The town of Uhniv is situated in former Eastern Galicia, or Western Ukraine, some 18 kilometers north of Rava Ruska, on the right bank of the Solokia River, which flows eastward into the Buh River and which together with the latter carries its waters into the Vistula River and the Baltic Sea. On the left bank of the Solokia River is the village of Zastavia, once an independent community, but since 1933 a component part of Uhniv. The territory of the town, with the surrounding fields, comprised a total of 23.90 square kilometers in 1934 and a population of 4,212 residing in 885 dwellings.

The center or the town, known as the rynok (square), is located on a plateau dominating the marshy valley of the river. The town is in the form of a rectangle, tapered in the eastern direction; this tapered part is known as the "Suburb." Four principal streets converged in the center (rynok) of the town: Rava, Belz, Kariv and Church Streets. Southeast from the square there was the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and toward the southwestern side the Roman Catholic Church. Between Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches there were three synagogues.

In the city there still are remnants of ancient defense walls, under which there once existed underground passages. In the center of the city there were, until the end of World War II, buildings of the various Ukrainian societies and institutions. In the center itself many Jewish families lived for a great number of years. On both sides of the square there were rows or half-covered stalls with benches on which all sorts of wares were displayed during market days. These were an architectural characteristic of the town.

On the outskirts of the town there were several cemeteries: a general cemetery opposite the Greek Catholic parish house a cemetery for cholera victims at the end of the second suburban street and a military cemetery dating from 1915. In addition there was also a Jewish cemetery behind the courthouse. There was once a Basilian monastery in the town as well as an Orthodox church outside the walls of the city.

There is a railroad going through the city connecting the cities of Yaroslav, Rava Ruska and Sokal. In 1915 a narrow-gauge railroad was laid out from Uhniv to the town of Hrubeshiv. Uhniv is also connected with Rava Ruska by a highway.

The Uhniv Church of the Birth of the Holy virgin, built of brick in the form of a cross with five copulas, was erected in 1780 in place of the old wooden church, which was destroyed by fire. The Church was remodeled and expanded in 1855-1857 at the expense of Stepan Zhukovsky, outstanding patron and citizen of the town. The Church contained the main and two side altars, a pulpit modeled after that of the Cathedral of Peremyshl, gold-plated candelabrums, oaken benches, and the like (cf. "The Church of Uhniv," by Volodymyr Petryshyn).

In 1933-1936 the Church was repainted in a rich decorative style by Damian Horniatkevych, noted artist, who based his designs upon those from the princely era of Ukrainian history. In the principal copula he painted God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, surrounded by saints and angels. On a smaller copula he painted the virgin Mary, Mother of God, surrounded by historical and contemporary figures: St. Andrew, Sts. Volodymyr and Olha, Chronicler Nestor, King Danylo, Hetman Mazepa, Shevchenko, Shashkevych, Vitovsky and Metropolitan Andrew Bheptytsky. In addition, under the picture of the Holy Virgin there was a painting of Stepan and Pelagia Zhukovsky, citizens of Uhniv, as well as representatives of all Ukrainian ethnic territories dressed in local Ukrainian costumes (cf. Damian Horniatkevych "History of the Recent painting of the Church of Uhniv").

The first traces of human settlement on the territory of present-day Uhniv on the Solokia River and amid dense forest go back to the Mesolithic era (8000-5000 years B.C.). The life of the inhabitants, known as "Nadbuzhany," was nomadic, while their daily occupation consisted of fishing, hunting, masonry, primitive agriculture and cattle raising. About 3000-2000 B.C. the first immigrants came into the territory of Uhniv from the Northwest, and lived in dwellings made of leaves and twigs. During the bronze era (1800-800 B.C.) the first bronze products were brought to the area from Silesia and Transcarpathia.

About 1000 B.C. there came Into the territory of Uhniv agricultural tribes from the area of Pobuzha, the ancestors of the Western Slavs. They began founding villages and settlements with the patriarchal family type organization. Many bronze articles and Roman coins were found in the archeological excavations on the Uhniv territory, dating from that period and later.

It is known that in the princely times the tribe of the Dulibs, an early Slavic group, inhabited the area of Pobuzha, at which time a tribal organization originated, and large settlements were built, one of them being the present city of Uhniv. At that time also defense walls were erected, the remnants of which remain to this very day. Later on, these walls were built of brick as were the underground shelters and tunnels. Outside the walls lived all types of artisans who provided the princely city of Belz with arms, clothing and other products. The so-called "Uhniv boots" ("namisiatsiakh") originated at that time.

Stepan Bozhyk: "The History of Uhniv to the End of the XIXth Century"

As a defensive settlement dating back to princely times, Uhniv was surrounded by a tall defense wall and was in the form of a square. The origin of its name is unknown, however. In princely times the settlement belonged to Belz, that is to the group of the so-called chervenski horody ("Red Cities").

The population engaged in trade and agriculture. The oldest historical data, recorded in Akta Grodzkie i Ziemskie of the Polish Kingdom, mention Uhniv as a town which in 1462 received the Magdeburg Law charter. In 1470 a Roman Catholic parish was organized in the settlement. In the XVIth century a Ukrainian parish was rounded, presumably an Orthodox one, and In the XVIIth century a Ukrainian Greek-catholic (Uniate) parish was established as well. As a result of the struggle between the two Ukrainian parishes in the XVIIth century, the Orthodox parish was transferred outside the city walls, while the Uniate remained in the city. At the beginning of the XVIIIth centuries both parishes were Uniate, and in 1804 they merged into one parish. The Uniate parish in the XVIIth century was under the administration of the Basilian Fathers who came from Domashiv before the advent of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. During the rule of Khmelnytsky the Basilian Fathers were expelled from Uhniv, and they never returned, but managed to lease the farm land to the peasants, while the parish was administered by the Ukrainian lay clergy

During the XVIth and XVII centuries there were in Uhniv only wooden buildings, as a result of which there were frequent fires. The city was also ravaged by pestilence and other calamities, including Tartar raids. At the beginning of the XVIIIth century the first Jews came to settle in Uhniv.
Although Uhniv was administered by the Magdeburg Law charter, the self-government of the city depended largely on the master-owners of the city. In the XVIIIth century they provoked an uprising by the so-called servitoriators (those who leased the city’s lands) and by those who were forced to work, as part of their servitude, for the Roman Catholic pastor. 'The chaos in the administration of the city ceased with the incorporation of Galicia into Austria in 1772.

The artisans of Uhniv were organized in artisans' guilds and were also engaged in commerce.

The slow and gradual growth of Ukrainian cultural life in Uhniv began in the XIXth century as a result of the untiring efforts of its influential Ukrainian families (the Dziubynskys, the Dmukhovskys, the Trusevyches, the Zhuravetskys, the Maguras, the Gumovskys and others), and also active Ukrainian Catholic priests, such as Revs. Biretsky, Kozakevych, Romanovsky and others. Already at the beginning of the XIX century a sharp antagonism developed between Ukrainians and Poles which lasted until the beginning of the XXth century. This was especially evident in the administration of the city and the management of the city's domains and its schools. While under Austria the official language in the boys' school was Ukrainian and in the girls' school (under the Felician Sisters) Polish, the Polish administration, after the incorporation of Galicia into Poland in late 1919, succeeded in Polonizing all the schools of Uhniv.

Kornylo Celevych: "Artisan Guilds in Uhniv"

The townspeople of Uhniv, who even in the times of the princes were engaged in various trades, such as boot-making, tannery, pottery and the like, were united in guilds at the very beginning of Uhniv's existence. The first written records on guilds are dated from 1803, and even more detailed information on the guilds was recorded from 1876-1930. We find, for example, that the executive boards of the guilds held their annualmeetings on Corpus Christiday, at which new boards were elected consisting of the following: the master of the guild, the second master, four "table brothers" and a "brother treasurer." The election took place in the house of the master of the guild, after a solemn Mass in the church, and after the election the guild's trunk (containing documents and money) was transferred to the house of the new master, where a social was held.

