Kolomyia Коломия | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Kolomyia Location of Kolomyia Show map of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Kolomyia Kolomyia (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine | |
| Coordinates:48°31′50″N25°02′25″E / 48.53056°N 25.04028°E /48.53056; 25.04028 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast |
| Raion | Kolomyia Raion |
| Hromada | Kolomyia urban hromada |
| Area | |
• Total | 41 km2 (16 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 60,821 |
| • Density | 1,494/km2 (3,870/sq mi) |
| Website | www.ko.if.ua City's administrative statistics at Verkhovna Rada web-site[permanent dead link] |
Kolomyia (Ukrainian:Коломия,IPA:[koloˈmɪjɐ]ⓘ), formerly known asKolomea, is acity located on thePrut River inIvano-Frankivsk Oblast in the west ofUkraine. It serves as theadministrative centre ofKolomyia Raion, hosting the administration ofKolomyia urban hromada.[1] The population is60,821 (2022 estimate).[2]
The city rests approximately halfway betweenIvano-Frankivsk andChernivtsi, in the centre of the historical region ofPokuttia, with which it shares much of its history. Kolomyia is a notable railroad hub, as well as an industrial centre (textiles, shoes,metallurgical plant, machine works, wood and paper industry). It is a centre ofHutsul culture. Until 1925 the town was the most populous town in the region. Before theHolocaust about half the town’s population wasJewish.
The city has alternative names for it in other languages:
According to Ukrainian etymological dictionaries, the nameKolomyia is a compound word formed from the roots of the nounkolo 'wheel, circle' and the verbmyti 'to wash'. It comes from theProto-Slavic wordkołomyja 'hole filled with water' (literally, 'that which the wheel washes').[3]
 | It has been suggested that this section besplit out into another article titledHistory of Kolomyia. (Discuss)(March 2022) |
The settlement of Kolomyia was first mentioned by theHypatian Chronicle[4] in 1240 and theGalician–Volhynian Chronicle in 1241 a time of theMongol invasion of Rus'. Initially part ofKievan Rus', it later belonged to one of itssuccessor states, the principality ofHalych-Volhynia. On the order ofBoroldai, the town fortress was burnt down in 1259. Since the mid-13th century it was known for its salt mining industry.[5]
In 1340 it was annexed to Poland by KingCasimir III following theGalicia–Volhynia Wars, along with the rest of theKingdom of Rus'. Sometime in the 1340s, another fortress was erected there.[4] In a short time the settlement became one of the most notable centres of commerce in the area. Because of that, the population rose rapidly.
Prior to 1353 there were twoparishes in the settlement, one forCatholics and the other forOrthodox. In 1388 the kingWładysław Jagiełło was forced by the war with theTeutonic Order topawn the area ofPokuttia to thehospodar ofMoldavia,Petru II. Although the town remained under Polish sovereignty, the income of the customs offices in the area was given to the Moldavians, after which time the debt was repaid. In 1412 the king erected aDominican ordermonastery and a stone-built church there.
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In 1405 the town'stown rights were confirmed and it was granted with theMagdeburg Law, which allowed theburghers limited self-governance.[6][7] This move made the development of the area faster and Kołomyja, as it was called then, attracted many settlers from many parts of Europe. Apart from the localUkrainians andPoles, manyArmenians,Jews, andHungarians settled there. In 1411 the fortress-town was given away for 25 years to theVlachHospodarOlexander as a gift for his support in the war against Hungary.[7] In 1443, a year before his death, KingWladislaus II of Poland granted the town yet another privilege which allowed the burghers to tradesalt, one of the most precious minerals of theMiddle Ages.
Since the castle gradually fell into disarray, in 1448 KingCasimir IV of Poland gave the castle on the hill above the town to Maria, widow ofPrinceIliaș ofMoldavia as a dowry. In exchange, she refurbished the castle and reinforced it. In 1456 the town was granted yet another privilege. This time the king allowed the town authorities to stop all merchants passing by the town, and force them to sell their goods at the local market. This gave the town an additional boost, especially as the region was one of three salt-producing areas in Poland (the other two beingWieliczka andBochnia), both not far fromKraków.
The area was relatively peaceful for the next century. However, the vacuum after the decline of theGolden Horde started to be filled by yet another power in the area: theOttoman Empire. In 1485SultanBeyazid II capturedBelgorod andKilia, two ports on the northern shores of theBlack Sea. This became a direct threat to Moldavia. In search of allies, its rulerStephen the Great came to Kolomyia and paid homage to the Polish king, thus becoming avassal of thePolish Crown. For the ceremony, both monarchs came with roughly 20,000 knights, which was probably the biggest festivity ever held in the town. After the festivity most knights returned home, apart from 3,000 under Jan Karnkowski, who were given to the Moldavian prince as support in his battles, which he won in the end.
