Prosvita (), since 1991 officially known as All-Ukrainian Prosvita Society named after
Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...
() is an enlightenment society aimed to preserve and develop
Ukrainian culture
The culture of Ukraine is composed of the material and spiritual values of the Ukrainian people that has formed throughout the history of Ukraine. Strong family values and religion, alongside the traditions of Ukrainian embroidery and Ukrainian ...
, education and science, that was created in the nineteenth century in
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
's
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia in Eastern Europe. The Cr ...
.
According to the declaration of its founders, the movement was created as a counterbalance to anti-Ukrainian colonial and
Russophile trends in the Ukrainian society of the period.
History
Prosvita was founded in 1868 in
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 ...
by 65 delegates from different regions and groups of intellectuals, mostly from the same city.
Anatole Vakhnianyn
Anatole Vakhnianyn (; 19 September 184111 February 1908), was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer, political and cultural figure, teacher, and journalist.
Biography Family
Vakhnianyn was born in Sieniawa, Przeworsk County, today a ...
was elected the first head of the Prosvita Society. By the end of 1913, Prosvita had 77 affiliate societies and 2,648 reading rooms.
After the
First Russian Revolution, local branches of the society were also opened in the
Russian-ruled areas populated by Ukrainians: in
Katerynoslav and
Odesa
Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...
(1905),
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
(1906),
Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamianets-Podilskyi (, ; ) is a city on the Smotrych River in western Ukraine, western Ukraine, to the north-east of Chernivtsi. Formerly the administrative center of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the city is now the administrative center of Kamianets ...
,
Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...
,
Chernihiv
Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is
The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...
,
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...
,
Melitopol
Melitopol is a city and municipality in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southeastern Ukraine. It is situated on the Molochna River, which flows through the eastern edge of the city into the Molochnyi Lyman estuary. Melitopol is the second-largest city ...
,
Katerynodar and other cities. However, all of Prosvita societies in the Russian Empire were closed before the start of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, as they were accused of promoting
separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
by imperial authorities.
A new wave of Prosvita's development started after the
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
, when its branches were restored in
Dnieper Ukraine
The term Dnieper Ukraine
(), usually refers to territory on either side of the middle course of the Dnieper River. The Ukrainian name derives from ''nad‑'' (prefix: "above, over") + ''Dnipró'' ("Dnieper") + ''‑shchyna'' (suffix denoting a g ...
,
Volhynia
Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...
and
Polissia, as well as in
Kuban
Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...
and the Far East. However, most of them were once again closed down by the Soviet and
Polish authorities in the 1920s and 1930s. Similarly, the
Zakarpattian branch of Prosvita established in 1920 was closed down by the
Hungarian government in 1939.
After the end of the First World War, Prosvita continued to develop in
Galicia. In 1936 alone, when Western Ukraine with the city of Lviv were part of the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
, the society opened over 500 new outlets with full-time professional staff.
[Prosvita](_blank)
at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' (), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies.
Development
The work was created under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Europe (Sarcelles, near Paris). As the ...
, vol. 3 (1993). By the end of
the interwar period, Prosvita had grown to include 83 affiliates, 3,210 reading rooms, 1,207 premises, 3,209 libraries (with 688,186 books), 2,185 theater clubs, 1,115 choirs, 138 orchestras, and 550 study groups.
In 1939 the society was shut down and banned by the
newly arrived Soviet rulers. Prosvita operated only in Western Europe and America up to 1988. The first Prosvita society established in the United States was in
Shenandoah, Pennsylvania in 1887.
The Prosvita Society was renewed in Ukraine during the Soviet period of
Glasnost
''Glasnost'' ( ; , ) is a concept relating to openness and transparency. It has several general and specific meanings, including a policy of maximum openness in the activities of state institutions and freedom of information and the inadmissi ...
of 1988–89 as the Shevchenko Association of Ukrainian Language, and since then has taken an active part in social life of independent Ukraine. In modern times it was headed by
Dmytro Pavlychko and
Pavlo Movchan (present head).
Currently, almost all higher education institutions in Ukraine have Prosvita affiliations with teachers and students as members. Also active are the Young Prosvita youth organizations.
During the
war in Donbas
The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...
two Prosvita members were kidnapped and one was murdered by pro-Russian separatists.
Tasks

Official goals of the Prosvita Society:
* Promoting Ukrainian language as the only state language in Ukraine
* Maintaining principles of humanity, mutual understanding, religious and civil consent in society
* Contributing to building and strengthening of Ukrainian state and its economic development
* Propagating economic, legal and other kind of knowledge
* Contributing to raising of Ukrainian language and culture authority abroad
* Preserving and revitalizing natural environment and biodiversity
Leaders
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
* 1868–????
Anatole Vakhnianyn
Anatole Vakhnianyn (; 19 September 184111 February 1908), was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer, political and cultural figure, teacher, and journalist.
Biography Family
Vakhnianyn was born in Sieniawa, Przeworsk County, today a ...
* 1906–1906
Yevhen Olesnytsky
* 1906–1910
Petro Ohonovsky
* 1910–1922
Ivan Kyvelyuk
Poland
* 1922–1923
Ivan Bryk
* 1923–1931
Mykhailo Halushchynsky
* 1931–1939
Ivan Bryk
Chernigov Governorate
* 1906–1911
Mykhailo Kotsyubynsky
Kharkov Governorate
* 1912–???? (as ''Kvitka-Osnovianenko Association'')
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
* 1905–???? (as Ukrainian Association of Literature and Arts)
Podolia Governorate
*?
Don Host Oblast
* 1907–1913
Zakhar Barabash
Ukraine
* 1988–1989
Roman Ivanychuk (as Shevchenko Native Language Society)
* 1989–1990
Dmytro Pavlychko (as Shevchenko Association of Ukrainian Language)
* 1990–present
Pavlo Movchan (originally as Shevchenko Association of Ukrainian Language and since 1991 – Prosvita)
See also
*
Shevchenko Scientific Society
*
Hromada (secret society)
*
Prosvjeta
References
{{Authority control
Educational organizations established in 1868
Cultural organizations based in Ukraine
Ethnic organizations based in Austria-Hungary
Establishments in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Nationalism and the arts
Stateless nationalism in Europe
Language activists
Society of the Second Polish Republic
Resistance to the Russian Empire
Progressivism