Volodymyr-Volynsky historical-cultural complex
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Volodymyr ( uk, Володи́мир, from 1944 to 2021 Volodymyr-Volynskyi ( uk, Володи́мир-Воли́нський)) is a small city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the
Volodymyr Raion Volodymyr Raion ( uk, Володимирський район) is a raion in Volyn Oblast Volyn Oblast ( uk, Воли́нська о́бласть, translit=Volýnsʹka óblastʹ; also referred to as Volyn or Lodomeria) is an oblast (province) i ...
and the center of Volodymyr
hromada A hromada ( uk, територіальна громада, lit=territorial community, translit=terytorialna hromada) is a basic unit of administrative division in Ukraine, similar to a municipality. It was established by the Government of Ukra ...
. The city is the historic centre of the region of Volhynia and the historic capital of the
Principality of Volhynia The Principality of Volhynia was a western Kievan Rus' principality founded by the Rurik dynasty in 987 centered in the region of Volhynia, straddling the borders of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland. From 1069 to 1118, it belonged to Izya ...
and one of the capital cities of the
Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia , conventional_long_name = Principality of Galicia–VolhyniaKingdom of Galicia–Volhynia , common_name = Galicia–Volhynia , status = Vassal state of the Golden Horde (from 1246) , era = Middle Ages , year_start = 1199 , year_end = 1349 , ...
. It is one of the oldest cities of Ukraine and Kyiv Rus'. Population: The medieval Latin name of the town " Lodomeria" became the namesake of the 19th century
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, of which the town itself was not a part. south from Volodymyr is Zymne, the oldest Orthodox Monastery in Volynia is located.


Name

The city was named ''Volodymyr'', after Prince Volodymyr the Great (born in the village of
Budiatychi Budiatychi ( uk, Будятичі) is a village in the Volodymyr Raion (district) of the Volyn Oblast (province) in western Ukraine near Novovolynsk. History Budiatychi is a possible birthplace of Volodymyr the Great, Grand Prince of Kiev, rule ...
, about 20 km from Volodymyr), and later also abbreviated ''Lodomeria'',''Ladimiri''. Following partition of Poland and annexation of Volhynia by the
Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
from 1795 it was called ''Volodymyr-Volynskyi'' (Vladimir-Volynsky), to distinguish it from
Vladimir-na-Kliazme Vladimir ( rus, Влади́мир, p=vlɐ'dʲimʲɪr, a=Ru-Владимир.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, east of Moscow. It is served by a railway and the M7 motorway. ...
in Russia. The name was not in use between 1919 and 1939, when the city was in Poland. In 1944 the name Volodymyr-Volynskyi was restored. On 1 October 2021, city council voted to drop the regional qualifier and change the name of the city to just ''Volodymyr''. The decision had to be ratified by Ukraine's national parliament ( Verkhovna Rada) to take effect. On 14 December 2021 parliament approved the name change (it was supported by 348 people's deputies).The council renamed Volodymyr-Volynskyi, the Russian city Vladimir is against
Ukrayinska Pravda (14 December 2021)
The (above mentioned) Russian city Vladimir was against the name change claiming that there can be only one city called Vladimir. There is no other city in Ukraine called Volodymyr. Over the centuries its residents and rulers have used various names: * * * * * * * * *


