Sniatyn
Encyclopedia
Sniatyn is a city
located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
, in western Ukraine
along the Prut
river. It is the administrative center
of the Sniatynsky Raion (district
), and is located at around 48°27′0"N 25°34′0"E. The current estimated population is around 10,500 (as of 2001).
The first mention of the town is in 1158. Ksniatyn was named after Kostiantyn Stroslavich, a boyar
and general of Yaroslav Osmomysl
. The town was given the Magdeburg Rights
in 1448. In the interbellum period, it was a rail border crossing between Poland
and Romania
.
In 1939 Sniatyn was the temporary seat of American embassy in Poland, as the diplomatic personnel abandoned Warsaw after the first Nazi bombings.
Nearly all of Sniatyn's Jewish population was murdered during the Holocaust. Many were shot and buried in the local forest. Some died from disease and starvation in the ghetto. Approximately 1500 people were sent, via railway, to the Nazi Belzec
Concentration Camp in Poland.
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...
located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
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...
along the Prut
Prut
The Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
river. 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 Sniatynsky 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"...
), and is located at around 48°27′0"N 25°34′0"E. The current estimated population is around 10,500 (as of 2001).
The first mention of the town is in 1158. Ksniatyn was named after Kostiantyn Stroslavich, a boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
and general of Yaroslav Osmomysl
Yaroslav Osmomysl
Yaroslav Osmomysl was the most famous Prince of Halych from the first dynasty of its rulers, which descended from Yaroslav I's eldest son. His sobriquet, meaning "Eight-Minded" in Old East Slavic, was granted to him in recognition of his wisdom...
. The town was given the Magdeburg Rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
in 1448. In the interbellum period, it was a rail border crossing between 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 Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
In 1939 Sniatyn was the temporary seat of American embassy in Poland, as the diplomatic personnel abandoned Warsaw after the first Nazi bombings.
Nearly all of Sniatyn's Jewish population was murdered during the Holocaust. Many were shot and buried in the local forest. Some died from disease and starvation in the ghetto. Approximately 1500 people were sent, via railway, to the Nazi Belzec
Belzec extermination camp
Belzec, Polish spelling Bełżec , was the first of the Nazi German extermination camps created for implementing Operation Reinhard during the Holocaust...
Concentration Camp in Poland.