The earliest recorded mention of Buchach is in 1260 by Bartosz Paprocki in his book "Gniazdo Cnoty, zkąd herby Rycerstwa Polskiego swój początek mają", Kraków, 1578.[3] The validity of this date was reasonably refuted by the Polish scientist Józef Apolinary Rolle.[4]
In 1349, the region of Halychyna (Galicia) became part of the Kingdom of Poland. As a part of Ruthenian Voivodeship in the Lesser Poland Province remained in Poland from 1434 until 1772 (see Partitions of Poland). It was during this time that the area experienced a large influx of Polish, Jewish and Armenian settlers. In the late 14th century, Polish nobleman (szlachta) Michał Awdaniec became the owner of the town. On July 28, 1379, Michał Awdaniec founded a Roman Catholic parish church, and built a castle. According to at least one accounting, in 1393, King Władysław II Jagiełło[citation needed] agreed to grant Magdeburg rights to Buchach (Buczacz): it was first Magdeburg-style city, located in the Halych Land. In the early 15th century, the Awdaniec family of Buchach changed its last name into Buczacki, after its main residence. Frequent invasions of the Crimean Tatars brought destruction to the town, and in 1515, it once again received the Magdeburg rights. In 1558 Katarzyna Tworowska nee Buczacka got the king's grant for market in Buchach. In 1580, local castle was rebuilt: the castle was twice besieged by the Tatars (1665, 1667), who finally captured it in 1672, during the Polish–Ottoman War (1672–1676). Buchach was a temporary residence of Mehmed IV; here, on October 18, 1672, the Treaty of Buchach was signed between Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire. According to this treaty, Poland handed the provinces of Ukraine and Podolia to Turkey.
In 1772, Eastern Galicia[5] together with other areas of south-western Poland, became a part of Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria — a crownland of the Habsburg monarchy as part of the First Partition of Poland. Industry came to Buchach around the end of the 19th century. Among the small-scale industries there included a brickworks, and candle and soap factory, (modern) flour mills, a textile plant, and a necktie factory. The town also boasted a brewery and a winery. The largest factory was established early in the 1900s, when the Hilfesverein concern of Vienna set up a plant for the manufacture of wooden toys in Buchach employing some 200 workers, mainly young girls. In 1912 the Stanislaviv-based Savings and Credit Union opened a branch in Buchach, and this served as a bank for local industrialists and business.
Before World War II, as many as 10,000 Jews (half of the local population) lived in Buchach. During the Nazi occupation of western Poland in 1939-early 1941, more Jewish refugees arrived in the town. On September 18, 1939, during the Soviet Invasion of Poland, Buchach was occupied by the Red Army, and incorporated into the Ukrainian SSR (see Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact). Before they left, the Soviets murdered civilians, mostly Ukrainian, and left them in the jails of Buchach and Czortków. During the Soviet occupation, many Jews and Christians were deported to the Soviet Union. Other Jews fled east when the Germans arrived. After the Soviets left, but before the Germans arrived in July 1942, Ukrainian militia looted and murdered Jewish residents of the town. Then in August, the Ukrainians assisted the German police in a mass shooting of 400 or so Jewish professionals and craftsmen.
After the initial mass murder in August 1941, the Jewish community remained relatively intact, living in a ghetto (the Buchach Ghetto), until October 1942, when the Gestapo, aided by Ukrainian and Jewish police, rounded up nearly 2000 Jews, shot hundreds, and sent about 1600 to Belzec. Some survivors report that the Ukrainian mayor was fair to the Jews until fall 1941 when control reverted to the German security police and their Ukrainian auxiliaries. In November, 2500 more were sent to Belzec and more were shot in Buchach. In February 1943, about 2000 were led to Fodor Hill where they were shot and pushed into mass graves. Megargee reports that there was so much blood that the city's water supplies were polluted. The final major Aktion took place in April when 4000 Jews were shot on Fedor Hill and others in the streets. In May 1943, Buchach was proclaimed judenfrei.[7]
During this time, some Jews were able to hide in the forests or join partisan bands. A few hid with Polish or Ukrainian friends. When Buchach was liberated by the Soviet army in March 1944, about 800 Jews were still alive. However, a counter offensive brought the Germans back to Buchach a few weeks later and the Germans hunted down the Jews. They were assisted by townspeople, many of whom were eager to point out hiding places. Property formerly owned by Jews was now in their hands and they feared Jewish revenge. When the Soviet army returned in July, fewer than 100 Jews had survived. [8] Several of Buchach's survivors have published memoirs of this period,[9][10] and a diary of Arah Klonicki-Klonymus who tried to hide in the forests with his wife and baby but was murdered is also well known.[11] A detailed analysis of the murders of the Jews in Buchach in light of its history is told by Omer Bartov in his Anatomy of a Genocide: The Life and Death of a Town Called Buczacz.[12]
In 1945, its Polish residents were resettled into the lands of western Poland regained from Germany, and Communist authorities closed the parish church, turning it into a storage facility. Bones of the members of the Potocki family, kept in the church cellar, were thrown out, and later buried at the local cemetery.
