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Podolia Governorate

Coordinates: 48°40′50″N 26°34′50″E / 48.6806°N 26.5806°E / 48.6806; 26.5806
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Podolia Governorate
Подольская губерния
Governorate
Coat of arms of Podolia Governorate
Coat of arms
Location in the Russian Empire
Location in the Russian Empire
CountryRussian Empire
KraiSouthwestern
Established1793
Abolished1925
Capital
Area
 • Total42,017 km2 (16,223 sq mi)
Population
 (1897)
 • Total3,018,299
 • Density72/km2 (190/sq mi)
 • Urban
7.35%
 • Rural
92.65%

Podolia Governorate[a] was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. It bordered Volhynian Governorate to the north, Kiev Governorate to the east, Kherson Governorate to the southeast, Bessarabia Governorate to the south, and Austria to the west. Its administrative centre was Kamenets-Podolsky (Kamianets-Podilskyi), which later moved to Vinnitsa (Vinnytsia). The governorate covered areas of Ukraine's partially Khmelnytskyi and most of Vinnytsia Oblasts, along with the fractionally recognised state of Transnistria.

It was created from the Second Partition of Poland, which was formed from the former Polish Bracław and Podole voivodeships, which are part of the Southwestern Krai along with Volhynia and Kiev. Its capital was located in Kamenets-Podolsky, which later moved to Vinnitsa. The governorate still existed until the administrative reforms of the Ukrainian SSR, which dissolved it into five okruhas.

History

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A market scene in Podolia, c. 1864

The Government of Podolia was established right after the Second Partition of Poland in place of the former Podole and Bracław Voivodeships in 1793.

Location

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The Podolia Governorate occupied the southwestern frontier of the former Russian empire, bordering Austria-Hungary, and had an area of about 42,000 km2. The administrative centre was Kamenets-Podolskiy until 1914 when it moved to Vinnytsia.

Podolia Governorate was one of the three governorates of the Southwestern Krai administration. In 1917 it was recognized by the Russian Provisional Government to be governed by the General Secretariat of Ukraine as the representative of the Russian Provisional Government in the region.

Old map of Podolia Governorate, Russian Empire.

Administrative division

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Uyezd subdivision

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Until 1918 the governorate consisted of 12 uyezds (counties):

County County Town Arms of County Town Area Population
(1897 census)
Transliteration name Russian Cyrillic
Baltsky Балтский Balta
7,766.25 km2
(2,998.57 sq mi)		 391,018
Bratslavsky Брацлавский Bratslav
3,079.93 km2
(1,189.17 sq mi)		 241,868
Vinnitsky Винницкий Vinnitsa
2,980.92 km2
(1,150.94 sq mi)		 248,314
Gaysinsky Гайсинский Gaysin
3,383.11 km2
(1,306.23 sq mi)		 248,142
Kamenets-Podolsky Каменец-Подольский Kamenets-Podolsky
2,884.19 km2
(1,113.59 sq mi)		 266,350
Letichevsky Летичевский Letichev
2,699.14 km2
(1,042.14 sq mi)		 184,477
Litinsky Литинский Litin
3,322 km2
(1,283 sq mi)		 210,502
Mogilyovsky Могилёвский Mogilyov
2,746.14 km2
(1,060.29 sq mi)		 227,672
Novoushitsky Новоушицкий Novaya Ushitsa
2,840.26 km2
(1,096.63 sq mi)		 223,312
Olgopolsky Ольгопольский Olgopol
4,008.14 km2
(1,547.55 sq mi)		 284,253
Proskurovsky Проскуровский Proskurov
2,691.06 km2
(1,039.02 sq mi)		 226,091
Yampolsky Ямпольский Yampol
3,618.01 km2
(1,396.92 sq mi)		 266,300
Podolian korchma

Okruha subdivision

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On 12 April 1923 all uyezds (counties) were transformed into okruhas (counties), while volosts (districts) – into raions (districts). Okruhas served as a subdivision of government until it was abolished on 1 August 1925. Together with the government of Podilia, the Haisyn okruha was dissolved as well. Some territory of Tulchyn okruha were included into the newly formed Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

  • Vinnytsia
  • Haisyn
  • Kamianets
  • Mohyliv
  • Proskuriv
  • Tulchyn

Principal cities

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Russian Census of 1897:

Kamenets/Podolsky
  • Kamenets/Podolsky – 35 934 (Jewish – 16 112, Ukrainian – 9 755, Russian – 7 420)
  • Vinnitsa – 30 563 (Jewish – 11 456, Ukrainian – 10 862, Russian – 5 206)
  • Balta – 23 363 (Jewish – 13 164, Russian – 5 385, Ukrainian – 4 124)
  • Proskurov – 22 855 (Jewish – 11 369, Ukrainian – 4 425, Russian – 3 483)
  • Mogilev/Dnestr – 22 315 (Jewish – 12 188, Ukrainian – 6 512, Russian – 2 668)
  • Zhmerinka – 12 908
  • Khmelnik – 11 657 (Jewish – 5 979, Ukrainian – 5 375, Polish – 150)