The guild's treasury came from dues contributed by member-brothers, as for example, a tax for acceptance of a pupil for training; a tax for the release of an apprentice and his appointment to the independent status of artisan, and various fines. The treasury of the guild was controlled by the burgomaster, and sometimes by the dominion, or the master of Uhniv. The training of an artisan took from two to four years. During the training period a boy was under the care of the master who was entrusted with teaching him a new metier, for example, to make a pair of boots, a sheepskin coat, a barrel, and the like. When a boy was released to become an apprentice, he was nominated a "younger brother" of the guild. After his release such an apprentice worked under different masters, very often in various parts of the country, until finally he established his own shop or took over his father's.

Characteristics of guild members were exemplary social behavior, humanity and civility, a result of stern discipline. "Brothers" were obligated to respect the officers of the guild, to live an exemplary life and conduct themselves properly, especially during the meetings of the guild. The open trunk of the guild during the meeting was a symbol of obedience and discipline. It was strictly forbidden to argue or engage in fistfights. Minutes of the meetings and consultations were taken by the sexton (bacca-laureate), if the officers of the guild were illiterate. For infringement of social discipline or the statutes of the guild, or for insulting an officer of the guild, a trial was held and the guilty member was subjected to fines or even to corporal punishment; sometimes a guilty member was condemned to make 200 deep bows in church or buy a pound of wax for the altar of the "brothers."

When, in 1869, an artisan society in Uhniv was chartered in which all artisans were compelled to become members, the ancient guilds began to decline. But the tradition of the guilds remained, and up to the time of World War II this association was referred to as a "guild of artisans," and some artisans observed their own "holidays," as for instance, shoemakers on St. Nicholas Day and furriers on Holy Ghost Day.

Theodore Reshetylo "Welfare Foundations in Uhniv"

Among the first foundations was that of Stepan and Pelagia Zhukovsky, a childless couple. Initially they owned a butcher shop, but eventually they switched to the cattle and lumber trade and became quite wealthy, with assets of 280,000 Austrian kronen ($56,000.00). Upon the suggestion of the local Ukrainian priest, Rev. Ivan Biretsky, they began contributing substantial sums to various benefits and welfare causes and eventually established three foundations: a) a church foundation; b) a dormitory and C) a relief fund for the needy. At their expense the local Ukrainian church was expanded and remodeled in 1855-1857. In 1872 they built a "Dormitory for Ruthenian Students," which consisted of two large halls and living quarters for the administrator. The dormitory was designated for the boys of Uhniv, and above all, for relatives of the Zhukovsky family. The boys, pupils of the third and fourth grade of the public school, lived in one of the halls, while in the other they received instruction; there, too, parish meetings and choir rehearsals took place. The boys were taught and helped with their school lessons, church singing and the reading of the Cyrillic alphabet. All those boys who went to a gymnasium (high school) received a scholarship of 120 kronen a year during the four junior years at the gymnasium. One of the best known administrators of the dormitory was Theodore Fedynsky from Mosty Velyki. He not only supervised the dormitory but helped the pupils with their lessons, taught them the art of singing and conducted the church choir.

The third type of foundation was the fund for the poor, which provided financial relief for the needy of the city, especially before Christmas and Easter.

In addition to their monetary donations, the Zhukovskys also left a part of their real property to the church and the dormitory, including arable fields and meadows. After World War I, when the assets of the Zhukovskys were devaluated, the dormitory was transformed (in 1924) into a convent for Ukrainian Catholic nuns.

Stepan Zhukovsky died in 1875 and his wife Pelagia In 1879; both were buried in a chapel which they had had erected at the local cemetery.
In addition to the Zhukovskys, other philanthropists in Uhniv were Maxim Lysiak who willed his entire estate for the erection of a church belfry,and another benefactor, Flisovsky, who erected a stone house as a shelter for the poor and needy.

Stepan Bozhyk: "History of Schools in Uhniv"

The first mention about the founding of a school in Uhniv by the proprietor of the city, Sigismond from Radzanov, dates back to 1470. Initially itwas a parochial school under the auspices of the Roman Catholic pastors. During the XVIth, XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries it had a Polish character, and only in 1804 did the Ukrainians of Uhniv demand that the school become Ukrainian. At that time the city administration shared the supervision of the school with the church brotherhood. From the beginning of the Austrian rule the supervision of schools was entrusted to the Roman Catholic pastor, while the Roman Catholic dean of Zhovkva was school inspector.

At the end of the 1850's Ukrainian citizens, led by Rev. Ivan Biretsky, succeeded in transferring the supervision of the schools to the Greek Catholic consistory in Peremyshl, inasmuch as the Ukrainian population was in the majority in the city. In 1869 a school council was established which was placed under the directorship of Stepan Zhukovsky. But the Roman Catholic pastor, Motyl, succeeded in convincing the Polish owners of Uhniv to establish a girls school, which was entrusted to the Polish Felician Sisters. The three-grade boys school was located in the school building, while the girls school was In the Felician Sisters' convent.

The beginning of the 1890's saw increasing attacks by the Polish administration against the Ukrainian school, and the struggle of the Ukrainians for control of the schools lasted for many decades. The Polish city administration and the Roman Catholic pastor succeeded in carrying out of their policies to the extent that in 1913-1914 the fuel quotas destined for the Ukrainian city school were divided between the Ukrainian school and the Polish girls school of the Felician Sisters. This situation lasted until the end of World War I, during which both schools were occupied by troops of the warring armies, and teaching was irregular and sporadic.

In the years of 1918-1919 during the Ukrainian-Polish war both schools were closed. In July of 1919, after the retreat of the Ukrainian armies, the Polish administration Introduced the Polish language into both schools, and the protests of the Ukrainian citizens of Uhniv were to no avail. A plebiscite held on March 27, 1925 for the restitution of the Ukrainian language in the city school, was falsified for the benefit of the Polish minority. On January 22, 1926 the Ukrainians made a protest to the Ministry of Religious Denominations and Public Instruction In Warsaw, but without positive results for the Ukrainians; another plebiscite, held in December, 1932 for the Ukrainian language was also unsuccessful, thus the Polish language In the schools of Uhniv was official until September, 1939.

Among the more outstanding teachers in the Uhniv schools were: Justin Tytla until 1885; Jan Mirkowski, a Pole born in Uhniv; Mykhailo Tuz from 1899 to 1901; Karol Chlamtacz, Karol Gottfried, Mykhailo Korchynsky - all in the 1930's; in the school of the Felician Sisters: Franciszka Stoyalowska to 1872; Beatrice Schanbe to 1899; Tekla Bleshchynska to 1904; Dyzmaza Grabowska to 1921; Cecilia Kabluk from 1921-1939.

Religion was taught by the priests of the Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic rites.

From 1889 to 1899 there existed in Uhniv a successfully developed professional shoemakers school, which was established by Alexander Celevych and supported by the County School Council. Over 127 highly trained shoemakers graduated from the school. But when Alexander Celevych was sent to Vienna for special technical courses and when upon his return he was sent to organize shoemaker schools throughout Galicia, the Uhniv school declined, especially under Burgomaster Heller's administration (1900). The school existed until 1918, but was not as well attended nor was it as prosperous as in previous years:

In the years 1939-1941, during the first occupation of Western Ukraine by the Soviet Union, there existed in Uhniv a state school of the 10-grade type. In the years 1941-1944 the school was transformed into a 6-grade public school with both the Ukrainian and Polish languages. In 1944, when Uhniv and the entire Western Ukraine was made part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, a 10-grade school with the Ukrainian language was again reintroduced.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Austrian heir to the throne, on June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, which caused the outbreak of World War I, made a lasting impression on the author, then a 12-year-old boy. In July, 1914, after the announcement of the general mobilization, all the young able-bodied men were called to arms, while the older men were mobilized in the so-called Landsturm (relief and reserve troops), or to service in the gendarmerie and other auxiliary services. The father of the author was in the latter category.

