BORSHCHIV (Borszczow / Borshchev) town & vicinities. HOMELAND PAGE. Borshchiv is town in Western Ukraine (in southern part of Ternopil region), in historical province of East Galicia (Halychyna, Galizien, Galicja, Galizia). Former Austrian & Polish lands

BORSHCHIV is Ukrainian name. Polish name (as well as Austrian place name): Borszczow. Russian name: Borshchev. Hungarian name: Borscsov. Other tranliterations that occur: Borshchov, Borstchoff, Borshtshiv, Borszcziw, Borschtschiw.

It is small town in WESTERN UKRAINE, which numbers about 12.000 people. Located in southern part of Ternopil region, in south eastern part historic area Halychyna (Galizien, Galicia, Galizia, Galicja) which was part of Austria (1772 - 1918), Poland (1920 - 1939), Soviet Union (1939 - 1991). Nowadays it is district center in Ternopilska oblast of Western Ukraine.

Borshchiv Roman Catholic Church dates from the end of 18 th century. The church itself is built of bricks, cross-like in plan with tower of three layers on the front facade. The stretched rectangular nave is closed with faceted apse. Flooring is flat. The church tower was built of defensive tower of an ancient castle of 17th century. Thus the walls of tower´s lower layer are thicker than upper ones. Facated upper tower layers have baroc completion.

Borshchiv's coat of arms (picture at the top) during Polish rule (1920 - 1939) represented a slit with argent and gules stripes shield and an or sheaf in it. Name Borshchiv derives from Ukrainian / Slavic word "Borshch" which is Ukrainian traditional dish (soup of red root-beets). You can get to Borshchiv by train or road from Ternopil. It will take about 2- 3 hours. Borshchiv's telephone code is 3541 if you phone withing Ukraine and + 380 3541 if you phone from abroad.

Borshchiv related links (not mine):

Names are given in Ukrainian followed with Polish and Russian names in brackets)
Some of the villages listed below (those ones located to the south east from
Borshchiv) administratively belong already to bordering Zalishchky rayon /
district.

BABYNTSI (Babince, Babintsy)

- village 18 km south of Borshchiv. Name derives
from Ukrainain word "baba" (grandmother, woman). Before it was an old Rus
fortified settlement with ramparts around it, still preserved.

- village 34 km south west from
Borshchiv, in Zalishchyky district already, only 10 km north from Zalishchyky,
on minor river which is tributary to Seret / Dniester. Name derives from
Ukrainian word "bedro" (rib). Village is very old, had a pre-historical
settlement. It has also the old grave burials.

BILCHE ZOLOTE (Bilcze Zlote, Bilche Zolotoye)

Village with remarkable park from 1800 of 11 hectares and with over 400 age-old trees,
mainly local tree species). Bilche Zolote is located some 16 km south east from
Borshchiv. Village is known because of cave, palace, prehistoric and ancient Rus
settlement & old burials.

BURDYAKIVTSI (Burdjakowce, Burdyakovtsy)

- village 15 km north east of Borshchiv. Not far from Zbruch river.

DZVENYHOROD (Polish and Russian names: DZWINOGROD / DZVENIGOROD)
village has Assumption Church (Uspenska tserkva) and bellfry, which are located
at the slope of high mountain next to the Dniester (Dnister) river. Church dates
from 1801 but western part of the church was reconstructed in 1861. Village is
locayed in southern part of Borshchiv district, on the bank of Dniester river
(during 1920 - 1939 when Dzvenyhorod was part of Poland, river Dniester was
border between Poland and Romania´s Bukovina)

IVANA PUSTE (Polish and Russian names: IWANIE PUSTE / IVANA PUSTOYE)

remarkable wooden church of St John and bellfry. Church dates from 1775 (Polish
kingdom times, two years before Ivana Puste went under Austrian rule) and is a
monument od Podolian school of people´s arcitechture.

HERMAKIVKA (Polish names and Russian name: GERMAKOWKA / GERMAKOVKA)

Small village, located 20 km south east from Borshchiv, not far from river
Zbruch (only 5 km west to it. Zbruch was border between Austrian and Russian
empires during 1772 - 1918. Hermakivka was on Austrian side of the river). What
is remarkable about Hermakivka is that there is Trayan wall (WAL TRAJANA in
Polish and TRAJANIV VAL in Ukrainian) south of the village. Trayan wall
stretches from Hermakivka south via Zalissya and Kdryntis to river Dniester.
Trayan wall was built by Romans (Roman emperor Trayan) as north eastern border
of Roman empire (province of Dacia).

