Shpola ( ) is a

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 ...

located in Zvenyhorodka Raion of

Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast (, ), also referred to as Cherkashchyna (, ) is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central Ukraine located along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The Capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the cit ...

(

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

) in central

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 ...

. In May 2011, a 14-meter monument was installed on the outskirts of the city, claiming that Shpola is the geographical center of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Shpola urban hromada, 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. It had a population of

Administrative status

In 1797, Shpola became part of the Zvenigorod district in the

Kiev Governorate Kiev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire (1796–1917), Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–18; 1918–1921), Ukrainian State (1918), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919–19 ...

. It has been a city since 1938.Шпола // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 2. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1991. стр.668 Until 18 July, 2020, Shpola served as an administrative center of

Shpola Raion Shpola Raion () was a Raions of Ukraine, raion (district) of Cherkasy Oblast, central Ukraine. Its administrative centre was located at the town of Shpola. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, w ...

. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Cherkasy Oblast to four. The area of Shpola Raion was merged into Zvenyhorodka Raion.

History

After the

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 ...

, Shpola became first a part of 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. ...

and then of the

USSR 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 ...

. During

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 ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

invaded USSR, and the Jewish population of Shpola was massacred in 1942. Today Jews make up around 0.5% of Shpola's population.

Demographics

In 1847, Shpola's

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

ish population numbered 1,156. By 1897, that number had grown to 5,388 of a total population of 11,933, or about 45%. This level held steady until 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 ...

. In 1989, the population of the city was 22, 378 people.Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу
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Sister city

Shpola is a sister city with

Oskaloosa, Iowa Oskaloosa is a List of cities in Iowa, city in, and the county seat of, Mahaska County, Iowa. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Oskaloosa was a national center of bituminous coal mining. The population was 11,558 in the 2020 U ...

Notable people

* Ivan Kulyk (1897-1937) - Ukrainian poet, short stories writer, and diplomat; * Lev Shvartzman (1907-1955) -- a senior Soviet secret police officer, known for his brutality; * Oleksandr Tkachenko (1939-2024) - chairman of Ukrainian parliament; * Itzik Feffer (1900-1952) -

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

poet; *

Aryeh Leib of Shpola Aryeh () is a village in Firuzeh Rural District, in the Central District of Firuzeh County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It bo ...

, "der Shpoler zeyde" (

: ''"the grandfather of Shpola"'') (1725-1812) - Hasidic leader.

Gallery

File:Abaza's palace in Shpola.jpg, Abaza Palace File:Hovkivka.JPG, Khovkivka River near Shpola File:Дар'ївське заповідне урочище.JPG, Darivka Park File:Schpola Ukraine Sept2008 Taras Shevchenko statute.jpg,

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 ...

statue File:Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Shpola, Ukraine.jpg, Ukrainian Orthodox Church

References

Shpola Room at the Jewish Escape Room in Brooklyn: This link appears current: https://www.everyescaperoom.com/new-york-ny/onebefore-escape-shpola-room This one brings a "404"message:https://OneBeforeEscape.com/shpola * (1972) ''Історія міст і сіл Української CCP - Черкаська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Cherkasy Oblast)'', Kyiv. {{Authority control Cities in Cherkasy Oblast Kiev Governorate Historic Jewish communities in Ukraine Cities of district significance in Ukraine Holocaust locations in Ukraine