The civilian population lived in anxiety and uncertainty and engaged in spreading fantastic rumors, inasmuch as Uhniv was only about 12 kilometers from the Austro-Russian border. The fear and anxiety were intensified with the arrest of the local Greek Catholic pastor, Rev. Vasyl Romanovsky, who was suspected of pro-Russian sympathies, and who was deported to Talerhof in Syria, from which he was released in 1916 (he died in Vienna in 1917). The fear and uncertainty increased in the town, when at the beginning of August, 1914, the body of a Russian officer killed at the front was brought In to Uhniv, and when subsequently Austrian engineers began digging defense trenches outside the town and cutting down the willows along the road from Uhniv to Zastavia. It was then that the citizens of Uhniv saw for the first time a military plane in flight.

In the middle of August the first encounter between the Austrian and Russian troops took place not far from Uhniv, during which there were casualties on both sides, and after which the Austrian troops brought in several Russian war prisoners. They appeared to be somewhat healthier and wore uniforms more adaptable to the terrain than those worn by the Austrian troops. Among the first war casualties near Uhniv was the son of a Hungarian general and the son of General Konrad von Hetzendorf, chief of staff of the Austrian army.

At the end of August the Austrian troops began retreating and after fierce battles which lasted several days, the Russian army finally entered Uhniv and continued its drive westward. Soldiers of the Russian army were friendly and talkative and bragged about the "imminent fall" of Vienna. Among the Russian soldiers there were many Ukrainians who were extremely friendly toward the Ukrainian population, proudly spoke Ukrainian and asked for Ukrainian books, especially for Shevchenko's Kobzar. In general, the Russian troops which passed through Uhniv were friendly toward the local population and helped the latter with various food articles, selling them at a very low price.

At the beginning of 1915, especially after the fall of the fortress of Peremyshl, the Russian army captured many Austrian and German troops, who were sent East through the Ukrainian villages to demonstrate the alleged superiority of the Russian army. Inasmuch as these Austrian and German war prisoners were not strictly guarded, many of them escaped and hid in the countryside. But soon the Austro-German offensive threw back the Russian troops and on June 15, 1915 the German troops recaptured Uhniv. During the bombardment of the Russian positions by the German artillery the southern part of Uhniv was destroyed and two towers of the Roman Catholic Church were knocked down.

A few weeks later the Austrian army took over the administration of Eastern Galicia from the Germans and life seemed to return to some degree of normalcy. The schools in Uhniv were reopened, but only about 35 children were able to attend. Some Ukrainian social and cultural organizations and societies resumed their activities, but the cholera epidemic which broke out in July of 1915 took about 150 lives In Uhniv, impeding thus any further activities at that time.

Life became more difficult later on as the war was protracted and the population suffered from lack of food, clothing, fuel and other articles of prime necessity.

Mention also should be made of the hanging of two Ukrainian women in Uhniv by the Hungarian army because they called themselves rusyny (Ruthenians).

Ukrainian inhabitants of Uhniv, as well as those of other areas of Eastern Galicia, who were mobilized into the Austrian army, had ample opportunity to see other countries and peoples, their culture and social and economic conditions. They compared what they saw with their own political situation, and fortified their opposition to and hatred of the Austrian regime and Russian despotism. The Russian revolution of 1917 even more broadly widened the horizons of the Ukrainians in Galicia who were openly preparing for the realization of their national ideals in the form of a free and independent Ukrainian state.

The signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk by the Ukrainian Central Rada with the Central Powers greatly encouraged the Ukrainians of Galicia in their hopes and expectations, and their thoughts were centered on Kiev, the capital of the free Ukrainian state.

The proclamation of the independence of Western Ukraine on November 1, 1918 was the practical opportunity toward the realization and fulfillment of the dreams of Ukrainians in Eastern Galicia to have their freedom and independence, which they thought should be strengthened and solidified by uniting Western Ukraine with the Ukrainian state, with the seat in Kiev.
In Chapter IV, on the liberation struggle In Uhniv and its vicinity in the years 1918-1919, there is discussed in two articles the participation of the Uhniv Ukrainians against the Polish army in its war against the Western Ukrainian National Republic, and their part in the union of Western Ukraine with Eastern Ukraine.

In the article, "First Days of November 1918," Kornylo Celevych describes some moments of deliberation by the Ukrainian Military Administration in the National Home in Lviv at the end of October, 1918. Upon receiving instructions about taking over the government from the Austrian administration, the author of the article, along with other Uhnivites, started on his way home. But because of the irregularity of the railroad schedule, on account of the military upheavals, they reached Uhniv after five days. Upon arriving they learned that the administration of the city was already in Ukrainian hands, the transition of authority being effectuated by a handful of patriotic citizens of Uhniv. The police duty was being performed by the youth, many of them pupils of the Uhniv high schools.

Another article, "The Uhniv Region in the Liberation Struggle for the Ukrainian State," by Hryts Saliuk, describes the general background of the formation of the Ukrainian authority in Uhniv, both military and civilian, and the establishment of the "IVth Uhniv Brigade" and its joyful and less joyful escapades across the Zbruch River, including the fate of its officers.

Michael Dorosh, in his article, "Organization of the Uhniv Cavalry," narrates the history of the cavalry detachment, which subsequently became an important part of the army and served as a supporting arm of the regular infantry and cavalry units of the Ukrainian army. The commander of this unit, organized at the end of November, was Lt. Michael Palushok, and his adjutant was Michael Dorosh, the author of the article, who was a non- commissioned officer. The unit comprised 49 cavalrymen. Furthermore, the author dwells on the activity of the unit in Uhniv and its integration in April, 1919, with the cavalry unit formed in Kaminka Strumilova. He also tells about the establishment of the first cavalry squadron of the Galician Corps under the command of Michael Panas, its retreat beyond the Zbruch River, and its inclusion into the Second Galician Infantry Regiment under the command of Mykola Arkas, and its disarmament and internment by the Polish troops in a camp in Proskuriv, in Eastern Ukraine. The article includes the names and places of birth of soldiers of the First Cavalry Squadron in Uhniv

In the article, "Lt. Ivan Pushkar, First Ukrainian Commander of the Uhniv District," Dmytro Brechka gives a portrayal of his schoolmate of gymnasium years, Ivan Pushkar, born in the village of Verbytsia. Ivan Pushkar, even in his early youth was noted for his diligence, industriousness, integrity and sociability. After graduating from the gymnasium he registered at the Medical Faculty at the University of Lviv, but in the first days of November, 1918 he was ordered to organize Ukrainian armed units In Uhniv, which he did by mobilizing able-bodied men in Uhniv and its county and forming a company under the command of Lt. Dmytro Brechka. This company and other military units organized by him were placed in the villages west of Uhniv. These units defended that part of the front until the end of January, 1919. When on January 6, 1919 Ivan Pushkar died tragically and was buried in his native village of Verbytsia, the command of the unit, now transformed into a battalion, was assumed by Lt. Semen Trusevych. This battalion, strengthened by the Hutsul Battalion under the command of Captain Stafiniak, became the nucleus of the "IXth Uhniv Brigade," which defended Uhniv to the end of January, 1919. Reorganized in the spring of 1919 into the "IXth Belz Brigade," under the command of Captain Bohuslav Shashkevych of Poltava, it shared the good and bad days of the Ukrainian Galician Army in its retreat to Chortkiv, the Chortkiv offensive, the crossing of the Zbruch River, the ill-fated "rectangle of death," the alliance with the Bolsheviks and that with Denikin, until the liquidation of the Ukrainian Galician Army and internment of its officers by the Poles in the camp of Tuchola in Pomerania.

In another article, "The Fiercest Battle of Uhniv," Andrew Shustykevych describes the fiercest battle which took place on January 21, 1919 and which stopped a strong assault of the Polish army for several days. Yaroslav Chubaty completes the article with his own memoirs about the important participation of the Kolomea Battalion in that battle.

Ivan Okolot in his "A Battery Commander's Memoirs of Military Events on the Uhniv Sector" depicts the important role played by the only Ukrainian artillery battery in Uhniv, which effectively and successfully supported infantry operations on the various sectors of the Uhniv front, and as a result was very popular with the locals Ukrainians.

