of Polonne Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Polonne, (1710–1784) (Hebrew: ) or Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Pollonye, was one of the first and best known of the disciples of the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the Baal Shem Tov.
Biography
Yaakov Yosef (sometimes spelled Yacov Yo ...
fled to
Raşcov as a result of being exiled from Sharhorod. Having been the rabbi of Sharhorod for several years, Rabbi Jacob Joseph was expelled from his position on a Friday afternoon in 1748. In several of his
''responsa'', which he wrote in Raşcov, he reveals the suffering which he had undergone. He would later leave Raşcov after being appointed rabbi in
Nemirov
Nemyriv ( uk, Немирів, russian: Немирoв, pl, Niemirów) is a historic town in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) in Ukraine, located in the historical region of Podolia. It was the administrative center of former Nemyriv Raion (district). ...
, a center of
Hasidism
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
, where he practiced daily fasting for five years, until the
Besht
Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...
came upon him.
Sharhorod was briefly described in a book titled: "Geographic Dictionary of Polish Kingdom and other Slavic places," published in Warsaw in Poland.
World War II period
Shargorod was occupied by the German fascist army and then by the Romanian fascist army during World War II in 1941–1945. Five thousand Jews were deported to Shargorod from
Bessarabia
Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...
and
Bukovina
Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter BergerT ...
, adding to the 2,000 who were already there. Around seven thousand
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
people were kept in a
ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
, created by the German fascist army and by the Romanian fascist army in Shargorod. Many of the Jews in this ghetto either died of disease or were deported to labor camps, and by 1943 there were about 3,000 Jews left.
Religious buildings
Orthodox
There is the St. Nicolas Orthodox Monastery, which was founded in Shargorod in 1719, initially constructed in 1782, and finally built in 1806–1818.
Catholic
There is the St. Florian Catholic Cathedral, which was opened in Shargorod on November 3, 1525.
Jewish
There is the Synagogue, which was built in Shargorod in 1589.
Culture
The international modern arts festival "Art-City: Shargorod" is conducted in Shargorod.
Professional painters, amateur painters, art collectors and tourists from various countries like to attend the international modern arts festival "Art-City: Shargorod".
Transportation
Railway transportation
The name of nearest railway station is the Yaroshenka railway station. The distance to the nearest railway station is 28 km.
Automobile transportation
There is a bus station downtown. The distance to
Zmerynka
Zhmerynka ( uk, Жмеринка ) is a city in Vinnytsia Oblast (province) of central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Zhmerynka Raion (district), the town itself is not a part of the district and is separately incorporated a ...
is 37 km. The distance to
Bar, Ukraine
Bar ( uk, Бар; pl, Bar; russian: Бар) is a town located on the Riv River in the Vinnytsia Oblast (province) of central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Bar Raion (district), and is part of the historic region of Podolia. The ...
is around 60 km. The distance to
Vinnytsia
Vinnytsia ( ; uk, Вінниця, ; yi, װיניצע) is a city in west-central Ukraine, located on the banks of the Southern Bug.
It is the administrative center of Vinnytsia Oblast and the largest city in the historic region of Podillia. A ...
is 80,8 km. The distance to
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
is 330 km.
Notable people
Jacob Joseph of Polonne Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Polonne, (1710–1784) (Hebrew: ) or Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Pollonye, was one of the first and best known of the disciples of the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the Baal Shem Tov.
Biography
Yaakov Yosef (sometimes spelled Yacov Yo ...
, a Ukrainian rabbi and one of the first and most dedicated of the disciples of the founder of Chassidut, the Holy
Baal Shem Tov
Israel ben Eliezer (1698 – 22 May 1760), known as the Baal Shem Tov ( he, בעל שם טוב, ) or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism. "Besht" is the acronym for Baal Shem Tov, which ...
.
Gallery
File:Костьол Святого Флоріана Шарого P1530501.jpg, St. Florian Catholic church in Sharhorod
File:Синагога в Шаргороді.jpg, Synagogue in Shargorod
File:Schar1.jpg, Historic image of Shargorod
Further reading
Tombstones Define Dying Shtetl in Ukraine, Los Angeles Times, 1997
References
{{Authority control
Cities in Vinnytsia Oblast
Cities of district significance in Ukraine
Mogilyovsky Uyezd (Podolian Governorate)
Shtetls
Holocaust locations in Ukraine