Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukrainian: Івано-Франківськ, Ivano-Frankivs'k; Polish: Iwano-Frankowsk; German: Iwano-Frankiwsk; Russian: Івано-Франкoвск, Ivano-Frankovsk, see also other names) is one of administrative centers in western Ukraine with almost 350 years of history as a city settlement. For the most part of its history the city was known for its Polish name of Stanisławów (Stanislaviv) until 1962 (300 years). In the Soviet times it was decided to change the name of the city during its 300th Anniversary. The current name of the city is longer than some of sentences therefore local population sometimes refers to it as Frankivsk or even Franyk.
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The city, named Stanisławów (Stanyslaviv), was erected as a fortress to protect the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Tatar invasions and to reinforce the region in case of some other Khmelnytsky Uprising would occur. It was built out of a fort that was erected next to the villages of Zabolotiv which had been known since 1435[1] and Knyahynyn (1449).[2] The village of Zabolotiv and the land around it were purchased by Stanisław Rewera Potocki from another Polish nobleman Rzeczkowski. The area was utilised for recreation, in and particular hunting. The city's name was later coined by the Stanisław's son, Polish nobleman Andrzej Potocki commemorating it either to his father[3][4] or his first-born son Stanisław Potocki.[2]
Andrzej issued his declaration of establishing the city of Stanislawow by the Magdeburg rights on May 7, 1662[5] for economical purposes of creating a city market, while allowing its local population to organize a city government headed by Wójt (Vogt), city council, and city court. The Magdeburg rights also allowed for creation of various craftsman shops, independent craftsmen guilds, and, the most importantly, the freedom of religion. However, it was not until August 14, 1663 that the city and its rights were recognized by the Polish Crown when Jan Casimir has finally approved them along with the city's heraldry. The first architect of the Stanisławow fortress was from Avignon, Francisco Corasini at the time when Andrzej initiated the redesigning of the Zabolotiv and Knyahynyn villages into a fortress in 1650. The fortress had two main gates which were known as the Halytska gate and Tysmenytska gate. The alternative names were Lvivska and Kamianetska respectively. The names were given for the direction in which they were facing. There was one more smaller gate known as Armenian or Zabolocki.
On September 17, 1662 Andrzej issued another declaration awarding the Jewish community of the city with a self-government and permission to build their own schools, community buildings, and others. On May 23, 1663 the Armenian community of the city was allowed to build its own church as well, which was finished in 1665. Also in 1663 to Stanislawow arrived monks of Trinitarian Order from Warsaw. On April 24, 1664 the newly created city's Butchers Guild was awarded the "20-year freedom" exception from taxation. In 1666 was finished the city's ratusz.
By 1672 the fortress was restructured out of wood into brick. Also a new large fortified Potocki palace was erected in the place of older smaller wooden one. Today this building serves as the military hospital. In the same year Jews were granted rights of permanent settlement and permission to engage in work and commerce as "residents among the Polish-Ruthenian and Armenian nation", as well as "rights to leave the city at will".[6] In 1666 the city's first town hall (or ‘ratusha’) was erected and built out of wood.[7] Soon after the Turks conquered the fortress of Kamianets-Podilskyi in 1672, Stanisławow, together with Halych, became the strongholds against Turkish forces. It was attacked and besieged in early September 1676, but the Turks did not manage to capture and pillage the city. However, some of Stanisławow fortifications were so badly damaged that in 1677 the Sejm in Warsaw relieved the city of its tax duties. Also on September 12, 1683 in battle against the Turks near Vienna perished the oldest son of the city founder - Stanisław. His body was transferred to the native city and buried in the Potocki family parish kosciol also known as Fara (today the Art museum on Sheptytsky Square).
Originally the city was divided into two districts: Tysmenytsia and Halych. Sometime in 1817-1819 the neighboring village of Zabolottya, that had a special status, was incorporated into the city as a new district, while the Tysmenytsia district was divided into Tysmenytsia and Lysets districts. Each district had its main street corresponded with its name: Halych Street (Halych district), Tysmenytsia Street which today is Independence Street (Tysmenytsia district), Zabolotiv Street - Mykhailo Hrushevsky Street and Street of Vasylyanok (Zabolottya district), and Lysets Street - Hetman Mazepa Street (Lysets district). Later the city was split into six small districts: midtown where lived rich catholic population and patricians, pidzamche (subcastle), and four suburbs - Zabolotiv, Tysmenytia, Halych, and Lysets where lived plebeians.[5] Jews were permitted to build houses for themselves on the "Street of the Jews" (which then was by the flood bank).[8] By 1672 the Jewish community of the city has possessed a synagogue built out of wood. The first Jewish cemetery was already established in 1662. One of the first Jewish societies of the city were the burial society Chevra Kadisha and a charitable foundation specializing in financing.
According to the 1709 census in the fortified midtown lived 62 Ruthenian families, 50 Armenian, 25 Jewish, and 9 Polish. In the city operated the Polish-Armenian court that had a strict stance against the local peasant uprising known as Opryshky. The last public execution that took place in the city was on April 25, 1754 at the Market Square where was killed Vasyl Bayurak. Due to numerous military conflicts, diseases, and other socially dangerous events, the population of the city by the end of 18th century did not supersede 5,000. Among such events was the invasion of the city by the Russian forces in course of the Great Northern War in 1706 that robbed the city in the revenge for Józef Potocki's switching the sides in the support of Stanisław Leszczyński. In 1712 the city was robbed again during some inter-magnate conflicts when it was invaded by the forces of Polish Hetman Sieniawski. In 1710 quarter of the city population (1332) died of typhus.
The streets in the city were starting to be paved in cobbles around 1695. In 1728 the Akademia Stanislawowa was converted into Jesuit Collegium for which a separate building was erected in 1733-1743. In 1729 Jesuit Church was built in the city, around 1744 the city's Jewish community started to the construction of a new synagogue which was finished in 1777, and in 1762 was restored the Armenian Church. In 1767 the city brewery was built as the oldest industrial venture, building of which was preserved to our days. In 1759 the Jewish community of Stanislawow took part in a dispute with the Frankists from Lwow eventually joining the later group (see Jacob Frank). Due to that the Stanislawow rabbis were subordinated to the Rabbi of Tysmenytsia. One of the most prominent Jewish figures of that time was Rabbi Dov Berish, a son of Yaakov Avraham, as well as Rabbi Yehuda Zelka known for his commentary "Ravid Zahav" on "Yoreh De'ah", and many others.
On February 26, 1761 the city was passed to Vincent Potocki who was a minor and in reality the city was managed by his guardian Kateryna Kossakiwska who was of Potocki family as well. Eventually the Potocki family went bankrupt and the city was passed to the state treasury. Extensively rebuilt during the Renaissance, it was sometimes called Little Leopolis.[9] The city was also an important centre of Armenian culture in Poland after the fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, with an Armenian church in which a painting of Mary was kept. The painting was in 1945 moved to Gdansk.
In 1772, after the Partitions of Poland it became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and successively of the autonomous Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. The Austrian riflement entered the city on October 25 of that year. The new administration ceased the functioning of the city fort. According to the "Vienna patent" since 1789 a city magistrate was introduced as form of government headed by its burg-minister, while the city itself was returned into ownership of countess Kossakiwska until 1797. In 1801 due the next bankruptcy the city was passed now into the Austrian state possession. Since then and until 1820 all the fortifications in the city were disassembled and their materials were used to build new buildings and pave streets. The moats around the fortifications were evened out and changed into streets. With the rock material from the fortifications were cobblestoned four city squares and 24 streets. One of the first streets that appeared outside of the city fortifications were Dvirska (today Chodkewicz), Mlynarska, Tartakova (Dudayev), Polyova (Petlyura). On the territory of the former moats today run the following streets: Sich Riflemen, Dnistrovska, and Vasyliyanok. Some other streets such as Valova, Starozamkova, and Fortechna, kept their historical toponyms. By the start of the 20th century the adjacent villages of Knyahynyn and Sofiivka were fully incorporated into the city. The street that connected the railway station with the old town (midtown) the city magistrate named Grunwaldska to commemorate the 500 Anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald.
Under Austrian rule, Jews played quite an important role in civic affairs. Two well known families left their imprint at that time on the economic and communal life of Stanisławów at that time. The Horowitz family, who from the year 1784 held positions on the Rabbinate of Stanisławów, and the Halpern family, who were well-to-do, and were known for charitable deeds, communal work, and economic development. In the 18th–19th centuries the city flourished and became a major manufacturing and trading centre of Carpathians.[3] The center of education and culture became the First state German-Polish gymnasium that was founded in 1774. One of the famous students of that school was the Ukrainian writer, historian, and ethnographer Ivan Vahylevych who studied there in 1824 - 1830. On May 8–10, 1848 during the Spring of Nations in the city was established the Rus Council (Ukrainian: Руська рада) and was formed the National Guard. On September 2, 1848 the first city newspaper was issued in the Polish language "Kurier Stanislawowski". In 1862 the first recorded city celebration took place to commemorate 200 Anniversary since the foundation. On September 1, 1866 the city was connected to a railway network Lviv-Chernivtsi, while the locomotive-repair shop was opened along with the train terminal. At around that time series of plants and factories were built.
On September 28, 1868 Stanisławów experienced a major disaster. The city was engulfed in a major fire which originated at Lypova street and destroyed the third of the city (some 260 buildings) and the market place of the town. The city required a major renovation and was almost completely rebuilt.[10][11] A new six-stories rathaus was built in 1871. During that time the center of the city slowly moved from the market square southward towards the Tysmenytsia Road (today Nezalezhnist street - stometrovka). Here for the first time in the whole Galicia were installed gas street lights in 1876. Dr. Arthur Nemhein was the mayor of the city from 1897 to 1919, but was later fired by Polish authorities in 1919 for cooperating with Ukrainian separatists. In the elections to the Austrian parliament of 1907, Dr. Marcus Braude, a Zionist delegate, gained the majority of votes.[12] During World War I, the front-line was for some time in the area of the city, Russians and Austro-Hungarian forces fought several battles in Stanisławów and its vicinity. In 1917 Russian forces burned the central districts during the Kerensky Offensive.
In October 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR) was proclaimed.[13]
In the early months of 1919 (from January to May) the city became a temporary capital of the West Ukrainian National Republic, while still recovering from World War I. All the state affairs were taken place in the building of Dnister Hotel where the Act Zluky was composed. The same year it was subjected to the Polish–Ukrainian and the Romanian-Ukrainian skirmishes eventually being annexed by Poland as part of the Second Polish Republic as the center of the Stanisławów Voivodship. It was occupied by the Romanian army for the summer months from May 25 through August 21, 1919.
During the Polish-Soviet War in 1920, the Red Army took over the city for a brief period. After the Soviet retreat, Ukrainian troops loyal to Symon Petlura occupied the city for a few days. At this period of history the city was in complete disorder.[14]
According to the 1931 Polish census there were 198,400 residents in the Stanisławów county (159 per square kilometre, the area of the county was 1,249 km2 (482 sq mi)). Among them there were 120,214 Poles, 49,032 Ukrainians, and 26,996 Jews.[15] The population of the city itself was as follows: 27,000 in 1900, 28,200 in 1921 and 60,000 in 1931 (70,000 together with the suburb of Knyahynyn). Knyahynyn was incorporated into the city of Stanislawow on January 1, 1925 by the decision of Rada Ministrów from November 17, 1924.[16] During the interbellum period, Stanisławów was a large military base for the Polish Army, with two major units stationed there – 11th Infantry Division and Podolska Cavalry Brigade.
In the 1939 invasion of Poland by German and Soviet forces, the territory was captured by the Soviets in September 1939 and included into the Ukrainian SSR. Between September 1939 and June 1941, the Soviet regime ordered thousands of inhabitants of the city to leave their houses and move to Siberia, where most of them perished. Numerous people were taken out of the city prison and simply shot outside of the city when Soviet forces were leaving it in 1941.
There were more than 40,000 Jews in Stanisławów when it was occupied by the Nazi Germany on July 26, 1941. During the occupation (1941–44), more than 600 educated Poles and most of the city's Jewish population were murdered.[17]
On August 1, 1941, Galicia became the fifth district of the General Government. On October 12, 1941, later called "Blutsonntag" ("Bloody Sunday"), thousands of Jews were gathered on the market square; then the Nazi forces escorted them to the Jewish cemetery, where mass graves had already been prepared. On the way the escort beat and tortured the Jews. At the cemetery the Jews were forced to give away their valuables and show their papers. The men of the Security Police (Sicherheitspolizei; SiPo) then started mass shootings, assisted by members of the German Order Police (Ordnungspolizei) and the railroad police. The German Police ordered the Jews to strip naked in groups and then proceed to the graves where they were shot. They fell into the grave or were ordered to jump in before being shot. The Security forces shot between 8,000 and 12,000 Jews on that day.[18]
On August 8–9, 1941, the Security Police commanded by Hans Krüger with the help of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police arrested several members of the Polish Intelligentsia (mainly teachers, professors). At night around 14th on August 15, they were transported to a place near the city, named the Black Forest and executed. The number of victims is unknown, but some have estimated around 200.[19]
Up to July 1942 most killings were carried out in Rudolf's Mill, and from August onward in the courtyard of the SiPo headquarters. On August 22, 1942, the Nazi held a "reprisal Aktion" for the murder of a Ukrainian, which they blamed on a Jew. More than 1,000 Jews were shot. German policemen raped Jewish girls and women before taking them to the courtyard of the SiPo headquarters.