Two other articles, "On the Path of Glory of the IXth Brigade of the Ukrainian Galician Army" by Stepan Bozhyk and "Reminiscences of the Ukrainian-Polish War in Uhniv" by Theodore Reshetylo, encompass the entirety of the liberation struggle in Uhniv. Although in these articles the subject matter is the same, the articles are by no means identical.

Stepan Bozhyk produces, in chronological order, all the events which took place between November 1, 1918 and January 31, 1919, which for the most part are connected with the operations of the "IXth Uhniv Brigade" of the Ukrainian Galician Army. On the other hand, Theodore Reshetylo covers the same period of time not only from the viewpoint of military operations, but also extends his narrative to the civilian life as well. Both articles present the facts objectively.

The memoirs of Theodore Reshetylo begin with the rumors about the imminent fall of Austria at the end of October, 1918, which were widely circulated among the population of the city, especially among the students. When the news of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire became known, a group of older citizens - Rev. Alexander Govda, Lt. Semen Trusevych, Rev. Mark Gil, Judge Pechersky, Ivan Rudasevych and Yakiv Skrypchuk – and five students - Hryn Khytren, Volodymyr Petryshyn, Nestor Bilyk, Theodore Reshetylo and Hryn Onyshkevych - met on November 1, 1918 in the "Prosvita" building and decided to take over the authority in Uhniv and its region from the Austrian army command. On the morning of November 2nd a group of students and older citizens, under the leadership of Lt. Semen Trusevych, took over the authority from the commandant of the Austrian garrison and police, as well as an ammunition depot in Zastavia.

After the first moments of triumph the task of heavy responsibility followed with the urgent necessity for organizing the administrative apparatus, recruitment of military units, establishing a telephone network and a defense against the attacks of the Polish troops endeavoring to seize the railroads connecting the cities of Yaroslav, Rava Ruska, Uhniv, Belz and Sokal. The organization of the army and administration took almost the entire month of November. At the end of November regular army companies were established, which were called, at first, the "Uhniv Brigade" and later on, the "Belz Brigade." After the tragic death of Ivan Pushkar, the first commander of the brigade, the command of the brigade was taken over by Stepan Vaskan of Bukovina, who was killed on January 21, 1919 in the battle for Uhniv. Then the command of the brigade was assumed by Captain Bohuslav Shashkevych, who led the unit until the retreat to Kaminka Strumilova and across the Zbruch River. Although the Uhniv unit was reinforced by the Kolomeya Battalion, the unit was unable to stop the attacks of the Polish troops, numerically superior and better equipped, which attacked from the areas of Lubachiv, Tomashiv and Rava and tried to break into Lviv. Uhniv formed a wedge amidst the areas seized by the Poles in December, 1918. The lack of troops as well as their inadequate equipment enabled the Poles to press their attacks with ever-stronger intensity and gradually occupy the Uhniv county territory. Thus, despite the fierce resistance and counterattacks by the Ukrainian troops Uhniv was taken, first on January 21, 1919, and then again finally on January 29, 1919. The Ukrainian military command and civil administration under the leadership of Dr. Lubomyr Okhrymovych was forced to abandon the city.

The failure of the Ukrainian military and civilian authority in Uhniv is critically appraised by the author, who, from the perspective of forty years, reveals some errors and shortcomings of the Ukrainian civil and military administration. In general, the author underscores the lack of experience in commanding the military units, and also the facts that the Ukrainian army in Galicia had but little military preparedness and inadequate military resources.

The author of the article, as a 17-year boy, was an army telephone operator, keeping that post until the retreat of the Ukrainian army from Uhniv. Later on he joined the military group from Kaminka Strumilova and along with it and with the reorganized units of the "Uhniv Brigade" he went to Ternopil, where in November, 1919 he was a victim of a typhus epidemic and was placed in an army hospital. He was captured, along with other hospital inmates, by Polish troops and became a prisoner of war, and after spending several months in a Polish POW camp in Domble and Strzalkow he returned home in 1920.

In the article, "County Commissariat of Rava Ruska with Headquarters in Uhniv," Volodymyr Petryshyn narrates the history of this institution, organized in the first days of November, 1918, with all its branches and subdivisions which existed during the Austrian regime. The "Commissariat" was headed first by Dr. Mykola Chaykovsky, son of the well-known Ukrainian writer, Andrey Chaykovsky, and subsequently by Dr. Lubomyr Okhrymovych.

Because of the penetration by Polish troops at the end of November, 1918 into the area between Rava Ruska and Uhniv, the "County Commissariat" was evacuated from Rava Ruska to Uhniv, where it remained until January 28, 1919. This institution, which had its branch in Nemyriv, recruited young men into the army, provided the population with rood articles and maintained law and order in the entire county. Dr. Okhrymovych, a man of great ability and integrity, as well as a man with unlimited energy and resources, was able to keep order until the very last days of the Ukrainian authority in Uhniv. With the retreat of the Ukrainian army eastward, the "Commissariat" likewise had to move to the East, but in June, 1919 it was dissolved in Chortkiv.

In two articles, "How the Cult of War Dead Developed in Uhniv" by Rev. Vasyl Gumovsky and "Soldiers' Graves in Uhniv" by Volodymyr Petryshyn, there is detailed Information on the honoring of the Ukrainian war dead in Uhniv and its vicinity. The care of the war graves was entrusted to the "Society for the Care of War Graves," a national Ukrainian organization, a branch of which was founded In Uhniv in 1921. Every year on Pentecost Sunday (zeleni sviata) a procession marched to the Ukrainian war cemetery in Uhniv and Kariv and a similar one went to the cemetery in Verbytsia in the summer, where Masses were celebrated and patriotic sermons were delivered by the clergy. The Uhniv branch of the "Society for the Care of War Graves" prepared a marble plaque with the names of twenty citizens of Uhniv who died in the defense of their country in the years 1918-1920. The Polish authorities, however, forbade the branch to immure the plaque on the wall of the local Ukrainian Catholic Church. These religious and patriotic manifestations of the Ukrainian population on the graves of the Ukrainian war heroes were especially ruthlessly persecuted by the Polish government which saw in them the cultivation of Ukrainian patriotism and aspiration for the independence of Ukraine.

This Chapter contains several articles, written mostly by Volodymyr Petryshyn, which deal with the history of Uhniv between the two World Wars, during World War II and afterwards.

The major part of the history is devoted to the national and cultural development of the Ukrainian population under the 20-year domination of Poland whose government endeavored at all cost to impede and prohibit this development. The Polish administration tried hard to break the resistance of the Ukrainians which they demonstrated by refusing to take part in the elections to the Polish Parliament (Sejm) in 1922; the Ukrainians by refusing to vote wanted to deny the right of the Poles to hold elections in the Ukrainian territory. The harsh and irresponsible policy of the Polish government evoked mass resistance on the part of the Ukrainian people, and caused the establishment of a secret and underground revolutionary organizations, the UVO (Ukrainian Military Organization) and the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists), which resulted in many arrests of Ukrainian citizens in Uhniv and vicinity, three of whom were placed in the dread concentration camp of Bereza Kartuska, established by the Polish government for the incarceration of rebellious Ukrainians. But despite mistreatment and persecution by the Polish government, Ukrainian social and religious organizations prospered, and Ukrainian leaders were able to educate the citizens of Uhniv in a truly Ukrainian patriotic spirit.

With the outbreak of World War II, as a result of the Hitler-Stalin agreement, Uhniv was annexed along with the rest of Western Ukraine by the Soviet Union, and was incorporated into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The German-Soviet frontier ran along the Solokia River, which made Zastavia a part of the Government General of Poland.

For the inhabitants of Uhniv these were times of fear and anxiety. The Bolsheviks closed down all Ukrainian cultural and social organizations, except the cooperatives, and deported seven Ukrainian families from Uhniv to Kazakhstan. In 1941 they arrested 11 Ukrainians in the city, of which number only two escaped with their lives. The Russians also took a number of young men into the Soviet army and imposed heavy taxation upon the citizens in both foodstuffs and money.

There was no fighting in Uhniv at the outbreak of the German-Soviet war in June 1941, inasmuch as the Soviet troops with drew rapidly before the advancing German army.

