Burshtyn
Encyclopedia
Burshtyn is a city located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
, in western Ukraine
, to the north of Halych
. It lies in the Halych Raion and is accessible by rail.
The current estimated population is around 14,700 (as of 2004). It developed rapidly and significantly grew in population during the Soviet
period. It is the biggest city in its raion the population of which is more than twice as in the raion center of Halych
.
The town, which was one of the Jewish shtetl
s, and whose name in Ukrainian
literally means Amber
, was only granted city status in 1993 and has a special administrative status in Halych Raion. As an urbanized settlement from 1944 to 1962 it was the main town of the raion. There is an old Roman Catholic Church
in the center of the city, which was restored in the beginning of the 21st century.
One of its landmarks is the Burshtyn TES
coal-fired power station
, which is situated on a reservoir approximately 8 km long and 2 km wide. A fish farm lies on the lake near the district of Bilshivtsi. The town is known for its soccer club Enerhetyk
.
The first mention of this town was in a Halych
history book from 1596, where it was referred to as Nove Selo (New village), although the town establishment dates back to 1554. In 1809, Franz Xaver Mozart, son of Wolfgang A. Mozart, lived in Burshtyn which at that time was part of the Austrian Empire
.
There is an old Jewish cemetery in Burshtyn, the only surviving testament of once thriving Jewish community in the city - in 1942 there were 1,700 Jews residing in Burshtyn. Nazis transferred all the Burshtyn Jews to a ghetto
in nearby Rohatyn
, where they were executed by shooting. The remainder of Jews were taken to the Belzec extermination camp
.
The Jewish cemetery was established in the 18th century with the last known Hasidic Jewish burial in the 1940-s.
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. As is the case with most other oblasts of Ukraine this region has the same name as its administrative center – which was renamed by the Soviets after the Ukrainian writer, nationalist...
, in 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...
, to the north of Halych
Halych
Halych is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to Lviv...
. It lies in the Halych Raion and is accessible by rail.
The current estimated population is around 14,700 (as of 2004). It developed rapidly and significantly grew in population during the 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....
period. It is the biggest city in its raion the population of which is more than twice as in the raion center of Halych
Halych
Halych is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to Lviv...
.
The town, which was one of the Jewish shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
s, and whose name in Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
literally means Amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
, was only granted city status in 1993 and has a special administrative status in Halych Raion. As an urbanized settlement from 1944 to 1962 it was the main town of the raion. There is an old Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in the center of the city, which was restored in the beginning of the 21st century.
One of its landmarks is the Burshtyn TES
Burshtyn TES
Burshtyn TES is a coal-fired power plant located in Halych Raion south-east from Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine. It has two chimneys which were built in 1966 are also used as high-voltage pylon. The plant has 12 units with a total installed capacity of 2,300 MW...
coal-fired power station
Fossil fuel power plant
A fossil-fuel power station is a power station that burns fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas or petroleum to produce electricity. Central station fossil-fuel power plants are designed on a large scale for continuous operation...
, which is situated on a reservoir approximately 8 km long and 2 km wide. A fish farm lies on the lake near the district of Bilshivtsi. The town is known for its soccer club Enerhetyk
FC Enerhetyk Burshtyn
FC Enerhetyk Burshtyn are a Ukrainian football club based in Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast.The club was formed in 1948 and was previously called Avanhard and Generator....
.
The first mention of this town was in a Halych
Halych
Halych is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to Lviv...
history book from 1596, where it was referred to as Nove Selo (New village), although the town establishment dates back to 1554. In 1809, Franz Xaver Mozart, son of Wolfgang A. Mozart, lived in Burshtyn which at that time was part of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
.
There is an old Jewish cemetery in Burshtyn, the only surviving testament of once thriving Jewish community in the city - in 1942 there were 1,700 Jews residing in Burshtyn. Nazis transferred all the Burshtyn Jews to a ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
in nearby Rohatyn
Rohatyn
Rohatyn is a city located on the Hnyla Lypa River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Rohatyn Raion .The current estimated population is around 8,800 .-History:...
, where they were executed by shooting. The remainder of Jews were taken to the Belzec extermination camp
Belzec extermination camp
Belzec, Polish spelling Bełżec , was the first of the Nazi German extermination camps created for implementing Operation Reinhard during the Holocaust...
.
The Jewish cemetery was established in the 18th century with the last known Hasidic Jewish burial in the 1940-s.