Pidhaitsi (, ; ; ) is a small

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Ternopil Raion Ternopil Raion () is a raion in Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil. It has a population of On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Ternopil Oblast was reduced ...

Ternopil Oblast Ternopil Oblast (), also referred to as Ternopilshchyna () or Ternopillia (), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its Capital (political), administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret (river), Seret, a tribu ...

, western

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. It is located approximately south of

Berezhany Berezhany ( ; ; ; , ''Bzhezhani''/''Bzhizhani'') is a small List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It lies about from the administrative center of the oblast, Ternopil. Berezhany hosts the administr ...

, from

Ternopil Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...

, and south-east of

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. In 1939, Pidhaitsi obtained the formal status of a city.Official stats at the web-site of Verkhovna Rada
It hosts the administration of

Pidhaitsi urban hromada Pidhaitsi urban territorial hromada () is a hromada in Ukraine, in Ternopil Raion of Ternopil Oblast Ternopil Oblast (), also referred to as Ternopilshchyna () or Ternopillia (), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its Capit ...

, one of the

hromada In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of municipality and the third level Administrative divisions of Ukraine, local self-government in Ukraine. The current hromadas were established by the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine, Government of Uk ...

s of Ukraine. Population: Many of the current residents have the surname Koropetskyi/Koropetska, likely attributable to the city's proximity to the Koropets River.

History

According to the sources, Pidhaitsi is one of the oldest settlements in the area. It was established in 1445. The first written records of the town date to 1436, when a Catholic church was built by the regional governor, a member of the

Potocki The House of Potocki (; plural: Potoccy, male: Potocki, feminine: Potocka) was a prominent Polish noble family in the Kingdom of Poland and magnates of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Potocki family is one of the wealthiest and ...

noble family. Because of the

Tatar invasions These are lists of battles of the Mongol invasion of Europe. Lists of battles Mongol invasions of Eastern Europe Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' (1223, 1237–1241) Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria (1223–1236) * 1223: First Mongol ...

and its precarious location on Poland’s main route to the south, the city was surrounded by series of ramparts and rows with water. Most of the key monuments (churches, synagogue) were all built in impressive defensive style. In its early years, the town was governed according to Ruthenian and Polish law. In 1539 it was granted the right to use

Magdeburg law Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...

. It was one of the centers of

Armenians in Poland Armenians in Poland (; ) are one of nine legally recognized national minorities in Poland, their historical presence is going back to the Middle Ages. According to the Polish census of 2021 there are 6,772 ethnic Armenians in Poland. They are s ...

, with the first Armenians in Podhajce mentioned in 1657, the Armenian Catholic church built by 1672, and the Armenian commune founded by 1675. Poland fought victorious battles against invading Tatars and Turks at Podhajce in

1667 Events January–March * January 11 – Aurangzeb, monarch of the Mughal Empire, orders the removal of Rao Karan Singh as Maharaja of the Bikaner State (part of the modern-day Rajasthan state of India) because of Karan's derelic ...

and

1698 Events January–March * January 1 – The Abenaki tribe and Massachusetts colonists sign a treaty, ending the conflict in New England. * January 4 – The Palace of Whitehall in London, England is destroyed by fire. * January 23 – ...

In modern period, Pidhaitsi was among the most important urban centers in western part of

Podolia Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria). Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...

. Its population was almost entirely Jews and Poles. In 1897 an obelisk was erected adjacent to the (Polish) Catholic church to celebrate the 100th birthday of Polish writer

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...

. While the monument is still extant, the church is in desolate condition. In one of Pidhaitsi houses resided famous Polish composer

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

. After the Second World War, Pidhaitsi, along with most of eastern Galicia, was separated from Poland and annexed to the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

in the Soviet Union. Since that time, the population has been almost entirely ethnically Ukrainian. During Soviet rule (1945–1991) Pidhaitsi was part of

Berezhany Raion Berezhany Raion () was a Raions of Ukraine, raion (district) in the westernmost corner of Ternopil Oblast (oblasts of Ukraine, province) in western Ukraine, area traditionally known as Galicia (Central Europe), Halychyna (''Galicia''). The admini ...

. After Ukrainian independence, a separated

Pidhaitsi Raion Pidhaitsi Raion () was a raion (district) in the western part of Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It was part of the historic area known as Halychyna (Galicia). The administrative center was the city of Pidhaitsi. The Koropets River flowed thro ...

was established. Until 18 July 2020, Pidhaitsi was the administrative center of Pidhaitsi Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Ternopil Oblast to three. The area of Pidhaitsi Raion was merged into Ternopil Raion.

