Tulchyn

Tulchin (Ukrainian: Тульчин, translit. Tul’chyn, old name Nesterwar(from Hungarian Nester - Dniester and war -town), Latin Tulcinum, Polish: Tulczyn, Romanian: Tulcin) is a small city in the Vinnytsya Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, former Podolia. It is the administrative center of the Tulchynsky Raion (district), and was the chief centre of the Southern Society of the Decembrists, Pavel Pestel was located there during planning of the rebellion. The city is also known for being the home to Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych who produced several of this choral masterpieces when he lived here. An important landmark of the city is the palace of the Potocki family, built according to the principles of Palladian architecture according to the plans drafted by Joseph Lacroix during 1780s. Polish patriot Józef Wysocki (general) was born in Tulchin in 1809, author of Pamietnik Jenerala Wysockiego, Dowodcy Legionu Polskiego Na Wegrzech Z Czasu Kampanii Wegierskiej W Roku 1848 i 1849.

History

Possession of the Duchy of Lithuania Tulchin came into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569 as royal town and only in 1609 king Sigismund III Vasa granted the town to Walenty Aleksander Kalinowski, Kalinowa coat of arms. Until 1728 Tulchin was part of the estates of the Polish magnates of the Kalinowski family (other distinguished members of Tulchin family were Adam Kalinowski and Marcin Kalinowski), and then passed into the hands of Stanisław Potocki bypassing other Kalinowskis' branch, then in 1734 to Franciszek Salezy Potocki and his son Stanisław Szczęsny Potocki, who was the most memorable and infamous member of the Tulczyn branch of the Potocki family. During the Targowica confederation Tulchin was the headquarters of the confederates. Mieczysław Potocki sold Tulchin to his brother-in-law Grzegorz Strogonow, who sold it to Piotr Oldenburski, who in turn sold it to Russian Imperial Treasury. Ancient archives of the Polish magnate families of Struś,Łaszcz, Mniszech, Modrzewski, Potocki, and Tarło collected at the palace, were lost during these transfers in ownership, while furniture and art collections were shipped to Paris where Mieczysław Potocki resided. After the Kiev-Odessa train line had been built Tulchin went into economic decay. Prior to October Revolution Tulchin was home a large Jewish population, and there were two trade fairs, July 24 and October1 each year, and separate 26 market days annually. The current estimated population is around 13,500 (as of 2005).

Sources

• Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich,(1880–1914) Tom (vol.) XII, pages 611-613.