The Germans began their rule in Uhniv by executing 12 persons (both Christians and Jews), for their alleged communist sympathies. German soldiers pillaged the local cooperative and the County Union of Cooperatives and the new Nazi administration placed all Jews in a special ghetto. The Germans also imposed heavy contingents of food, cattle fodder and animals upon the population. Although the Germans allowed the Ukrainians to reopen some of their organizations and associations, these functioned on a rather limited scale.

The harsh and inhuman treatment of the Ukrainian population by the Nazis soon engendered mass resistance and Opposition, which culminated in the establishment of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Polish Home Army (AK). In 1943-1944 the UPA occupied the entire Uhniv area and waged regular warfare against the Nazi occupation forces. 'The activities of the UPA continued successfully after the collapse of Germany, as this Ukrainian underground resistance force conducted its guerrilla warfare against the Soviet occupation. German arms and ammunition captured by the UPA were now being used against the Bolsheviks, while food and other supplies were provided by the Ukrainian population which wholeheartedly supported the UPA.

In another article, "Uhniv in the Hands of the UPA," Sophia Tesliuk describes how Uhniv was occupied on Easter of 1944 by the UPA units amid the enthusiastic joy of the Ukrainian population. For several weeks Uhniv was under the UPA administration and the armed units which defended the civilian population against attacks by the German occupation troops and the Polish Home Army.

In his article, "My Experiences in Uhniv in the Years 1944-1946," Rev. Yuriy Mentsinsky, who took over the administration of the Uhniv deanery and the local parish after the departure of Rev. Alexander Treshnevsky, describes his experiences under the Polish communist regime. In the fall of 1945 he succeeded in reaching Peremyshl and personally reporting to Bishop Josaphat Kotsylovsky on the status of the Ukrainian Catholic parish in Uhniv. When in the spring of 1946 the Polish communist government began the forceful repatriation of the Ukrainians under its control to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, both the Ukrainian population and the clergy suffered untold persecution and oppression at the hands of the Polish military administration and the police. All the property assets of the churches and individual citizens were confiscated, while the churches were transformed into warehouses and storage places. In 1947 the remnants of the Ukrainian population from Uhniv were deported by the Poles to Silesia and Pomerania, while all Ukrainian Catholic priests from Uhniv and its area were either deported or jailed by the Polish communist government, and a number of them died in prison. In 1951, on the basis of a Soviet-Polish treaty, Uhniv was restored to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, but it is doubtful whether any of the former citizens of Uhniv returned from their exile.

Chapter VI contains articles by Volodymyr Petryshyn, Mykola Petryshyn and Theodore Reshetylo dealing with the social, economic and cultural conditions in Uhniv prior to World War II.

In their everyday life the Ukrainians of Uhniv, who constituted a majority over the Polish and Jewish population, were in general religious and industrious people. They attended Mass regularly on Sundays and holidays and sang in the church choir, which was under the direction, first, of Theodore Fedynsky and later under Ivan Gumovsky. Most of the townsfolk of Uhniv owned their own land on which they raised farm products and a number of them were occupied in various trades and skills (shoe-making, tanning, carpentry and the like), and economically they were well off under prevailing conditions.

There were, of course, poor families and a few rich ones (the Zhukovskys, the Kaminskys, the Gumovskys, the Trusevyches and others). Since the middle of the XIX century the townsfolk of Uhniv had been sending their children to high schools and universities, and at least 180 priests and about the same number of professional men came from Uhniv within half a century.

As far as the homes in Uhniv were concerned, they were built on the same pattern as the peasants' houses in the neighboring areas. Houses were covered first with straw and in later years with tin. The average living quarter consisted of a large living room (svitlytsia), a hall, a small room and a pantry. In the living room there was a large table, a long bench under the wall and several chairs; in the opposite corner there stood a large bed with a canopy. Against the wall between the hall door and the window there was a large sideboard for dishes and under the ceiling there was a large shelf, where prayer books and other books were placed. In still another corner, between the hall, the living room and the small room there was a huge stove, and in the fourth corner there stood a large trunk. Across the hall was the pantry, in which all food articles, thrashed grain, vegetables and clothing were stored. Under the pantry there was a cellar, connected by a stair going from the hall. The houses were clean; the walls were painted with white lime, and the living room as well as the smaller room had wooden floors, which were washed every week.

The style of dress in Uhniv was rather unique in the whole of Galicia. The men's apparel consisted of a linen shirt with open collar, trousers of dark cloth, a vest and a frock coat, and high boots made of leather. In the summer the men wore a light broadcloth coat, while in the winter they wore a heavy one, lined with sheepskin of grey or dark color, and a sheepskin hat of the same color.

The women's dress consisted of a linen blouse, also with an open collar, a wide skirt with pleats and a dressy apron; In addition, women also wore a blouse (katsabaika) and a Jacket (kaftanyk) in the summer, and a jacket lined with sheepskin in the winter. The women's headdress was a large Turkish kerchief, tied into a fancy knot; In the winter time women wore high boots and in the summer low shoes. They also wore large belts and from 3 to 12 strings of original coral beads with coins (dukaches).

Most of the womenfolk took care of the household chores, such as laundry, cooking and baking; they also tended the cattle and poultry, while the men worked in the fields and performed heavier chores around the house as well. The richer townspeople hired seasonal workers from the neighboring villages to work on the fields. The constant parceling of land and deforestation of woodlands resulted in an eventual impoverishment of those who lived from agriculture, and many of them had to engage in trade or emigrate to the United States and Canada.

In the article, "The Uhniv Shoemakers and Their Boots" Ivan Onyshkevych tells how shoemakers tanned their leather in an oak rind, which they gathered in the forests of Kariv, Piddubtsi and Verbytsia. The process of tanning involved the soaking of the leather in the river and in barrels filled with lime and boiling the suds made of the oak rind. One shoemaker could manufacture at least 4 pairs of high boots from the hide of a bull. High boots with wide heels were known as "boots on the moon" ("na misiatsiakh").

Having manufactured 30 to 40 pairs of boots, two or more shoemakers marketed them in various towns and cities, such as Rava Ruska, Zhovkva, Belz, Sokal, Mosty Velyki, Kulykiv, Yaniv, Yavoriv, Horodok, Rudky, Komarno, Uhniv, Ulashkivtsi, and even went to Bukovina or across the Russian border to Tomashiy and Zamost. But a few years before the outbreak of World War II the shoe-making industry In Uhniv began to decline because of the limited modern factory facilities and because of the lack of modern processes, despite the fact that a good shoemaking school existed in Uhniv.

Every Thursday there was held In Uhniv a fair or market to which peasants from the neighboring villages came to sell their products, such as calves, sheep and pigs and to buy merchandise they needed for their households. Jews retailed most of the consumer goods.

Theodore Reshetylo, in his article, "Hygiene and Health in Uhniv and Its Vicinity," discusses the health problems of the Uhniv population. Although the inhabitants of Uhniv kept their houses clean and followed the rules of personal hygiene as well, cases of epidemics were frequent, especially those of tuberculosis. This was due mainly to the marshlands producing malaria-bearing mosquitoes and also due to the lack of canalization. The general lack of hospitals and clinic facilities contributed to the great mortality rate. Also there was malnutrition, especially among the high school youth.

In another article, "Church Brotherhoods," Theodore Reshetylo narrates the history of the Ukrainian church brotherhoods, which existed for several centuries, and were administered under their traditional laws and customs. The brotherhood was divided into a senior and junior section. The former took care of the church, helped the pastors In building churches and other parish buildings, as well as in raising funds for the church. The junior brotherhood was charged with the upkeep of the church, while the junior sisterhood saw to it that the interior of the church was decorated. The special pride of the junior brotherhood were the long (a meter and a half) wooden candle-holders, which were carried by the young men during processions or other ceremonies of the church.

Still another article by Theodore Reshetylo, entitled, "Uhniv and the Schools," is devoted to the national and cultural relations in Uhniv and is a sort of complement to the articles by S. Bozhyk on the cultural development in the XXth century, and especially on relations in schools. Although the townspeople of Uhniv encountered great material difficulties, they succeeded in sending their children to high schools and universities, as a result of which over 300 professional men and women came out of Uhniv in this century and about the same number of professionals came from the region of Uhniv.

Yakiv Styrko in his article, "Physical Culture in Uhniv," describes how the Ukrainians in Uhniv engaged in all kinds of sports and physical culture. The beginning of their sports activities dates back to the early part of the XXth century, but sports reached their highest development between the two World Wars. Especially well and intensively developed were such sports as soccer, volley ball (among both the boys and girls) and skiing. High school and university students from Uhniv introduced sport games to the village youth of the Uhniv area as well. These sport activities contributed not only to the physical conditioning of the youth, but also developed a spirit of fair play, sportsmanship and national consciousness as well.

The customs and habits of the Uhnivites are described by Mykola Petryshyn in the article, entitled, "Customs and Habits in Uhniv." In general, the townspeople of Uhniv were deeply attached to their ancestral customs, especially in the matter of preserving their own traditions connected with the observance of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and the Pentecost holidays. They also held many social events, which had been observed by the previous generations; these included social evenings (St. Andrew's), harvest festivals and the like.

Mykola and Maria Petryshyn, in their article, "Wedding in Uhniv," describes what was one of the most picturesque of all the Ukrainian folk mores: the wedding. The ceremony began with the betrothal of the young couple. After the announcement in the church and prior to the wedding they went to confession and Holy Communion on Sunday. Afterward the betrothed couple visited their relatives and friends and asked their blessing and invited them to the wedding. On Sunday night a dance was held in the home of the young man, from where the guests went to the house of the maid of honor, where married women were making a floral wreath; the wreath had to be "bought." At the same time the guests had to "buy" a bouquet for the bridegroom, too.

On Monday morning the guests gathered at the bridegroom's house, attired in festive dress, from where they went to the house of the bride, where zasidachi (young boys) "defended" the bride and only upon receiving a "ransom" would they release the bride to the groom. Then, amid singing, the bridesmaids unbraided the bride's tresses and placed a wreath on her head. The best man then delivered three wedding orations replete with references to the religious and moral life and respect for the parents. Then the entire procession went to the church and the priest wed the couple, whereupon all went to the house of the bridegroom, where the newly-weds were toasted with wine and bread. There a luncheon was served and the guests were entertained and danced to the lively music. Afterwards the entire wedding company went to the house of the bride, where the wedding dinner was served and the ceremony continued, to the accompaniment of music, into the small hours of the morning. On Tuesday noon the bride was taken to the church, where a special hood was placed on her head, and upon returning to her home it was taken off by the matron of honor, who in turn paced a kerchief on the bride's head. Subsequently, the bride danced with all the men invited to the wedding. Then, a cap, worn by married women, was placed on the bride's head, and the entire wedding company proceeded to the house of the bridegroom, where his parents greeted the newly weds as a full-fledged married couple and a dinner was served to the guests by the new couple; thereafter there was dancing. Before World War I, three days after the wedding, another ceremony, the so-called popravyny, was held. But between World War I and World War II weddings in Uhniv were much more modest and usually lasted only one day.

All religious holidays were strictly observed by the towns-people of Uhniv. The Christmas holidays began with the pre Christmas lent (pylypivka), during which no meat was consumed. Lent was very strictly observed; no meat dishes, no dances or any other public gatherings. The Holy Supper (sviata vechera) consisted of 12 meatless dishes and without milk. Christmas lasted three days, during which, after Mass, there were visits by family and relatives, and caroling by groups of young boys and girls, and by the older people.

On New Year's day children visited every house with wishes for a "Happy and Prosperous New Year." On Epiphany Day a solemn "blessing of water" took place on the lake, on which a huge cross from Ice and decorated with pine branches was prepared. During the religious celebration held on the lake, the powerful church choir sang Christmas carols. Starting the same day the priest visited every household to bless it with "holy water." Both the townspeople and peasants decorated the windows of their houses with crosses made of straw.

The Easter season also began with the observance of lent and special Masses and services. During Easter Week all houses were whitened and cleaned. On Maundy Thursday there were services dedicated to the suffering and passion of Christ, while on Good Friday special vespers were held, and Christ's tomb (plashchanytsia) was prepared and psalms were sung. There was no ringing of the church bells on Good Friday. On Saturday the church was cleaned and decorated while housewives were busy preparing meats and (paska) (an Easter bread) and a special bread of Uhniv, known as bartukh. The blessing of the paska usually took place in individual homes or on the church square on Saturday afternoon. In the evening Resurrection services were held, and on Easter Sunday a Resurrection Mass, after which families held their Easter dinner. During the entire three days of the Easter holiday boys and girls played around the church and performed beautiful Ukrainian Easter games, hahilky. On Eastern Monday a church procession went to the local cemetery, where Mass was held for the dead.

On Ascension Day there was held in Uhniv a church festival, known as vidpust, to which many people from the neighboring villages came.
On Pentecost Sunday all houses in Uhniv were decorated with greenery and all floors In the house were covered with bulrush (shuvar); on the second day of Pentecost a church procession went to the cemetery again; after World War I special masses were celebrated on the graves of Ukrainian war heroes who died in the defense of Uhniv.

In addition to the articles by Mykola Petryshyn and Theodore Reshetylo on these holidays, the article of Volodymyr Kryvokulsky, written In the local vernacular, dwells on the observance of Epiphany and Easter in Uhniv, and the article of Irene Gurgula on the straw crosses, with which house windows were decorated on Epiphany.

In the article, "The Language of Uhniv," Prof. Vasyl Lew discusses the local dialect of the Uhnivites. According to outstanding Ukrainian philologists, such as Ivan Zilynsky, Vsevolod Hantsov, Olena Kurylo, Kost Kisilevsky and others, the dialect spoken in Uhniv belongs to the Southwestern dialect, while Ivan Verkhratsky considers it to be a part of the dialect of the Batiuks. In contrast to the dialect of the neighboring villages the language of the Uhnivites was distinguished by a larger quantity of words, created phonetically and morphologically under the Polish influence. This phenomenon was rather common for many cities and towns of Galicia. The Uhniv vocabulary, based on the dialect or the Batiuks, was especially used in every-day life, particularly in the household parlance. In addition, it also contains masculine and feminine names used in parlance according to local circumstances, and also some family names which characterize the local usage and habits and reflect the characteristics of the dialect of the Batiuks.

In another article, "The Uhniv Folklore," Dr. Vasyl Lew discusses the Ukrainian folklore on the basis of ample material gathered In Uhniv. The folklore of Uhniv is expressed in various customs and habits, in church observances and family life, in social games and the like. Among the most significant features of the Uhniv folklore belong the Uhniv hahilky, or Easter games, known as zazuli (cuckoos). The article also contains the words of the most outstanding hahilky from other parts of Galicia, which appeared in the Ukrainian ethnographic publications. In general, the Uhniv folklore is very similar to the national folklore of the area, containing a great deal of migratory Western Ukrainian elements.

In Chapter VII about "The Social and Cultural Life of Uhniv and Its Vicinity," Volodymyr Petryshyn provides most of the background material on the subject. The board and city council (rada) were based on the Magdeburg Law charter, brought to Uhniv in 1462. From that time on, i. e. when the city was placed under the domination of Poland (from the XVth to the XVIIIth centuries), there was always in Uhniv an independent council. Until 1880 there was in Uhniv a viyt (mayor), a custodian of law and order and executor of the decisions of the city council as well as chairman of the aldermen. In addition, there was also a burgomaster, chairman of the city council (yurdica), which was under the authority of the Roman Catholic pastor and his assistant. The latter's authority extended over the townspeople who were compelled to work in servitude for the Roman Catholic pastor. Beginning with the XVIth century until the outbreak of World War I most of the burgomasterswere Ukrainians.

During the Austrian rule members of the city council were Ukrainians, Poles and Jews, while during the Polish rule the number of Ukrainians was reduced in that body due to a special policy of the Polish regime to limit Ukrainians in public offices; this the Poles were able to accomplish by winning the Jews to their side, although both of these groups were less numerous than the Ukrainians. Because of a protractedconflict of the city board and the city council with the Jews over the pasture lands, in 1898 the Austrian provincial government appointed Heller to be burgomaster and he succeeded in solving the conflict and also rebuilt the city. From 1900 to 1920 the burgomaster of Uhniv was a Ukrainian, Ivan Dorozhynsky. During the Polish domination the first burgomaster was the Pole, Flura, and later on, the retired officers of the Polish army who had little experience in the administration of the city. During the first Soviet occupation of Uhniv the burgomaster of Uhniv was a dentist, Dr. Parnes, and later on, a Ukrainian, Ivan Pyrizhok. Both were puppets in the hands of the Communist Party and had to execute its orders.

Up to World War II there were in Uhniv two city councils: one, general, to which belonged the Ukrainians, Poles and Jews, and another one, Christian, to which only Ukrainians and Poles belonged. During the Austrian regime in the general city council each of the three national groups had a one-third representation, while during the Polish rule, the Poles, through various manipulations, always succeeded in having a Polish majority. In 1930 a total of 12 Ukrainians was elected to the city council, who formed one-fourth of the entire body; but in 1933 only two Ukrainians were elected from Uhniv and Zastavia, who constituted only one-eighth of the council. Therefore, the Poles were in a position to force all decisions they proposed, and reject those proposed by the Ukrainians, and as a result of this deliberate Polish policy the Ukrainians lost prestige and influence in the city council. The Christian council possessed extensive forests and pastures. In general, under the Polish administration Uhniv was brought to an economic decline.

The county court of Uhniv was in the hands of Ukrainians, Poles and Jews. During the Austrian regime among the most outstanding Ukrainian judges were Brykovych, Liskevych and Alyskevych, and under Poland, Judge Theophile Rybachevsky. All of them took an active part in the Ukrainian national and cultural life in the city. Most of the lawyers in Uhniv were either Ukrainians or Jews, among the former prior to World War II were Dr. Kost Syrotynsky, Dr. Ivan Kozak and Volodymyr Petryshyn, L.L. M.

The following Ukrainian organizations were active in Uhniv: The Prosvita organization, which was established in 1885, had its own building on Church Street, erected in the early 1920's. It contained an auditorium, in which an amateur group staged Ukrainian plays and dramas, a library and other recreational facilities. Under the Prosvita auspices, Ukrainian organizations sponsored patriotic concerts, stage plays, lectures, balls, picnics and other social events and observances. For some time Prosyita had its own band which took part in various Ukrainian fetes and manifestations, especially in the 50th jubilee celebration of the organization in 1934. The Prosvita county branch maintained contact with the principal office of this national organization in Lviv and with individual Prosvita organizations in the villages, helping the latter with books, prepared lectures and personnel. The Uhniv Prosvita office had only 5 branches before World War I, but prior to World War II the number was increased to 28. Needless to say, the Polish administration tried to impede the work of Prosvita by all ruses and tricks at its disposal.

The branch of the Village Farmer (Silsky Hospodar), a Ukrainian agricultural association, was founded in Uhniv in 1910 and soon had 8 branches in the Uhniv county. The purpose of this organization was the amelioration of agriculture under the guidance of experienced agronomists. The organization also defended the national and economic interests of the city and the county and resisted against reprisals on the part of the Polish administration. For instance, at a meeting of the members of the Village Farmer on July 12, 1926, strong resolutions were adopted protesting the destruction of Ukrainian cultural and economic life in Uhniv by the Polish authorities.

The Ruthenian Bank in Uhniv was organized by Rev. Vasyl Romanovsky in 1910, and it was the first bank in the city. In 1928 it merged with the Ukrainian bank of the Ukrainian National Home, which home was also founded in 1910. The new bank operated under the new name, the "Cooperative Bank of Uhniv." The new bank prospered, especially under the directorship of Hryn Onyshkevych, who in 1930 built a two-storied building on Rava. Street. This building was the headquarters of the "County Union of Cooperatives," which was founded in 1923, and served as a clearing house of all Ukrainian consumers' cooperatives of the Uhniv county; it also served as an intermediary agent between the Ukrainian peasantry and the Ukrainian cooperative center in Lviv. The "County Union of Cooperatives" functioned at first as an independent body, but later on became a branch of the "County Union of Cooperatives" in Rava Ruska.

The sports and firemen's association, Sokil, was founded in 1912 in Uhniv. During World War I the association declined considerably, but it renewed its activities in 1930 and purchased fire combating equipment, mainly through assistance received from the countrymen in the United States. The Sokil organization had male and female membership, but the organization was dissolved by the Polish government in 1931; subsequently another Ukrainian sports organization, Luh, was organized in Uhniv, but this one, too, was soon dissolved by the Polish administration.

The Circle of the Ukrainian Pedagogical Society of Taras Shevchenko (Ridna Shkola) was founded in 1925 and existed until 1939. The Circle maintained a kindergarten, established by Prosvita, until it was taken over by the Ukrainian Catholic Nuns of the Virgin Mary in 1927. The kindergarten was located in the S. and P. Zhukovsky dormitory and was maintained partially by the Zhukovsky Foundation and partially by the Ridna Shkola Circle. In 1938 the latter organization began preparations for the establishment of a girls' professional school, for which an American immigrant, Justin Medvid, donated his home in Uhniv, but the outbreak of World War II prevented the realization of this project.

The cooperative, "Agricultural Trade" (Hospodarska Torhivia), was founded in 1923 and existed until 1945. Under the director- ship, first, of Michael Brodiuk and, later, of Ostap Malets, the cooperative successfully developed its operations, providing merchandise of prime necessity to the townspeople and augmenting the assets of the cooperative.

The Society for the Care of War Graves in Uhniv was organized in 1921. Its purpose was to take care of the graves of the Ukrainian war dead who were buried in Uhniv, Kariv and Verbytsia. Every year the Society sponsored special processions to these cemeteries, where appropriate religious ceremonies were held.

In the article on the Ukrainian Women's organization (Soyuz Ukrainok) Maria Petryshyn, nee Lysiak, discusses the history of this organization, which was founded in 1932 and had over 100 women members, as well as 11 sub-branches in the county. The group organized conferences and lectures for women's organizations throughout the area and took part in exhibits of women's fashions in Lviv (in 1932) and in Stanislaviv (in 1934). When the occasion presented itself, this women s society provided food and clothing for Ukrainian political prisoners who were incarcerated in Uhniv by the Polish regime. The organization also provided sheets and pillows for the Andriy Sheptytsky Ukrainian Hospital in Lviv. The president of the Uhniv Soyuz Ukrainok branch from 1932-1936 was Stephania Dorozhynska, and from 1936-1939 Maria Petryshyn.

The article, "Founding of the Jubilee Prosvita Committee in Uhniv," written by Volodymyr Petryshyn, deals with the preparation of the 50th jubilee anniversary of the Prosvita organization. It was founded in 1924. Upon the initiative of Kornylo Celevych it was decided to publish a jubilee book about Uhniv and its past, and a great deal of original material was collected by K. Celevych and other patriotic citizens of Uhniv. Moreover, Ukrainian emigrants in America, who came from Uhniv, collected funds for the publication of the book, but the project could not be realized due to the outbreak of the war in 1939. Some of the material was published in various Ukrainian journals and calendars, but a complete copy of the collected materials and manuscripts was submitted to the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv before World War II. Another copy of the material was taken by Stepan Bozhyk during the mass exodus of Ukrainian refugees from Ukraine and brought to the United States. In 1950, at the first convention of Uhniv immigrants in Jersey City, N. J., it was decided to publish a historical survey on Uhniv and its region.

In the articles, "Uhniv, Its Region and the Poles," and "Uhniv, Its Region and the Jews," Theodore Reshetylo tells about the relationship of Ukrainians with these two groups. In past centuries the Ukrainians constituted a majority of the population in Uhniv, while the Poles and Jews were in the minority. In the past century and until the outbreak of World War I a coexistence of Poles and Ukrainians was possible, mainly through inter-marriage. In such mixed marriages the predominant language was usually the Ukrainian, and in many Polish families the language spoken was Ukrainian. The Poles also took part in Ukrainian church observances. These relations, however, underwent drastic changes, when, after World War I, the Polish government took possession of Eastern Galicia. Although the Polish element in Uhniv was still in a minority, it became a dominant factor because of the support it received from the Polish regime. Through the falsification of municipal elections, and through colonization of Polish settlers in Uhniv, as well as through systematic persecution and terrorization of Ukrainian organized life, the Poles succeeded in maintaining control in the city.

During the Soviet occupation from 1939-1941 the Poles were again in the minority, and during the German occupation of Uhniv from 1941-1944 both Ukrainian and Poles had to live peacefully with each other as they had to face the common enemy. Only in 1943-1944, when Polish partisans began molesting the Ukrainian civilian population, did a conflict arise between them and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

The Jews, who settled in Uhniv in the XVIIth century and were always a minority, except in the XXth century, when they totaled almost half of the population of Uhniv. They dominated trade and the clothing industry. In general, there were good relations between the Ukrainians and Jews under the Austrian regime, at which time many Jews spoke Ukrainian and maintained close social contacts with the Ukrainians.

During the Polish occupation (1920-1939) the Jews, as a rule, supported the Polish administration and with their votes helped the Poles to defeat the Ukrainians in municipal elections, or in the Parliament (Sejm) election. With the development of the Ukrainian cooperative system, the economic situation of the Jews in Uhniv deteriorated to an appreciable extent. When the Germans occupied Uhniv, all Jews were placed by them in a ghetto in Rava Ruska. But the Ukrainians truly sympathized with the Jews’ plight; very frequently they hid them before Nazi persecutors and exposed themselves to the danger of execution or deportation by the Gestapo for helping Jews to escape.

Chapter VIII of the book is devoted to Uhniv Ukrainian emigrants who settled permanently in the United States of America. Several articles by Mykola Petryshyn, Michael Bilyk, Hryts Saliuk and Vasyl Pilhuy describe the activities of the emigrants of Uhniv in detail. The emigration from Uhniv to the United States began at the end of the XIXth century. At first the townspeople of Uhniv went to America in order to earn money to strengthen the economic status of their families in Uhniv. Among the first emigrants were two Ukrainian priests from Uhniv, Rev. Antin Bonchevsky and Rev. Peter Pidhoretsky, who contributed heavily to the church and social organizations among Ukrainian emigrants in the United States. Later on Ukrainian emigrants from Uhniv remained in America permanently.

The bulk of Ukrainian emigrants from Uhniv came to the United States after World War I and, especially, after World War II. Those who came in the early 1920's settled in the states of New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other states, and a number of them in Toronto and Montreal, in Canada. They sent their countrymen in Uhniv money to help in the expansion and strengthening of Ukrainian cultural and financial institutions in Uhniv. In June, 1925 they founded in Jersey City, N.J. a "Committee for Material Assistance to Uhniv," which soon transmitted considerable sums of money for such purposes as the building of the Ukrainian National Home, purchasing a church bell, a chandelier, a pulpit, the remodeling of the church and kindergarten in Uhniv and the like. The Committee was first headed by Michael Kosonotsky, and from 1927 until the present by Mykola Petryshyn. At a meeting of the Committee, held on April 16, 1939 a new name, "Society of Uhniv," was adopted. In 1946, after some inactivity during World War II, the Society resumed its work and strengthened its membership, especially after the influx of Ukrainians from Uhniv in 1949. The first convention of the Society was held on September 4, 1950, and another one on September 5, 1960. At the first convention it was decided to publish a historical book on Uhniv and its region. In addition, two branches of the Society were established, one in Toronto and another in Montreal, Canada. Both conventions were preceded by a solemn Mass in church, celebrated by the last pastor of Uhniv, Father A. Treshnevsky, and were followed by meetings, banquets and the dancing of the Uhniv hahilky by girls born in Uhniv and dressed in their native Uhniv costumes

Dr. Ivan Kozak, in his article relates the details of the consecration of a newly-remodeled church in Uhniv in 1936, as well as the 950th jubilee anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in Ukraine, held in Uhniv, and the feast (praznyk) of Ascension traditionally celebrated in Uhniv. Chapter IX of the book is devoted to the outstanding citizens and cultural leaders, who came from Uhniv and its region, as well as all other social leaders who were active either in the old country or among the Ukrainian emigration in the New World.

Among these are: Justin Medvid, a native of Uhniv, who emigrated to the United States, lived in the State of Pennsylvania and considerably helped the Ukrainian organizations in Uhniv with his financial contributions; Rev. Antin Bonchevsky, one of the first Ukrainian priest-missionaries in America, and organizer of Ukrainian parishes and organizations among Ukrainian emigrants in the United States; Dr. Paul Lysiak, a lawyer in the old country, member of the Polish Parliament, journalist and author of several articles on social and juridical themes; Rev. Stepan Onyshkevych, former member of the Austrian Parliament in Vienna, co-founder of the Ukrainian National Democratic Party, economist, organizer of the Silsky Hospodar organization and propagator of a rationalized agricultural policy in Galicia; Stepan Pidesha (pen name of Andriy Kaminsky), a unique figure in Ukrainian life with original views regarding Ukrainian national, political and social relations, and the relations of the Ukrainians with other nationalities, author of a novel, East and West, and a series of articles on Ukrainian political themes; Very Rev.

Stepan Reshetylo, OSBM, high official of the Basilian Order, preacher and organizer of the church and social life, a missionary in Carpatho Ukraine, and fighter for the rights of the Ukrainian people; Mykola Duzhiy, born in Kariv, fighter for the secret University in Lviv, a historian of the Uhniv past, secretary in the Prosvita office, member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), who was arrested and exiled by the Bolsheviks to Siberia.

In addition to these more known personalities, there are other less known, but nonetheless deserving of mention. They are: Rev. Ignatius Onyshkevych, professor of literature at the University of Chernivtsi, Bukovina, and Bohdan Didytsky (son of Rev. Andriy Didytsky, pastor of Uhniv), writer, who became a Russophile. Also the article mentions other persons who, although not born in Uhniv, lived there and worked for the common good of the community: Kornylo Celevych, engineer; Theodore Fedynsky; Ivan Dorozhynsky, for many years burgomaster of Uhniv; Very Rev. Alexander Treshnevsky, the last pastor of Uhniv, and his daughter Ivanna, poetess and journalist, who married the late Professor Roman Savytsky, noted Ukrainian music critic and teacher; Dr. Ivan Kozak, lawyer and civic leader.

Furthermore, there is a list of Uhnivites, who worked in various organizations and institutions of Uhniv, such as Victor Skrypchuk, and a list of those who graduated from high schools and universities and occupied prominent and outstanding positions in Ukrainian life. Regrettably, the list is incomplete, inasmuch as its original text was prepared before World War II, and was lost during the war. It had to be reconstructed from memory. There were at least 180 priests and the same number of professionals, who came from Uhniv and its region.

At the end of the book there is a list of Uhnivites who died in the United States, and also a list of donors who contributed to the fund for the publication of this book, as well as an index of persons and localities.
Chapter X of the book contains a description of 29 villages of the Uhniv county, which constituted three administrative districts (volosts) between the two World Wars, namely:

Volost of Verbytsia: Verbytsia, Piddubtsi, Makhniv, Zhuravtsi, Novosilky Kardynalski, Novosilky Peredni, Mykhailivka and Yuzivka;
Volost of Brukental: Brukental, Kariv, Domashiv, Salashi, Ostobizh, Khoroniv, Khlivchany, Voroniv and Tiahliv;

Volost of Ternoshyn: Ternoshyn, Dynyska, Richytsia, Hubynok, Ulhivok, Kryvytsia, Vasyliv Velyky, Korchmyn, Korchiv, Stayi, Shchepiatyn and Zastavia. The last named village was merged with Uhniv in 1933.

Statistics of 1935, such as the surface areas of the city of Uhniv and villages, the number of inhabitants, in the years 1880, 1900, 1939, the church and national composition of the region, elaborated by Prof. Volodymyr Kubiyovych, are presented on pages 465, 466, 467 and 468 of the book.