Shatsk (, ; ; ) is a

rural settlement The definition of a rural settlement depends on the country, in some countries, a rural settlement is any settlement in the areas defined as rural by a governmental office, e.g., by the national census bureau. This may include even rural towns. ...

Volyn Oblast Volyn Oblast () or simply Volyn (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northwestern Ukraine. It borders Rivne Oblast to the east, Lviv Oblast to the south, Poland to the west and Belarus to the north. Its Capital city ...

Kovel Raion Kovel Raion () is a raion (district) in Volyn Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Kovel Kovel (, ; ; ) is a city in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion within the oblast. ...

, north-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 to the north-west of

Kovel Kovel (, ; ; ) is a city in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Kovel Raion within the oblast. Population: Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest runic inscriptions which were lost during World War I ...

. Population: The village is situated in a picturesque area in the western part of Volyn Woodlands, surrounded by lakes, which are sometimes called Shatsky (Velyke Chorne,

Svitiaz Svitiaz ( ; ; ; ) is a lake in Volyn Oblast, 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 ea ...

, Pulemetske, Luka, Liutsymer, Somynets, Karasynets, Ozertse). In 2017, a postage stamp featuring the coat of arms of Shatsk was released by

Ukrposhta The Public Joint-stock company, JSC Ukrainian Postal Service or Ukrposhta () is the national postal service of Ukraine. It is a public company with 100% state ownership due to its strategic importance. From 1999–2015 it was a unitary enterpris ...

History

In Rus' sources, the town located in this area is mentioned twice, in 1255 and in 1287. In Polish sources the town is first mentioned in 1410. It had numerous voivodes such as the Dubasovy noble family from the 16th century to the end of the Russian Empire in 1917. Following the German-Soviet

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

, which started

World War II 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 ...

in September 1939, it was the battlefield of the

Battle of Szack Battle of Szack (Shatsk) was one of the battles between the Polish Army and the Red Army fought in 1939 in the beginning of the Second World War. Eve of the battle During the invasion of Poland, the Polish Border Defence Corps (''KOP'') was se ...

between Polish forces of general

Wilhelm Orlik-Rueckemann Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Wilhe ...

and the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

4th Army. Afterwards it was under

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...

until 1941, and then

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

occupation until 1944. The Jewish population of the village at the beginning of the German occupation was probably around 300. Germans arrived in the village on June 30, 1941. In October 1941, the Jews of the town and surrounding villages were held captives in a

ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...

. Shortly after, 319 Jews were shot by the

Einsatzkommando During World War II, the Nazi German ' were a sub-group of the ' (mobile killing squads) – up to 3,000 men total – usually composed of 500–1,000 functionaries of the SS and Gestapo, whose mission was to exterminate Jews, Polish intellect ...

and German police. Until 2020 was an

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

Shatsk Raion Shatsk Raion () was a raion in Volyn Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center was the urban-type settlement of Shatsk. The raion was abolished and its territory was merged into Kovel Raion on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrativ ...

. Until 26 January 2024, Shatsk was designated

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

. On this day, a new law entered into force which abolished this status, and Shatsk became a rural settlement.

References

Rural settlements in Kovel Raion Holocaust locations in Ukraine {{Volyn-geo-stub