In 1490, due to increased oppression of Ukrainians at the hands of the Polish, a series of successful rebellions was led by modern Ukrainian hero Petro Mukha, joined by other Ukrainians, such as Cossacks and Hutsuls, in addition to Moldavians (Romanians). Known asMukha's Rebellion, this series of battles was supported by the Moldavian princeStephen the Great, and it is one of the earliest known uprisings of Ukrainians against Polish oppression. Besides Kolomyia, these rebellions saw the capture of other cities ofPokuttia, and reached as far west as Lviv, but without capturing the latter.[7][8]
With the death of Stephen the Great of Moldavia, the neighbouring state started to experience both internal and external pressure from the Turks. As a consequence of border skirmishes, as well as natural disasters, the town was struck by fires in 1502, 1505, 1513, and 1520.
Władysław II Jagiełło, needing financial support in his battles against theTeutonic Knights, used the region as a guarantee in a loan which he obtained fromPetru II of Moldavia, who thus gained control ofPokuttia in 1388. Therefore, it became the feudal property of the princes ofMoldavia, but remained within theKingdom of Poland.
After theBattle of the Cosmin Forest, in 1498, Pokuttia was conquered byStephen the Great, annexed and retained byMoldavia until theBattle of Obertyn in 1531, when it was recaptured by Poland'shetmanJan Tarnowski, who defeated Stephen's sonPetru Rareș. Minor Polish-Moldavian clashes for Pokuttia continued for the next 15 years, until Petru Rareș's death.
The following year,hetmanJan Tarnowski recaptured the town and defeated the Moldavians in theBattle of Obertyn. This victory secured the city's existence for the following years, but the Ottoman power grew and Poland's southern border remained insecure.
In 1589, the Turks crossed the border and seized Kolomyia almost immediately. All the burghers who had taken part in the defence were slaughtered, while the rest were forced to pay high indemnities.
The town was returned to Poland soon afterwards, but the city's growth lost its momentum.
In 1620, another Polono-Turkish war broke out. After thePolish defeat at Țuțora, Kolomyia was yet again seized by the Turks. In 1626[7] the town was burned to the ground, while all of residents were enslaved in ajasyr.
After the war the area yet again returned to Poland. With the town in ruins, thestarosta ofKamieniec Podolski fortress financed its reconstruction – slightly further away from thePrut River. The town was rebuilt, but never regained its power and remained one of many similar-scaled centres in the area.
During theKhmelnytskyi Uprising in 1648–54, the Kolomyia county became a centre of a peasant unrest (Pokuttia Uprising) led by Semen Vysochan.[4][9] The rebels' centre was a town ofOtynia.[9] With the help of incoming Cossack forces, Vysochan managed to overtake the important local fortress of Pniv (today – a village ofNadvirna Raion) and eventually managed to take under its control most of cities and villages in the region providing great support for the advancing Cossack forces ofBohdan Khmelnytskyi.[9] Soon however with advancing Polish troops, Vysochan was forced to retreat to the easternPodillya where he continued to fight under commands ofIvan Bohun andIvan Sirko.[9]
In the 17th century the town`s outskirts saw another peasant rebellion led byOleksa Dovbush.[4] The rebels were known asopryshky.
As a result of the first ofPartitions of Poland (Treaty of St. Petersburg dated 5 July 1772), Kolomyia[10] was attributed to theHabsburg monarchy. More details about the history of Galicia can be read in the articleKingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria.
However, as it provided very little profit, Kolomyia was sold to thecastellan ofBełz,Ewaryst Kuropatnicki, who became the town's owner. The magnate financed a new Our Lady's Church, but he lacked the financial means to accelerate the town`s growth.
Prosperity returned to the town in the mid-19th century, when it was linked to the world through theLemberg-Czernowitz railroad. In 1848 in Kolomyia was built a public library which was one of the first in eastern Galicia.[5] In 1861 there was opened a gymnasium where studied among others Petro Kozlaniuk,Vasyl Stefanyk,Marko Cheremshyna.[5] By 1882 the town had almost 24,000 inhabitants, including roughly 12,000 Jews, 6,000 Ruthenians, and 4,000 Poles. Until the end of that century, commerce attracted even more inhabitants from all overGalicia. There were established publishers and print houses.[5] Moreover, a newJesuit Catholic church was built in Kolomyia, as it was called by German authorities, along with aLutheran church built in 1874. By 1901 the number of inhabitants grew to 34,188, approximately half of them Jews.
In 1900 the Jewish population was 16,568, again nearly 50% of the town's population. The Jewish community had a Great Synagogue, and about 30 other synagogues. In 1910 Jews were prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages. In 1911 they were prohibited from salt and wine occupations.
After the outbreak ofWorld War I, the town saw fierce battles between the forces of theRussian Empire andAustria-Hungary. Jews were abused for supposedly supporting the Austrians, and many Jewish homes were ransacked and destroyed.[citation needed] The Russian advance occupied the town in September 1914. In 1915 the Austrians retook the town.
As a result of the collapse ofAustria-Hungary, both the town itself and the surrounding region became disputed between renascent Poland and theWest Ukrainian People's Republic.
However, during thePolish-Ukrainian War of 1919, it wasseized without a fight by theRomanian Land Forces under GeneralIacob Zadik, and handed over to Polish authorities. According to theUkrainian Soviet Encyclopedia, it was taken over by the Polish bourgeoisie and land owners.[4] During the Polish-Bolshevik 1919 war in Ukraine, a Polish division under General Zeligowski tore through Bessarabia and Bukovina and stopped in Kolomyia during its winter march to Poland. Kolomyia was then temporarily occupied by the Romanians and the border was near the town (shtetl) Otynia between Stanislav and Kolomyia.
After thePolish-Soviet War it remained in Poland as a capital of apowiat within theStanisławów Voivodship. By 1931 the number of inhabitants grew to over 41,000. The ethnic mixture was composed of Jews, Poles, Ukrainians (including Hutsuls), Germans, Armenians, and Hungarians, as well as of descendants of Valachians and other nationalities of formerAustria-Hungary. With the development of infrastructure, the town became a major railroad hub, as well as the garrison village of the49th Hutsul Rifle Regiment. In the interbellum period, every Thursday a market took place at the main square of the town. The town had a monument to Polish poetFranciszek Karpinski, a monument to Polish poetAdam Mickiewicz, and anobelisk near the town, located in a spot where in 1485hospodarStephen III of Moldavia paid tribute to kingKazimierz IV Jagiellon. In 1920-30s workers' strikes took place in the village, possibly organized by theCommunist Party of Western Ukraine that was established in Kolomyia in 1923.[4]
In 1921 a music school was established in Kolomyia.[5]
After the outbreak of World War II with theInvasion of Poland of 1939, the town was thought of as one of the centres of Polish defence of the so-calledRomanian Bridgehead.[citation needed]
However, the Soviet invasion from the east made these plans obsolete, and the town was occupied by theRed Army.
As a result of theMolotov–Ribbentrop Pact, the occupied town became a part of theSoviet Union as a region of theUkrainian SSR. The accession of the Western Ukraine to the Soviet Union (Reunion ofWestern Ukraine andUSSR) – the adoption of theSoviet Union inWestern Ukraine with the adoption of an Extraordinary Session V of theSupreme Soviet of theUSSR Law "On the inclusion of theWestern Ukraine in theSoviet Union to the reunification of theUkrainian SSR" (1 November 1939) at the request of the Commission of the Plenipotentiary of the People's Assembly ofWestern Ukraine. The decision to file motions stipulated in the Declaration "On joining ofWestern Ukraine in theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic" was adopted by the People's Assembly ofWestern Ukraine inLviv, 27 October 1939.
On 14 November 1939, the Third Extraordinary Session of theSupreme Soviet ofUSSR decided: "AcceptWestern Ukraine in theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and thus reunite the great Ukrainian people in a unified Ukrainian state."
In 1940 part of the local population, Jews and Christians alike, were arrested by theNKVD,[citation needed] and sent to theGulag system or to various Soviet prisons that contained Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Hungarians, and many others.
In June 1941, the town was bombed byNazi Germany airforce. This caused many Jews and young people to flee east. Briefly, the town was occupied by Hungary, a German ally. During their occupation, the Ukrainian townspeople launched a pogrom against Jews, beating, robbing, and humiliating them. Several hundred were forced to remove Lenin's statue from the town square. Ukrainians were preparing to shoot many when a deputy mayor stopped them. The Ukrainians prepared lists of Jews they wanted to see punished.
On 1 August the town became part of the German controlledGeneralgouvernement and the anti Jewish measures increased. In October, the Germans and their Ukrainian auxiliaries arrested 3000 Jews according to the lists prepared by the Ukrainians. These Jews were taken by truck to the Szeparowce Forest where they were shot. The Great Synagogue in the town was burned. The next month, 2000 more were taken to the same forest by the Germans and their Ukrainian allies and shot and in December another 1200 suffered the same fate. More Aktions followed in January though March 1942 so that the Jewish population of the town, which had been 30,000 before June was now only 17,000. At this point, the Germans established a ghetto forcing Jews to move there within 24 hours. In April 5000 Jews were rounded up and sent toBelzec, where they were immediately murdered. In September 1942, more than 1000 Jews were selected to stay in the ghetto, being fit to work. Those in hiding were shot, and others sent to Belzec to be murdered. Jews from surrounding villages were brought to the ghetto and they too, with more Kolomyia Jews, were sent to Belzec. In February 1943, the last Jews, who had been kept behind as laborers were killed by clubbing and shooting. Overall, more than 70,000 Jews from Kolomyia and the area were killed in Kolomyja and the Szeparowce Forest or sent to Belzec.