HOLIHRADY, Goligrady (Holihrady, Gologrady)

- village on the left bank of
Seret river, 23 km south west from Borshchiv. Village has old stone church and
and a fabulous cave.

HORODOK (Grodek, Gorodok)

- village on the isthmus of Seret and Dniester
rivers, 33 km south east from Borshchiv, not far from town Zalishchyky. Note
that there is major town with same name in Lviv region of Western Ukraine. Name
literally means "little town". It had An old pre-historical settlement and
burials discovered here.

KAPUSTYNTSI (Kapuscince, Kapustintsy)

- village 22 km noth west from Borshchiv, on the left bank of river Seret. Name comes from Slavic root
"Kapusta" (cabbage). And old Rus settlement is here and it was a town in
medieval times.

- village 30 km south west of Borshchiv,
on river Seret. Coin treasure was found in this village. It boasts also 18 th
cen. stone church.

KOROLIVKA (Polish and Russian names: KOROLOWKA / KOROLEVKA)

Village 10 km south of Borshchiv. Korolivka boasts a palace and cave.

KRYVCHE (Polish and Russian names: KRZYWCZE / KRIVCHE)

Kryvche is known mainly because of its caves, one of the longest in the world
but also because of Kryvche castle which dates from furt half of 17th century
and is built of sandstone, represnting a typical regular castle of 17th century.

KUDRYNTSI (Polish and Russian names: KUDRYNCE / KUDRINTSY)

boasts 17th century castle located on the plateau of steep mountain over the
river Zbruch (from 1772, Zbruch river was border between Austrian and Russian
empires. Kudryntsi was on the right bank of Zbruch, i.e. Austrian side). Castle
is built of sandstone, non-regular in plan with three corner towers. It was
reconstructed in 18th century. Trayan Wall passe through Kudryntsi (from
Hermakivka via Zalissya and Kudryntsi south to river Dnister). Trayan wall was
built by Romans (Roman emperor Trayan), as north-eastern border of Roman empire.

- KULAKIVTSI (Kulakowce, Kulakovtsy) - village 32 km south west of Borshchiv, on
isthmus of rivers Dniester and Seret. Name comes from Slavic word "kulak"
(fist). Village has 19 th century wooden church.

- LANIVTSI (Lanowce, Lanovtsy) - village 5 km north west of Borshchiv. It has remains of
old fortfied settlement.

- MELNYTSYA PODILSKA (Mielnica Podolska, Mlyn Podolski, Melnitsa Podolskaya) -
small town on river Dniester. 32 km straight south from Borshchiv. Name
literally means "Podolian Mill".

Above: Ancient Slavic Cave Temple in Mizhhirya

MIZHHIRYA (Also Mizhgirya. Polish and Russian names: MIEZDYGORZE / MEZHGORYE)

village worth visit because of its ancient Slavic Cave Temple, Cells of Basilian
Monastery (16th century) and Vozdvyzhenska Church from the second half of 18th
century. The ancient Slavic Cave Temple is a cave (9,4 x 4,8 meters) cut out in the
rock on the slope of left bank of the Seret river. Inside the cave there are
small niches intended for cult purposes. On the territory of the cave area,
there is Stone the Giant standing on three support foot stones. People calle it
Stone of Dovbush (after the leader of peasant insurrecton).
Vodzvyzhenska Church is of stone and was built out of ancient one in 18th
century. It is a type of stone three part building, which is very similar to
Ukrainian types of people´s wooden school of arcitechture.

- village 30 km south east from Borshchiv,
not far from Zbruch and Kudryntsi. Treasure of gold was found here. It has also
a cave.

- village 20 km west from Borshchiv, on right bank
of river Seret, not far from Bilche Zolote. Name comes from Slavic word "Mysha"
(mouse). Prehistoric burials were found in Myshkiv.

- village 18 km south east from
Borshchiv, literally means "Little monastery" in Ukrainian. There is a cave also
in Monastyriok.