History

The city is one of the oldest towns in Ukraine and historical
Ruthenia Ruthenia or , uk, Рутенія, translit=Rutenia or uk, Русь, translit=Rus, label=none, pl, Ruś, be, Рутэнія, Русь, russian: Рутения, Русь is an exonym, originally used in Medieval Latin as one of several terms ...
(or Rus). It was originally a stronghold founded by Volodymyr the Great on the lands taken from the Polish Lendians around 981. In 988 the city became the capital of Volodymyr Principality and the seat of an Orthodox bishopric, as mentioned in the
Primary Chronicle The ''Tale of Bygone Years'' ( orv, Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, translit=Pověstĭ vremęnĭnyxŭ lětŭ; ; ; ; ), often known in English as the ''Rus' Primary Chronicle'', the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', or simply the ...
. In 1160 the building of ''Sobor of Dormition of The Holy Mother of God'' was completed. By the 13th century the city became part of Galicia–Volhynia as one of the most important trading towns in the region. Upon the conquest of Batu Khan in 1240, the city was subordinated to the
Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...
together with other Ruthenian principalities. In 1241, the Mongol army gathered near the town before the first Mongol invasion of Poland. In the 14th century, Metropolitan Theognostus of all Rus' resided in the city for several years before moving to Moscow. In 1349 King
Casimir the Great Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He w ...
captured the city, and subsequently it became part of the Kingdom of Poland. The Polish king began building a castle, destroyed by Lithuanians after 1370, and established a Catholic bishopric in Włodzimierz, later transferred to nearby Lutsk, which in the 15th century instead of Volodymyr became the leading city and capital of Volhynia. In 1370 it was taken by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (after 1386 part of the
Polish–Lithuanian Union Polish–Lithuanian can refer to: * Polish–Lithuanian union (1385–1569) * Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795) * Polish-Lithuanian identity as used to describe groups, families, or individuals with histories in the Polish–Lithuanian ...
) and it was not until the Union of Lublin of 1569 that it returned to the Crown of Poland. In the meantime the city was given Magdeburg town rights in 1431. In 1491 and 1500 it was invaded by Tatars. From 1566 to 1795 it was part of the Volhynian Voivodeship. It was a
royal city Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...
of Poland. Most of the city's landmarks were built at that time, including the
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
church of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the Jesuit church, the Dominican monastery and the chapel of St. Josaphat. On July 17, 1792, the
Battle of Włodzimierz A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
took place in the vicinity of the town: a numerically inferior Polish force led by Tadeusz Kościuszko defeated the Russian army. The city remained a part of Poland until the Third Partition of Poland of 1795, when the Russian Empire annexed it. That year the Russian authorities changed the name of several cities in Volhynia including
Novohrad-Volynskyi Zviahel (, ; translit. ''Zvil'') is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' () in 1795 after annexation of territories of Polish–Lithuanian ...
(former ''Zwiahel''). Volodymyr-Volynsky stayed within Russian Partition till 1917. In the 19th century, as part of anti-Polish repressions, Russians demolished the Dominican church and Capuchin monastery, and the former
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
and then Basilian church was converted into an Orthodox church. In 18th and 19th centuries the town started to grow rapidly, mostly thanks to large numbers of Jews settling there as a result of Russian discriminatory policies. By the second half of the 19th century they made up the majority of local inhabitants. According to the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland, in the late 19th century the city had 8336 inhabitants, 6122 of them Jews. In 1908, the railway station was opened. Immediately after World War I, the area became disputed by the re-established Polish state,
Bolshevist Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
and the Ukrainian People's Republic, with the Polish 17th Infantry Regiment capturing it overnight on January 23, 1919. In the interbellum the city was a seat of a powiat within the Volhynian Voivodeship of Poland and an important
garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
was located there. In 1926, the Volyn Artillery Reserve Cadet School ( Wołyńska Szkoła Podchorążych Rezerwy Artylerii) was established in Włodzimierz. Before the outbreak of World War II the city's population was predominantly
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
and Jewish, with a Ukrainian minority.Władysław Siemaszko, Ewa Siemaszko, ''Ludobójstwo dokonane przez nacjonalistów ukraińskich na ludności polskiej Wołynia 1939-1945'', Warszawa, „von borowiecky”, 2000, s. 950-958 (in Polish)


World War II

Following the Nazi-Soviet Pact the city was
occupied ' (Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 October 2 ...
by Soviet forces on 19 September 1939. On 23 June 1941 the city was occupied by Germany and attached to the Reichskommissariat Ukraine, and immediately the Jewish community of 11,554 began to be persecuted. Between September 1 and 3, 1942, 25,000 Jews from the local area were shot at Piatydni. On November 13, 1942, the Germans killed another 3,000 Jews from the town near Piatydni. During World War II, a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
concentration camp was located near the city. About 140 Jews returned to the city after the war, but most later emigrated. By 1999 only 30 remained. In 1943, occupied Włodzimierz became a shelter for Poles escaping the genocide carried out by Ukrainian nationalists of the UPA. UPA attacks took place mainly in the suburbs. Poles were defended both by the Polish police established with the consent of the Germans and an illegal self-defense unit. In Włodzimierz, Poles suffered from overpopulation, hunger and diseases. According to later research by
Władysław Siemaszko Władysław Siemaszko (born 8 June 1919) is a Polish publicist and lawyer, former member of the Polish resistance Armia Krajowa (AK), author of numerous publications focusing on the massacres of Poles in Volhynia. He is the father of writer Ewa ...
and
Ewa Siemaszko Ewa Siemaszko is a Polish writer, publicist and lecturer; collector of oral accounts and historical data regarding the Massacres of Poles in Volhynia. An engineer by profession with Master's in technological studies from the Warsaw University of L ...
, a total of 111 Poles were killed in a dozen UPA attacks in Włodzimierz. After the war, the vast majority of Polish residents of Włodzimierz was displaced to the post-war Polish territories, as Włodzimierz was annexed from Poland by the Soviets. The city was liberated by the Red Army on 20 July 1944 and annexed to the Ukrainian SSR.