In 1965, the neighboring village of Nahirianka was annexed to Buchach. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Buchach became a part of independent Ukraine, and new, Ukrainian government returned the church to its rightful owners. There is no longer a Polish or Jewish community in Buchach.
Until 18 July 2020, Buchach was the administrative center of Buchach 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 Buchach Raion was merged into Chortkiv Raion.[14][15]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Buchach originated from the Piława coat of arms, which was used by the Potocki family.
St. Nicholas Church (n. 1610,[16] Kievan Metropolis, UGCC, Russian Orthodox Church, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, now — Orthodox Church of Ukraine)
Church of the Intercession (n. 1763, UGCC)
Church of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, or Church of the Elevation of the Cross (1771, UGCC)
St. Michael Church (Nahirianka, 1910, built by Greek Catholics, from ab. 1990 Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, now — Orthodox Church of Ukraine)
St. Volodymyr Church (Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate, now — Orthodox Church of Ukraine)
Procathedral Church of Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (2007—2014, UGCC)
Church of Assumption of Mary (1761—1763, Roman Catholic church)
Bohdana Durda (born 1940), artist, writer, poet, songwriter
Jaroslaw Padoch, lawyer, historian, community leader,[18] President of Shevchenko Scientific Society in USA and President of Shevchenko Scientific Society's the World Council in 1982–1992
Ruben Feldschuh (Ben Shem) (1900–1980), Zionist author and political activist[21]
Max Nomad (1881–1973) is the pseudonym of Austrian author and educator Max(imilian) Nacht.[22]
People associated with Buchach
Ukrainians
Volodymyr Hnatiuk (1871–1926) — writer, literary scholar, translator and journalist, and was one of the most influential and notable Ukrainian ethnographers [23]
Sheptytskyi, formerly Chervonohrad, historically Krystynopol, is a mining city and the administrative center of Sheptytskyi Raion, Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Sheptytskyi urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Sheptytskyi lies about 62 km north of Lviv, 7 km from Sokal, 28 km northeast of the town of Voroniv, and has a population of 64,297.
Komarno is a city located in Lviv Raion (district) of Lviv Oblast (region) in western Ukraine. Local government is administered by Komarno City Council. It hosts the administration of Komarno urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population is approximately 3,653.
Belz is a small city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine, located near the border with Poland between the Solokiya River and the Richytsia stream. Belz hosts the administration of Belz urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is approximately 2,191.
Chortkiv is a city in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Chortkiv Raion, housing the district's local administration buildings. Chortkiv hosts the administration of Chortkiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 28,279.
Berezhany is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It lies about 50 km (31 mi) from the administrative center of the oblast, Ternopil. Berezhany hosts the administration of Berezhany urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 17,139.
Sokal is a city located on the Bug River in Sheptytskyi Raion, Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Sokal urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population is approximately 20,373.
Terebovlia is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. Terebovlia hosts the administration of Terebovlia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 13,226 ; 13,661 (2001).
Pidhaitsi is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located approximately 15.5 miles (24.9 km) south of Berezhany, 43.5 miles (70.0 km) from Ternopil, and 62 miles (100 km) south-east of Lviv. In 1939, Pidhaitsi obtained the formal status of a city. It hosts the administration of Pidhaitsi urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 2,609.
Bohorodchany is a rural settlement in Ivano-Frankivsk Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located several miles from the administrative center of the oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk. It hosts the administration of Bohorodchany settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 8,234. The settlement was also known as Podhorochany.