- village 20 km south west of Borshchiv. Village had an
old prehistoric settlement and castle.

(Polish and Russian names: OKOPY SWIETEJ TROJCY / OKOPY)
Okopy boast a castle of Holy Trinity from 1692 (Polish Kingdom times). Castle is
located on the rocky isthmus between Zbruch and Dniester rivers. It was built
for steady blockade of roads leading to nearby Kamyanets Podilsky, which was
taken by Turks. Castle lost its meaning in 1699. Fortifications consisted of two
rampart lines of bastion system with stone gates in it, as well as of walls
stretching along both sides of isthmus on the edge of steep slope to the river.
Ramparts with gates defended the castle from east and west. Nowadays we have
only two gates preserved, namely Lviv Gate and Kamyanets Gate. Kamyanest Gates
were restored in 1905, what we can see from the memorial marble plaque with
inscription on the facade. Village Okopy occupied very strategic location in both when it was part of
Polish kingdon and Austria the very south eastern corner of Galicia, overlooking
Zbruch (beyond which it was already first Turkish land, later Russian one)

village 10 km north west from Borshchiv. Name comes
from Slavic root Ozero (lake). Village has 18 th century stone church.

- SAPOHIV (Polish and Russian names: SAPOCHOW / SAPOGOV)
Thsi village has a wonderful wooden church, built yet in 1777 during Austrian
rule. Church represents a remarkable monument of Galician school of wooden
architecture.

SKALA PODILSKA (Polish and Russian names: SKALA PODOLSKA / SKALA PODOLSKAYA)

Name literally means "Podolian rock". Skala Podolska is remarkable to visit
because of its ancient castle ruins. It is on river Zbruch, 20 km north east of
Borshchiv. Skala Castle date to 1538 and was reconstructed out of medieval
castle (14 - 15th centuries), which in its turn emerged on the place of ancient
Rus settlement. Castle is located on the high rock in northern part of the city.
The rock steeply ascends down to the river Zbruch on its eastern side and on the
west and north to the brook down the rock. Skala Podilska has also a palace and
18 th century Roman Catholic stone church (it has Polish community).

- village 30 km south of Borshchiv, on river
Dniester. Name comes from Slavic word "Syniy" (blue).

- village 30 km south of Borshchiv, by river
Dniester. Name corresponsd to village geographic location and literally maens
"estuary" since a minor tribuatry river flows into river Dnister at Ustya point.
Village has 18 th century stone church and remains of an old fortiefied
settlement.

- village 32 km south from Borshchiv, next to Melnytsya Podilska, on left bank of wavy river Dniester.
Village has also a wooden church from 18 th century. Name Vilkhivets comes from
Ukarinian word Vilkha (in Polish - Olcha) which mean alder tree. Note also that
there is village with the same name nearby town Berezhany also.

- village 6 km south east from Borshchiv.
Village is old settlement with fortified town remains.

- village 25 km south west of Borshchiv.
Village has a cave, 17th century castle remains, 19th century stone church and
chapel.

- VYSICHKA (Polish and Russian names: WYSUCZKA, WYSIECZKA / VYSECHKA)

with castle from the beginning of 17 th century on a wide plateau of high
mountain, which steeply ascends down to the river. Vysichika has also wooden
church dated from 1763, which is the typical wooden monument od Podolian
people´s school of arcitechture. It has also 19 th century Roman Catholic
Church. Vysichka is village near Borshchiv, just some 5 km from it south
eastwards.

- village 20 km north west from Borshchiv. Name literally means "village beyond the swamps". Village boasts
a wooden church.

- village 26 km south east from Borshchiv. Note
that there is also other village Zalissya 20 km north west from Borshchiv. There
is also Zalissya in Berezhany area. zalissya is very common name, literally
means "beyond the forest". Ancient Roman wall of Trayan (border of Roman empire)
passes via this village.

- ZBRUCHANSKE (Polish and Russian names: ZBRUCZANSKIE / ZBRUCHANSKOYE)

Village with medieval Nicholas Church which dates from 14th century and is a uninque
monument of cult building. It is also interesting because of its volume- and
planning- structure as well as constructional pecularities.

Page created on 29.04.2001 by Roman Zakharii in Oslo, Norway. All copyrights reserved. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me at: zr@uni.de