Jewish community

Prior to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Pidhaitsi had a significant Jewish community. The population census of 1765 lists 1,370

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

in the kahal district of Pidhaitsi and 1,079 Jews lived in Pidhaitsi itself. A century late town’s Jewish population significantly increased and numbered ''ca.'' 6,000 Jews in Pidhaitsi and 8,212 Jews in Pidhaitsi district (9.33% of whole population in the area). In the 20th century Pidahytsi's importance declined and the number of the Jews decreased to 2,827 according to the census of 1931. Pidhaitsi Synagogue (between 1621 and 1648), and the local Catholic parish church (1634) are the oldest buildings in the city. The synagogue is closed and in ruined condition. In the post-war years, the synagogue territory was turned into a market by the communists. With the break of the Second World War there was a large influx of

Jewish refugees This article lists expulsions, refugee crises and other forms of displacement that have affected Jews. Timeline The following is a list of Jewish expulsions and events that prompted significant streams of Jewish refugees. Assyrian captivity ...

from the west and the number of the Jews in the town at the time of Nazi annihilation was higher than 3,000. Pidhaitsi

Judenrat A ''Judenrat'' (, ) was an administrative body, established in any zone of German-occupied Europe during World War II, purporting to represent its Jewish community in dealings with the Nazi authorities. The Germans required Jews to form ''J ...

was headed by Leibish Lilienfeld. Due to the refugee and hygienic problems, in the winter of 1941–42 many of town Jews died of hunger and

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

epidemic. In 1942, on September 21 (

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

– Jewish most revered holiday, the day of atonement from sin) over 1,000 Jews were sent to the

Belzec extermination camp Belzec (English: or , Polish: , approximately ) was a Nazi German extermination camp in occupied Poland. It was built by the SS for the purpose of implementing the secretive Operation Reinhard, the plan to murder all Polish Jews, a major p ...

and on October 30, 1,500 more Jews were deported to face death in

. Hundreds more were murdered in Pidhaitsi and its environs by Germans and Ukrainian police. The above memories of his experiences during the liquidation of the ghetto in Pidhaitsi has described by Genia Schwartz.wiki.fizmat. Підгаєччин�

Monuments

* Pidhaitsi Castle

Population

Notable people

* Julian Bilecki, Righteous Among the Nations *

Ignacy Potocki Count Roman Ignacy Potocki, generally known as Ignacy Potocki (; 1750–1809), was a Polish nobleman, member of the influential magnate Potocki family, owner of Klementowice and Olesin (near Kurów), a politician, statesman, writer, and offic ...

, Polish count *

Tadeusz Łomnicki Tadeusz Łomnicki (; 18 July 1927 – 22 February 1992) was a Polish actor, one of the most notable stage and film artists of his time in Poland. He is remembered mostly for his roles in comedies and dramas, as well as for the role of Kordian in ...

, Polish actor *

Jan Łomnicki Jan Łomnicki (30 June 1929 – 18 December 2002) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. A graduate of the National Film School in Łódź. He directed more than thirty films between 1954 and 2000. His 1976 film ''To Save the City'' () ...

, Polish film director and screenwriter *

Stanisław Rewera Potocki Stanisław Rewera Potocki (, 1589–1667) was a Polish noble, magnate and military leader. Together with Stefan Czarniecki he was successful in defending the Commonwealth against the invading Swedes and Russians during The Deluge. He was the ...

, Polish magnate and military leader * Jerzy Choróbski, Polish neurosurgeon * Leonard Rettel, Polish poet and writer * Mikołaj Wolski, Polish military leader *

Arthur Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman; April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

, American dancer *

Abraham Weiss Abraham Weiss (1895–1970) was professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University in New York from 1940 to 1967. He is best known for his contribution to the development of the scientific study of Talmud. A noted Talmudic scholar, both in the traditional ...

, professor of Talmud

Gallery

File:Bełżec - napis upamiętniający pomordowanych Żydów z Podhajec.JPG, Belzec - inscription File:61-248-0047 Pidhaitsi Townhall RB.jpg, Old town hall File:Підгаєцький костел.jpg, Holy Trinity Church File:61-248-0001 Pidhaitsi Church RB.jpg, Church of the Dormition File:Dom Marceliny Czartoryskiej 2010.jpg, House of Marcelina Czartoryska, student of

Fryderyk Chopin The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the US Grammy and British BRIT Awar ...

References

External links

Website about Pidhaitsi

Photos of Pidhaitsi (70 digital images from 2004)

Nature at Pidhaytsi — Photos

Pidhaitsi Jewish history

American Jewish couple visits Pidhaitsi (2001)

Pidhaytsi Jewish history — article in word

Pidhaitsi info, history and photos
{{Authority control Cities in Ternopil Oblast Pidhaitsi urban hromada Historic Jewish communities in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine