Zhovkva
Encyclopedia
Zhovkva is a city
in the Lviv Oblast
(province
) of western Ukraine
, north of Lviv
. It is the administrative center
of the Zhovkivskyi Raion (district
). The current estimated population is 13,500.
military commander Stanisław Żółkiewski fortified the settlement and built Żółkiew Castle. Due to its strategic location at the intersection of important trade routes, the town prospered.
In the 17th century, it became the royal residence for King John III Sobieski of Poland
, and a hub of religious life, arts and commerce. From its earliest days, the population was a mix of Poles, Ukrainians and Jews. Landmark buildings include a fortress-like synagogue, churches and monasteries.
Before World War II, the town's 4,500 Jews accounted for nearly half the population, but few survived the Holocaust. The synagogue was blown up by the Nazis in 1941, leaving only the outside walls. In 2000, the building was declared one of the world's most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund
.
In 1951, while under Soviet
occupation, Zhovkva was renamed Nesterov after the World War I
aviator
Pyotr Nesterov
who became the first to perform a suicide plane crash in the history of aviation near Zhovkva. The name Zhovkva was restored in 1992.
, a domed church from the 17th century built by the Italian architect and mason Paweł Szczęśliwy ("Paolo the Lucky"), was turned into a warehouse under Soviet rule. After Ukraine declared independence in the early 1990s, the church was restored.
The town center of Zhovkva was declared a heritage site in 1994, and restoration work is now under way. Zhovkva Castle
, the town's oldest and largest building, is being converted into a culture and conference hall.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in the Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939...
(province
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
) of western Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, north of Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
. It is the administrative center
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of the Zhovkivskyi Raion (district
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
). The current estimated population is 13,500.
History
The site of Zhovkva has been inhabited since the 14th century. In 1594, the PolishPolish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
military commander Stanisław Żółkiewski fortified the settlement and built Żółkiew Castle. Due to its strategic location at the intersection of important trade routes, the town prospered.
In the 17th century, it became the royal residence for King John III Sobieski of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and a hub of religious life, arts and commerce. From its earliest days, the population was a mix of Poles, Ukrainians and Jews. Landmark buildings include a fortress-like synagogue, churches and monasteries.
Before World War II, the town's 4,500 Jews accounted for nearly half the population, but few survived the Holocaust. The synagogue was blown up by the Nazis in 1941, leaving only the outside walls. In 2000, the building was declared one of the world's most endangered sites by the World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training....
.
In 1951, while under Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupation, Zhovkva was renamed Nesterov after the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
Pyotr Nesterov
Pyotr Nesterov
Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov was a Russian pilot, an aircraft technical designer and an aerobatics pioneer.-Life and career:The son of a military academy teacher, Pyotr Nesterov decided to choose a military career. In August 1904 he left the military school in Nizhny Novgorod and went to the...
who became the first to perform a suicide plane crash in the history of aviation near Zhovkva. The name Zhovkva was restored in 1992.
Sights
The Collegiate Church of St. LawrenceSt. Lawrence's Church, Zhovkva
The Collegiate Church of St. Lawrence is the main Roman Catholic church of Zhovkva, Ukraine.- History :...
, a domed church from the 17th century built by the Italian architect and mason Paweł Szczęśliwy ("Paolo the Lucky"), was turned into a warehouse under Soviet rule. After Ukraine declared independence in the early 1990s, the church was restored.
The town center of Zhovkva was declared a heritage site in 1994, and restoration work is now under way. Zhovkva Castle
Zhovkva Castle
The Zhovkva Castle occupies the principal square of the town of Zhovkva in Ukraine. It was founded by Stanislaw Zolkiewski as his fortified residence. Construction began in 1594 and was mostly completed in 1606....
, the town's oldest and largest building, is being converted into a culture and conference hall.
Treasures
- Relics of Saint PartheniusSaint PartheniusSaint Parthenius was an early Christian saint and martyr from Rome, venerated both by Catholic and Orthodox churches. His brother was Saint Calocerus...
, 3rd century Christian martyr from RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, whose relics were moved to Zhovkva in 1784. They are kept at the local Church of Holy Heart of Jesus, run by Ukrainian Greek-Catholic monks of the Basilian order.
Notable residents
- Zbigniew BurzyńskiZbigniew BurzynskiZbigniew Burzyński , was a Polish balloonist and constructor of balloons, pioneer of Polish balloons, who twice won the Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning, also beat the world record.-Biography:...
- Clara Kramer, Holocaust survivor
- Salcia LandmannSalcia LandmannSalcia Landmann, born Salcia Passweg was a Jewish writer. She was born in Zhovkva, Galicia, but died in St. Gallen, Switzerland. She worked on preserving the Yiddish language, and she wrote the important work Der Jüdische Witz . She was one of the founders of the International PEN in Liechtenstein...
, researcher of Yiddish culture - Jakub Ludwik SobieskiJakub Ludwik SobieskiJames Louis Sobieski was the son of King John III of Poland and Marie Casimire Louise de La Grange d'Arquien.-Biography:...
, Jakub SobieskiJakub SobieskiJakub Sobieski was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, parliamentarian, diarist, political activist, military leader and father of King Jan III Sobieski. Son of castellan and voivode Marek Sobieski and Jadwiga Snopkowska.- Life :... - Włodzimierz Puchalski
- Stanisław Żółkiewski
- Włodzimierz Stożek
- Hillel ben Naphtali ZeviHillel ben Naphtali ZeviHillel ben Naphtali Zevi was a Lithuanian rabbi.He was born at Brest-Litovsk in 1615; died at Zolkiev January 3, 1690. After he had studied under Hirsh Darshan, Hillel went to Vilna, where from 1650 to 1651 he was a member of the rabbinical college...
- Nachman KrochmalNachman KrochmalNachman Kohen Krochmal was a Jewish Galician philosopher, theologian, and historian.-Biography:...
, Jewish philosopher - Jacob ben Wolf KranzJacob ben Wolf KranzJacob ben Wolf Kranz of Dubno , the Dubner Maggid , was a Lithuania -born preacher . - First I Shoot the Arrow :...
, maggidMaggidMaggid , sometimes spelled as magid, is a traditional Eastern European Jewish religious itinerant preacher, skilled as a narrator of Torah and religious stories. A preacher of the more scholarly sort was called a "darshan", and usually occupied the official position of rabbi...
External links
Żółkiew (Zhovkva) in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1895)- castles.com.ua - Zhovkva
- ua.vlasenko.net - Pictures of Zhovkva