Заліщики: Тарихы мен географиясы

City in Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine

Zalishchyky (/z//ɑː//l//i//ʃ/'/tʃ//iː//k//i/; zahleeshcheekee; Залiщики; Zaleszczyki), also spelled Zalischyky, is a small city located on the Dniester River in Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Zalishchyky urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population:

Zalishchyky's name, as well as its precursors Zalissia and Zalishche, probably derives from "zalis", a compound of the Ukrainian words "за" (za) and "ліс" (lis), together meaning "behind (the) forest". Hinterwalden, the name for a Saxon settlement in Zalishchyky, also shares this etymological root, originating from the German "hinterwald" (itself meaning, literally, "behind forest"). Others theorise the name derives from the Ukrainian word for the hazel plant (ліщина), which they attribute to Zalishchyky's initial settlers.

Zalishchyky is located at the southern edge of Ternopil Oblast near a place where three oblasts (Ternopil, Ivano Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi) joint together. Geographically the city is located in southeastern Galicia (near historical border with Podillia, which was the river Zbruch), directly opposite the historical land of Bukovina, in valley of Dniester which forms in this area so called Dniester canyon. Through the city passes important European route E85 which connects Baltic coast with the coast of Aegean Sea in northern Greece. Zalishchyky's climate is quite mild, with grapes, peaches and other fruits growing in the area. It is especially famous for its tomatoes. Since the inter war era, it has been a centre for the tourist industry. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, some 10,000 visitors arrived annually. In the interwar period, the town was an important tourist centre of Poland. It is also one of the few wine growing areas in that part of Ukraine.

While the first known mention of Zalishchyky is traced back to 1340, the village had already existed for some time, and given its proximity to a number of other prehistoric settlements, probably dates back to the Cucuteni Trypillian culture of late Paleolithic antiquity. The 'original' Zalishchyky was actually founded in the area just outside of the modern town's borders, on the land that is now the Ukrainian village of Dobrivlyany (which existed as a subdivision of the modern city between 1981 and 1986). In 1469, this village was a peasant farming community under the name Zalissia (Залісся) and later Zalishche (Залісще) in the 15th century. In 1569, Zalishchyky was assigned to the Podolian Voivodship, an administrative unit of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, to which the town became a seat for their county in 1774. In 1578, the village officially adopted the name "Zalishchyky". In 1594, Stanisław Żółkiewski raised an army in Zalishchyky and defended the locale from a Tartar invasion. In 1669, the village was completely destroyed by Turk invaders, and the survivors were almost wiped out under the rule of the sultan Mehmed IV during the better part of the Second Polish–Ottoman War. No battles or skirmishes actually occurred during this "revolt", instead peasants went on strike and lodged complaints to the district council from the government. The Austrian government took many measures to suppress the peasant discontent, and finally in July 1838 evacuated the district administration and started a riot in Zalishchyky, all the while torturing innocent civilians. Some were able to escape to areas such as Tashkent thanks to Soviet evacuations and deportations during the war. In March 1944, the region was liberated by the Russians, before briefly returning to German control, during which many Jews were murdered by the panicking Nazis. After being liberated a second time by the 1st Ukrainian Front on 24 March, survivors and some of those deported returned to Zalishchyky. While the Nazi forces had been defeated, conditions hardly improved. While Moscow lauded the liberation of the city, even naming a battle division after the city, Communist control soon proved to be worse than Nazi occupation in many ways. Starting less than a day after liberation, denizens of Zalishchyky were arrested by SMERSH and presumably murdered by operatives of the NKVD. In October, more than 800 citizens from Zalishchyky were forcibly drafted by the Soviets to so called penal military units (штрафной батальон, Shtrafbaty) to fight in the Baltic Offensive, less than 20 survived. After the war, the town was largely repaired, as industrial plants, buildings, and roads were rebuilt and recommissioned. In addition, canneries were widely re established, leading to the opening of bakeries, dairy plants, corn calibrating plants, as well as factories which produced textiles and other consumer goods. Quite a few of these industries lasted until the fall of the Soviet Union, after which they collapsed following the Ukraine's transition from the Soviet planned economy. Nonetheless, the city's economy continues to be concentrated on light industry, particularly the agrarian sector. In 2016, Zalishchyky celebrated the 250th anniversary of township under the Magdeburg Law with a holiday commemorating the city. A two day long "Zalishchyky Fest" ensued. Concurrently, Zalishchyky's government has begun work on repairing infrastructure, such as asphalt repair, paved lighting, new lights, benches, litter bins, and a number of improvements to either of the city's local parks; one of which, the Zalishchyky Central Park, houses a number of historic monuments and rare species of flora. This park and Zalishchyky Park which lies to the south are a Ukrainian national park. Until 18 July 2020, Zalishchyky was the administrative centre of Zalishchyky Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Ternopil Oblast to three. The area of Zalishchyky Raion was merged into Chortkiv Raion.

Before the Second World War, the area around Zalishchyky became a major centre of archaeological attention. Near various villages, especially Koshylivtsi (Кошилівці), a little north of the Dniester, excavations were carried out which uncovered statues, coins, and other artefacts from as far back as the Neolithic Cucuteni Trypillian culture, and extending through the period of the Roman Empire and the Migration Period in the Early Middle Ages. Zalishchyky contains a 17th century Roman Catholic church, an 18th century Town Hall and other monuments.

Hryniuk, Stella Peasants with Promise: Ukrainians in Southeastern Galicia 1880–1900 (Edmonton, 1991). Contains a map on the endpapers of the book which shows all of the villages of this part of Galicia, including the Zalishchyky area. Przewodnik po Województwie Tarnopolskiem z mapą [Guide to the Ternopil Region with a Map] (Ternopil, 1928: reprinted circa 1990). Contains much historical material.