Post-war

A
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
air base was located north-east of the town at Zhovtnevy. Since 1991, the city has been part of Ukraine.


Discovery of mass graves from World War II

A series of mass graves were discovered in 1997, with exhumations completed by 2013. Originally thought to be an example of NKVD
mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...
, similar to the Katyn massacre and the
Vinnytsia massacre The Vinnytsia massacre was the mass execution of between 9,000 and 11,000 people in the Ukrainian town of Vinnytsia by the Soviet secret police NKVD during the Great Purge in 1937–1938, which Nazi Germany discovered during its occupation of Ukr ...
, the Volodymyr-Volynskyi murders were shown in 2012 to have been carried out by German forces, most likely the ''
Einsatzgruppen (, ; also ' task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the im ...
'' C. The primary archeological evidence for German culpability was that most of the bullet shell casings were dated 1941 and were from a German factory. Testimony by a Jewish survivor of the city, Ann Kazimirski (née Ressels), who lived on Kovelska Street, recorded by the USC Shoah Foundation corroborated the view that the perpetrators were German and that the victims were primarily Jewish. Anthropological analysis of the remains led to the conclusion that three quarters of the victims were women and children. The 747 victims were reinterred in local city cemeteries.


Climate


Churches in Volodymyr

The oldest place of worship in the town is the Temple of Volodymyr, erected several kilometres from the modern town's centre and first mentioned in a chronicle (''letopis'') of 1044. The oldest existing church is the Dormition of the Mother of God built by Mstyslav Izyaslavovych in 1160. By the late 18th century it fell into disuse and finally collapsed in 1829, but was restored between 1896 and 1900. The third of the old Orthodox churches is the Eastern Orthodox Basil the Great's cathedral, which was erected in the 14th or 15th century, though local legends attribute its construction to Volodymyr the Great, who supposedly built it some time after 992. In 1497, Duke Alexander Jagiellon erected a Catholic church of Holy Trinity and a Dominican monastery. In 1554, another wooden Catholic church was founded by Princess
Anna Zbaraska Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...
, which was later replaced by a new St. Joachim and Anna's church in 1836. In 1755, a
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
church was erected there by the
starost The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...
of
Słonim Slonim ( be, Сло́нім, russian: Сло́ним, lt, Slanimas, lv, Sloņima, pl, Słonim, yi, סלאָנים, ''Slonim'') is a city in Grodno Region, Belarus, capital of the Slonimski rajon. It is located at the junction of the Ščar ...
Ignacy Sadowski Ignacy is a Polish given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ignacy Tadeusz Baranowski (1879–1917), Polish historian *Piotr Ignacy Bieńkowski (1865–1925), Polish classical scholar and archaeologist, professor of Jagiellonian Universit ...
and, in 1780, the Greek Catholic Josaphat's church was added to the list. Following the Russian Empire's takeover of the town, in the effect of the
Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...
, both shrines were confiscated and donated to the authorities of the Orthodox Church, which converted them to an Orthodox monastery and church, respectively, while the Dominican monastery was converted to an administrative building.


Museum

There also exists
Volodymyr-Volynsky Historical Museum The Volodymyr-Volynskyi Historical Museum was founded in 1887 in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. History The ''Volodymyr-Volynsky Historical Museum'' owns one of the oldest collections of Volynian antiquities. The community of ...
, an architectural monument of the 19th century.


International relations


Twin towns - Sister cities

Volodymyr is twinned with: * Dubno, Ukraine * Korosten, Ukraine *
Hrubieszów Hrubieszów (; uk, Грубешів, Hrubeshiv; yi, הרוביעשאָוו, Hrubyeshov) is a town in southeastern Poland, with a population of around 18,212 (2016). It is the capital of Hrubieszów County within the Lublin Voivodeship. Througho ...
, Poland * Kętrzyn, Poland * Łęczyca, Poland * Zwickau, Germany * Raseiniai,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...