Only about 200 Jews were still alive when the Red Army liberated Kolomyia from the German invaders on 28 March 1944. Other Jews who had been deported or fled to the Soviet Union survived there. After liberation, many construction workers, teachers, doctors, engineers and other skilled professionals began to arrive to restore the ruined town. They arrived from the eastern part of Ukraine and other parts of the Soviet Union. But the Jewish community was not revived.
During theCold War the town was the headquarters of the 44th Rocket Division of theStrategic Rocket Forces, which had previously been the 73rd Engineer Brigade RVGK atKamyshin. The division was disbanded on 31 March 1990.[11]
It is now a part ofUkraine, independent since 1991.
By the time of independence the vast majority of industrial enterprises of Kolomyia had closed or had been eliminated: Plant "Kolomyiasilmash", "Zahotzerno", plant "Elektroosnastka", factory "17 September", a shoe factory, a woodworking factory, plant KRP (complete switchgears),the printing house on Valova St.,a brush manufacturer, a weaving factory and many others. Also shut down were movie theatres; there had been four:Irchan movie theatre,Kirov movie theatre, movie theatre "Yunist" (Youth), and a summer theatre in the present Trylovskoho park (formerly named Kirov park). A film store of regional importance also closed down. As a result, many people found themselves unemployed, and many town residents felt forced to move abroad to find work. Those companies that have remained from the Soviet era barely function. These include a curtain factory, a paper mill,Metalozavod, PlantPRUT (programmable electronic educational terminals),a cheese factory, "Kolomyiasilmash", Kolomyia Plant management of building materials, Kolomyia Motor Company, a paper mill, a clothes factory on Valova St, a printing house on Mazepa St., and a canned fruit plant.
Most of these companies were widely known in the former Soviet Union and abroad, as they were highly advanced in terms of equipment, skilled workers, and engineering staff. These enterprises produced many products, with people working in several shifts, and providing the village with received significant tax revenues.
It is asister village ofNysa in Poland, to which many of its former inhabitants had to move after the war.
Since late 2015, Kolomyia has been the headquarters of the Ukrainian10th Mountain Brigade.[12]
Until 18 July 2020, Kolomyia was incorporated as atown of oblast significance and served as the administrative center of Kolomyia Raion though it did not belong to the raion. In July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast to six, the town of Kolomyia was merged into Kolomyia Raion.[13][14]
Distribution of the population by native language according to the2001 census:[15]
| Language | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian | 57,214 | 93.11% |
| Russian | 3,075 | 5.00% |
| Other or undecided | 1,159 | 1.89% |
| Total | 61,448 | 100.00% |
Places adjacent to Kolomyia | |
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| Climate data for Kolomyia (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) | 2.0 (35.6) | 7.1 (44.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 20.0 (68.0) | 22.6 (72.7) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.2 (75.6) | 19.2 (66.6) | 13.8 (56.8) | 6.3 (43.3) | 1.2 (34.2) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.5 (25.7) | −2.4 (27.7) | 2.0 (35.6) | 8.2 (46.8) | 13.7 (56.7) | 16.7 (62.1) | 18.6 (65.5) | 17.8 (64.0) | 13.1 (55.6) | 7.9 (46.2) | 2.1 (35.8) | −2.5 (27.5) | 7.6 (45.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.7 (18.1) | −6.4 (20.5) | −2.4 (27.7) | 2.8 (37.0) | 7.6 (45.7) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.9 (55.2) | 12.0 (53.6) | 7.7 (45.9) | 3.2 (37.8) | −1.5 (29.3) | −6.0 (21.2) | 2.8 (37.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 26.8 (1.06) | 28.8 (1.13) | 37.3 (1.47) | 54.2 (2.13) | 78.3 (3.08) | 109.2 (4.30) | 104.6 (4.12) | 86.2 (3.39) | 64.1 (2.52) | 42.7 (1.68) | 34.2 (1.35) | 34.2 (1.35) | 700.6 (27.58) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 8.9 | 10.7 | 12.1 | 11.0 | 10.6 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 8.2 | 106.9 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 82.2 | 80.9 | 77.6 | 72.3 | 73.0 | 76.0 | 75.8 | 78.0 | 80.3 | 81.6 | 84.9 | 85.4 | 79.0 |
| Source:World Meteorological Organization[16] | |||||||||||||
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