About 11,000 Jews were still living in Stanisławów when the next Aktion took place. On February 22 or 23, 1943, Brandt, who had succeeded Hans Krüger as SS-Hauptsturmführer, ordered the police forces to surround the ghetto—initiating the final liquidation. Four days after the beginning of the Aktion, the German policemen put up posters announcing that Stanisławów was ‘Judenfrei’ or ‘free of Jews’. At this time 27 members of the UPA were shot by the Nazi government in the centre of the city.
When Jehovah's Witnesses learned that the Nazis planned to execute all Jews in the city, they organized an escape from the Jewish ghetto for a woman of Jewish origin and her two daughters who later became Witnesses. Risking their own lives, the Witnesses hid these Jewish sisters throughout the entire period of the war.[20]
When the Soviet army reached Stanisławów on July 27, 1944, there were about 100 Jews remaining in the city who had survived by hiding. In total about 1,500 Jews from Stanisławów survived the war.
A formal indictment against Hans Krüger was issued in October 1965, after six years of investigations by the Dortmund State Prosecutor's Office. On May 6, 1968, the Münster State Court sentenced him to life imprisonment. He was released in 1986.
In Vienna and Salzburg there were other trial proceedings against members of the Schupo and the Gestapo in Stanisławów in 1966.[17]
Beginning in 1944 it was a part of the Soviet Union. The Soviets forced most of the Polish population to leave the city, most of them settled in the Recovered Territories. During the post-war period the city was part of the Carpathian Military District housing the 38th Army (70th Motor Rifle Division) that participated in the Operation Dunai. On March 1, 1945 with the help of the documents of regional state archives the Stanislav regional extraordinary commission in the investigation of Nazi crimes composed lists of executed pedagogues of Stanislav in 1941. The same year there was opened the city's Medical Institute (today's university). On April 11, 1945 there was arrested the Stanishlav's bishop H.Khomyshyn (1867–1945). On August 16 the "Prykarpattian Pravda" (local newspaper) has announced about the start of preparation works in the reconstruction of the city on which the Soviet government of Ukraine promised 100,000 rubles. According to a plan the reconstruction was supposed to take place for the next 20 years, however some of them had to be finished already by 1945. The author of the project was appointed T.Klochko.
On October 31, 1945 a local guerrilla group "Chornyi Lis" (Black Forest, name of forests outside of the city) headed by Vasyl Andrusyak conducted a raid on the city occupying a store of the Regional Customer Association (Oblspozhyvspilka), medical warehouses, and taking hostage several officials of the local Communist party and NKVD. Until February of the next year the Soviet authorities were conducting "cleansing" of the local area burning down woods around the city of Stanislav and conducting ambushes on centers of Ukrainian Insurgency Army in the area. On February 25 the body of the killed Vasyl Andrusyak (also known as Hrehota-Rizun) was brought to the city where he was viewed for four days by several Soviet officials.
On September 1, 1946 in the city was opened a pharmaceutical school that existed until July 1949. The same year there also was established a food company "Peremoha" (Victory) in production of bread, confectionery, sausage (kielbasa) food. Later that year there was opened the city park of Shevchenko stretching over some 22 ha (54 acres).
In 1958 the adjacent village of Pasichna was annexed to the city. Today it is being referred to as a city's locality. In few years (1962) the village of Opryshivtsi was added to the city. In 1962 the name was changed to honour Ukrainian writer Ivan Franko.[21] Five years later the Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas was established.
In the early 1990s the city was a strong centre of the Ukrainian independence movement.
In 2002, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called a move by the city council inexcusable and "profoundly insulting to honour Nazi war veterans of the SS Galicia division as "fighters for independence" whom the head of the SS, Himmler, congratulated in May 1944 for having cleansed Ukraine of all its Jews.[22] ADL authorities chose to completely ignore the previous legal cases involving the Division in war crimes (see Halychyna Division).
Since January 23, 1867 Stanislau (Stanislawow) became an administrative center of county (powiat).