Gallery

File:Володимир-Волинський. Кірха.jpg, Greek-Catholic Saint Josaphat's Church (formerly Lutheran) File:Володимир-Волинський Миколаївська церква.jpg, Saint Nicolas Сhurch File:Соборна14.Володимир.JPG, Soborna street File:Воломир-Волинський -Будинок, в якому розміщувався штаб 90-го Володимир-Волинського прикордонного загону-1.jpg, Former Border Guard headquarters File:Volodymyr-Volynskyi Volynska-building Kovelska 29.jpg, A building on Kovelska street File:Василівська церква.Володимир2.JPG, Saint Basil's Rotunda


Famous People

* Josaphat Kuntsevycharcheparch (
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
) of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, also a martyr and
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
of the Catholic Church * Amtylochius – bishop and
saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
of Eastern Orthodox Church *
Ipatii Potii Hypatius Pociej ( be, Іпацій Пацей), pl, Hipacy Pociej, uk, Іпатій Потій) (12 April 1541 – 18 July 1613) was the Metropolis of Kiev and all Rus', Metropolitan of Kiev, Galicia and all Ruthenia in the Ruthenian Uniate ...
– bishop, writer, and humanist, also co-founder and supporter of the Union of Brest * Wacław Hipsz –
protonotary apostolic In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic (PA; Latin: ''protonotarius apostolicus'') is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pop ...
of the Catholic Church and the Prefect of Secondary Education in Volodymyr-Volynsky until 1939 *
Janusz Bardach Janusz Bardach (July 28, 1919 in Odessa – August 16, 2002 in Iowa City) was a gulag survivor, author, and noted plastic surgeon. He was the younger brother of Polish legal scholar Juliusz Bardach. Survivors include: his wife, Phyllis Harpe ...
– surgeon,
Kolyma Kolyma (russian: Колыма́, ) is a region located in the Russian Far East. It is bounded to the north by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean, and by the Sea of Okhotsk to the south. The region gets its name from the Kolyma River an ...
survivor, and memoirist * Juliusz Bardach – legal historian and professor of the University of Warsaw. * Teresa Lewtak-Stattler – social activist,
stalag In Germany, stalag (; ) was a term used for prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag is a contraction of "Stammlager", itself short for ''Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschaftsstammlager'', a literal translation of which is "War-prisoner" (i.e. POW) "enlisted" "ma ...
prisoner, Councillor of the Warsaw Capital, and meritorious member of Polish Home Army who took part in special operations against German Nazi high-ranking officials in German-occupied Poland during World War II and was involved in underground humanitary aid to Jews from Warsaw Ghetto * Józef Han – chairman of society of veterans of
27th Home Army Infantry Division (Poland) 27th Volhynian Infantry Division ( pl, 27 Wołyńska Dywizja Piechoty) was a World War II Polish Armia Krajowa unit fighting in the Volhynia region in 1944. It was created on January 15, 1944, from smaller partisan self-defence units during the ...
in
Hrubieszów Hrubieszów (; uk, Грубешів, Hrubeshiv; yi, הרוביעשאָוו, Hrubyeshov) is a town in southeastern Poland, with a population of around 18,212 (2016). It is the capital of Hrubieszów County within the Lublin Voivodeship. Througho ...
* Ann Kazimirski (née Ressels) – Holocaust survivor, teacher, lecturer, and author of the autobiographical book ''Witness to Horror'', in which she describes growing up in Volodymyr (Ludmir), surviving the Holocaust, and making a new life in Canada for her and her family * Jerzy Strojnowski – psychiatrist, philosopher and writer, also professor and co-founder of Psychology Institute at
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin ( pl, Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, la, Universitas Catholica Lublinensis Ioannis Pauli II, abbreviation KUL), established in 1918. It is the only private college in Poland with the s ...
* Jerzy Antczak – film director. * Jan Tadeusz Stanisławski – writer, satirist, and actor * Ahatanhel Krymsky – orientalist and polyglot * Hannah Rachel Verbermacher (1805–1888), also known as the
Maiden of Ludmir Hannah Rachel Verbermacher ( yi, חנה רחל ווערבערמאכער, 1805–1888),The Library of Congress authority file gives her dates as 1815–1892 also known as the Maiden of Ludomir, the Maiden of Ludmir, the ''Ludmirer Moyd'' (in Yidd ...
or the Ludmirer Moyd, the only independent female Rebbe in the history of the Hasidic movement


References

* «Jewish Volodymyr. The History and Tragedy of Jewish Community of Volodymyr-Volyns’kyi» by Volodymyr Muzychenko, Lutsk, 2011. 256 p. (in Ukrainian) Володимир Музиченко. “Володимир єврейський. Історія і трагедія єврейської громади м. Володимира-Волинського” .


Link

Official Web site of the Volodymyr-Vohlynsky historical museum
{{Authority control Cities in Volyn Oblast Wołyń Voivodeship (1921–1939) Vladimir-Volynsky Uyezd Volhynian Voivodeship (1569–1795) Former capitals of Ukraine Magdeburg rights Cities of regional significance in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine Vladimir the Great City name changes in Ukraine