Zalishchyky

Etymology

Zalishchyky's name, as well as its precursors Zalissia and Zalishche, probably derives from "zalis", a compound of the Ukrainian words "за" (za) and "ліс" (lis), together meaning "behind (the) forest" (За лісом (Za lisom)). Hinterwalden, the name for a Saxon settlement in Zalishchyky, also shares this etymological root, originating from the German "hinterwald" (itself meaning, literally, "behind forest").

Others theorise the name derives from the Ukrainian word for the hazel plant (Ukrainian: ліщина, romanized: lishchyna), which they attribute to Zalishchyky's initial settlers.

Geography

Zalishchyky is located at the southern edge of Ternopil Oblast near a place where three oblasts (Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi) joint together. Geographically the city is located in southeastern Galicia (near historical border with Podillia, which was the river Zbruch), directly opposite the historical land of Bukovina, in valley of Dniester which forms in this area so called Dniester canyon. Through the city passes important European route E85 which connects Baltic coast with the coast of Aegean Sea in northern Greece.

Zalishchyky's climate is quite mild, with grapes, peaches and other fruits growing in the area. It is especially famous for its tomatoes. Since the inter-war era, it has been a centre for the tourist industry. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, some 10,000 visitors arrived annually. In the interwar period, the town was an important tourist centre of Poland. It is also one of the few wine growing areas in that part of Ukraine.

History

While the first known mention of Zalishchyky is traced back to 1340, the village had already existed for some time, and given its proximity to a number of other prehistoric settlements, probably dates back to the Cucuteni–Trypillia culture of late Paleolithic antiquity. The 'original' Zalishchyky was actually founded in the area just outside of the modern town's borders, on the land that is now the Ukrainian village of Dobrivliany (which existed as a subdivision of the modern city between 1981 and 1986). In 1469, this village was a peasant farming community under the name Zalissia (Залісся) and later Zalishche (Залісще) in the 15th century. In 1569, Zalishchyky was assigned to the Podolian Voivodship, an administrative unit of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to which the town became a seat for their county in 1774. In 1578, the village officially adopted the name "Zalishchyky". In 1594, Stanisław Żółkiewski raised an army in Zalishchyky and defended the locale from a Tartar invasion. In 1669, the village was completely destroyed by Turk invaders, and the survivors were almost wiped out under the rule of the sultan Mehmed IV during the better part of the Second Polish–Ottoman War. In 1750, at the invitation of Prince Stanisław Poniatowski, Saxon weavers of Silesian cloth settled on part of an historically older portion of Zalishchyky, and named it Hinterwälden. The establishment marked Zalishchyky's transition from a village to a true town. Hinterwälden still survives today, and is now known as "Old Zalishchyky". In 1766, Zalishchyky received the right to self-governance under the Magdeburg Law. The new town's seal read, Sigillum civitatis (Za)leszczyki. The 1772 census lists 159 Jewish families of varying professions dwelling in Zalishchyky. Between 1772 and 1918 Zalishchyky was ruled by the Austrian states of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire, and finally Austria-Hungary, though between 1809 and 1816 it was under control of the Russian Empire.

During the 19th century, the area around Zalishchyky was populated primarily by Ukrainian country folk, though the town had a large Polish and Jewish population. By then, the city was associated with the best peaches, plums and grapes in the Austrian Empire. On 18 June 1809, during the War of the Fifth Coalition, the town was the site of a fierce battle (Polish: Bitwa pod Zaleszczykami) that ended with an Austrian victory. In 1838, the commander of Zalishchyky's infantry battalion reported the beginnings of a peasant revolt against the didych (Ukrainian: дідичів), the land owners. No battles or skirmishes actually occurred during this "revolt", instead peasants went on strike and lodged complaints to the district council from the government. The Austrian government took many measures to suppress the peasant discontent, and finally in July 1838 evacuated the district administration and started a riot in Zalishchyky, all the while torturing innocent civilians. In 1863, the town's Christians rioted against the Jewish population after a Jewish business owner attempted to collect on a loan to a Christian storekeeper. In the ensuing chaos, Jews were beaten and Jewish property was destroyed before police from Chernivtsi were able to suppress the incident. Later that same year a Jewish family was butchered in a nearby hamlet. Zalishchyky's synagogue was destroyed in 1871 by a massive fire that also razed 170 houses. At the end of the 19th century, the area around Zalishchyky witnessed large-scale emigration to the New World, especially western Canada.

Archaeology and monuments

Before the Second World War, the area around Zalishchyky became a major centre of archaeological attention. Near various villages, especially Koshylivtsi (Ukrainian: Кошилівці), a little north of the Dniester, excavations were carried out which uncovered statues, coins, and other artefacts from as far back as the Neolithic Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, and extending through the period of the Roman Empire and the Migration Period in the Early Middle Ages.

Zalishchyky contains a 17th-century Roman Catholic church, an 18th-century Town Hall and other monuments.

Points of interest

Roman Catholic Church of St. Stanislaus, founded by the King of Poland Stanisław II Augustus in 1763, and completed in 1828. The church served as a storage in 1946–1992. Currently, it is under renovation

The Poniatowski Palace, built in the late 18th century, and remodelled in 1831. It was property of Duke Józef Poniatowski, in the 19th century belonged to the Brunicki family. Its last owners was the Turnau family

The Pilsudski Villa, where in 1933 Józef Piłsudski stayed

The 19th century Roman Catholic cemetery

The manor house of Jan Kasprowicz, a Polish poet who lived here in 1896–1899

Notable people

Mykhailo Orest Haivoronsky — Ukrainian composer, musician, conductor, teacher, violinist, and critic

Osyp Makovei — Ukrainian writer, critic, literary historian, publicist, translator, educator and public figure

Vasyl Lopukh — Ukrainian public figure and economist

Leon Biliński – politician and economist, rector of Lviv University

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim — Marshal and sixth president of Finland was in the town during the First World War

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Zalishchyky is twinned with:

Bytów, Poland