Tysmenytsia is a city in Ivano-Frankivsk Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast of western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Tysmenytsia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 8,958.
Zboriv is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the historical region of Galicia. The local government is administered by Zboriv City Council. Zboriv hosts the administration of Zboriv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 6,621.
Kopychyntsi is a small city in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kopychyntsi urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Kopychyntsi is the birthplace of Vasyl Ivanchuk, a chess grandmaster; Israel Jacob Kligler, who led the effort of eradicating malaria in Mandatory Palestine; and Pinhas Lavon, an Israeli politician. The population of the town is 7000. The population of Kopychyntsi municipality is 13 965.
Monastyryska is a small city in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. In 2001, the population was 6,344. The town is situated on the river Koropets, 15 km (9.32 mi) from Buchach, 140 km (86.99 mi) south-east from Lviv, on the road between Ternopil or Berezhany and Ivano-Frankivsk. The river Koropets forms a wide lake. Monasteryska borders Hryhoriv and Bertnyky on the east, Ozekhiv on the south, Vycholky and Stara Huta on the west, Nova Huta, Shveykiv and Kovalivka on the north. It hosts the administration of Monastyryska urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 5,380.
Rudky is a city in Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast in Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Rudky urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population was 4,942 at the 2001 Ukrainian census. Current population: 5,230.
Bolekhiv is a city in Kalush Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It was once home to a large Jewish community, very few of whom survived World War II. Bolekhiv hosts the administration of Bolekhiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 10,259.
Yazlovets is a village in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. It is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage centre of local significance. The village belongs to the Buchach urban hromada. It lies on the Vilchivchik river, a tributary of the Strypa and is located 16 km south of Buchach and presently has around 600 inhabitants. From 1947-91, it was known as Yablunivka. Apart from the ruined fortifications, there is little sign now that in the 15th and 16th centuries this was a thriving trading centre, on major international mercantile routes between the Black Sea and Northern Europe, and host to multiple merchant families of diverse ethnicities and religions. It was an instance of a privately owned settlement, such as was Zamość in Poland. The city's square has been entirely obliterated.
Pidkamin is a rural settlement in Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located near the administrative border of three oblasts, Lviv, Rivne, and Ternopil. Pidkamin hosts the administration of Pidkamin settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 1,895.
Omer Bartov is an Israeli-American historian. He is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, where he has taught since 2000. Bartov is a historian of the Holocaust and is considered a leading authority on genocide. The Forward calls him "one of the foremost scholars of Jewish life in Galicia."
Krakovets is a rural settlement in Yavoriv Raion, Lviv Oblast, in western Ukraine. It lies on the Polish-Ukrainian border, roughly halfway between Lviv in Ukraine and Kraków in Poland on the European route E40, hosting the Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing. Krakovets belongs to Yavoriv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population was estimated at 1,154 .
Zolotyi Potik is a rural settlement in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Zolotyi Potik settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 2,360.
↑ Megargee, Geoffrey (2012). Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. p.Volume II 761–765. ISBN978-0-253-35599-7.
R.J.W. Evans, "Center on the Margins" (review of Omer Bartov, Tales from the Borderlands: Making and Unmaking of the Galician Past, Yale University Press, 2024, 376 pp.), The New York Review of Books, vol. LXXI, no. 20 (19 December 2024), pp. 74, 80–81. "I follow Bartov here in using the Polish version of the name, [Buczacz,] since the town [now Buchach, Ukraine] has lain for most of its history in Poland or a region dominated by Polish culture. [p. 74.] [B]efore the Great War [p]laces like Buczacz were incubators of both Polish and Ukrainian nationalism, and eventually of its Jewish forms too, as Zionism.... Early Zionists enjoyed little local support either within the Jewish community or outside it. [Ukrainian socialist, nationalist, writer, translator, economist, ethnographer] [Ivan] Franko portrayed them with characteristically slight sympathy at the time, though he applauded their plans to emigrate. Bartov accords them little attention here.... [Footnote 6:] He explains the appeal of the movement more clearly in Anatomy of a Genocide.... For many Poles too the eastern homelands – what they came to call the Kresy – were a continuing locus for the dreams of benevolent hegemony in the region, which after 1918 underpinned the unsustainable claims of the Second [Polish] Republic." (p. 80.)
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