Smaller cities

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  • Bar – 9 982 (Jewish – 5 764, Ukrainian – 3 332, Russian – 485)
  • Lityn – 9 420 (Jewish – 3 828, Ukrainian – 3 047, Russian – 2 126)
  • Gaysin – 9 374 (Jewish – 4 322, Ukrainian – 3 946, Russian – 884)
  • Olgopol – 8 134 (Ukrainian – 4 837, Jewish – 2 465, Russian – 625)
  • Bratslav – 7 863 (Jewish – 3 275, Ukrainian – 2 608, Russian – 1 782)
  • Letichev – 7 248 (Jewish – 4 105, Ukrainian – 1 719, Polish – 741)
  • Yampol – 6 605 (Ukrainian – 3 282, Jewish – 2 819, Russian – 275)
  • Novaya Ushytsa – 6 371 (Jewish – 2 214, Russian – 2 120, Ukrainian – 1 836)
  • Staraya Ushytsa – 4 176 (Ukrainian – 2 488, Jewish – 1 584, Polish – 57)
  • Salnitsa – 3 699 (Ukrainian – 2 758, Jewish – 899, Polish – 19)
  • Verbovets – 2 311 (Ukrainian – 1 282, Jewish – 661, Polish – 326)

Language

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Imperial census of 1897.

According to the Russian Empire Census on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, the Podolia Governorate had a population of 3,018,299, including 1,505,940 men and 1,512,359 women. The majority of the population indicated Little Russian[b] to be their mother tongue, with a significant Jewish speaking minority.[1]

Linguistic composition of the Podolia Governorate in 1897[1]
Language Native speakers Percentage
Little Russian[b] 2,442,819 80.93
Jewish 369,306 12.24
Great Russian[b] 98,984 3.28
Polish 69,156 2.29
Romanian 26,764 0.89
German 4,069 0.13
Tatar 2,296 0.08
Bashkir 1,113 0.04
Czech 886 0.03
White Russian[b] 834 0.03
Roma 510 0.02
Votyak 254 0.01
French 245 0.01
Chuvash 137 0.00
Mordovian 136 0.00
Latvian 112 0.00
Cheremis 101 0.00
Other languages 577 0.02
TOTAL 3,018,299 100.00
Religious composition of the Podolia Governorate in 1897[4]
Faith Male Female Both
Number Percentage
Eastern Orthodox 1,180,148 1,178,349 2,358,497 78.14
Judaism 179,612 191,000 370,612 12.28
Roman Catholic 131,145 131,593 262,738 8.70
Old Believer 9,357 9,492 18,849 0.62
Lutheran 2,020 1,795 3,815 0.13
Islam 3,427 33 3,460 0.11
Armenian Apostolic 65 29 94 0.00
Reformed 30 26 56 0.00
Armenian Catholic 23 14 37 0.00
Karaite 11 13 24 0.00
Anglican 3 4 7 0.00
Mennonite 2 1 3 0.00
Baptist 1 1 2 0.00
Other Christian denomination 12 9 21 0.00
Other non-Christian denomination 84 0 84 0.00
Total 1,505,940 1,512,359 3,018,299 100.00
The Baal Shem Tov's shul in Medzhybizh, Ukraine (c. 1915). The shul no longer exists.
Religious structures

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^
    • Russian: Подо́льская губе́рния, pre-1918: Подо́льская губе́рнія, romanized: Podólʼskaya gubérniya
    • Ukrainian: Поді́льська губе́рнія, romanized: Podílʼsʼka hubérniia
  2. ^ a b c d Prior to 1918, the Imperial Russian government classified Russians as the Great Russians, Ukrainians as the Little Russians, and Belarusians as the White Russians. After the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1918, the Little Russians identified themselves as "Ukrainian".[2] Also, the Belarusian Democratic Republic which the White Russians identified themselves as "Belarusian".[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Demoscope Weekly – Annex. Statistical indicators reference". demoscape.ru. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  2. ^ Hamm, Michael F. (2014). Kiev: A Portrait, 1800–1917. Princeton University Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-4008-5151-5.
  3. ^ Fortson IV, Benjamin W. (2011). Indo-European Language and Culture: An Introduction. John Wiley & Sons. p. 429. ISBN 978-1-4443-5968-8.
  4. ^ Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.. demoscope.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 3 May 2023.

48°40′50″N 26°34′50″E / 48.6806°N 26.5806°E / 48.6806; 26.5806

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