GESCHICHTE DER BEREZANY

(Heute: Berezhany), kleine Stadt in West Ukraine. Die Stadt mit eine glorreiche Geschichte: egemalige Österreich(1772-1918, später Österreich - Ungarn) und Polen (1387-1772, 1920-1939), danach die Sowjet Union und von 1991 - die unabhängige Ukraine..

HISTORIA MIASTA BRZEZANY

(Dzisiejsza nazwa Berezhany) na poludniowo-wschodnich kresach. Miasto bylo czescia Polski (byle wojewodstwo Tarnopolskie) przez dlugi okres czasu: z 1387 do 1772 oraz z 1920 do 1939, kiedy Wschodnia Polska byla okupowana przez Zwiazek Radziecki. Teraz Brzezany w niepodleglej Ukrainie.

Archeology of Berezhany:

Non-written history of Berezhany goes to thousands of years depth. Archeologists discovered the remains of three settlements which belong to the era of late paleolith. Ancient people settled not far from the banks of Zolota Lypa (Golden Lime Tree) river, at its high, forested and dry banks. At the place of one of this settlements, on the hills of mountain Zvirynets' (Polish name: Zwierzyniec), remains of flint master-shop of ancient times were discovered. Here primary work tool were found (flint knife-like plates, cutter, scratchers etc.) and a great number of remains of flint productivity - nucleuses, balls, plates. Certain flint products were found also at the place of of settlements at the upper flow of Zolota Lypa, at the present territory of Berezhany Brickworks Plant. Archeological findings prove that there was ancient Rus'/Ruthenian settlement for a long time.

Medieval History of Berezhany:

Berezhany belong to the oldest Ukrainian settlements. First written record about the town dates to 1375. First it was a normal village, which by the privilege of the prince Wladislaw Opolski (Vladyslav Opolsky), was given as a property to the nobleman (boyaryn) Wasko Teptuchowicz (Basil/Vas'ko Teptuchowicz/Teptukhovych). In the document of the end of 15 th century, Berezhany are mentioned twice as a village, which belonged to Hanna (Anna) from Lytvyniv (Litwinow). In 1530 Polish king Sigismund the First, gave Berezhany as a present to the magnate Mykola (Mikolaj) Senyavskyy (Seniawski), simultaneously giving the town status and Magdeburg rights for Berezhany.

In the beginning Berezhany occupied not big territory: market square with a few streets from it and suburbs Pidzamche (Podzamcze) which means "at the castle" if to translate. Later, two other suburbs emerged: in 1570 . Mistechko (Miasteczko) and in 1584 - Adamivka (Adamowka). For two centuries Berezhany had been belonging to the the magnate family of Senyavsky (Sieniawski). This family was renown because of their loyalty to the kings of Poland (Rzecz Pospolita). During this time the official magnate historians had created a myth about their special and honest devotion to Berezhany. In fact everything they did, served the purpose of glorifying of their dynasty and strengthening the magnates' domination in kresy of Rzecz Pospolita (Kresy is Polish term used of Eastern Poland's borderlands). Behind this, there were non human overlords' exploitation over the local population. The documents show the true picture which was behind the official mask of charity of brilliant representative of Sieniawski dynasty as well as their successors: Czartoryjski, Liubomirski, Potocki magnate families.

The heavy feudal duties were imposed on the local people. According the Inventory of 1667, peasants and craftsmen were obliged to repair the dam, bridges and river crossings, town walls. They and also to carry on the guard, to carry on different duties on the lands of Sieniawskis, to provide them with carts for moving the goods. Town inhabitants paid immense taxes to the town owners, for the land, cattle, bee-keeping, the right to trade. Ukrainians (or Ruthenians/Rusyns as they were called then), who comprised the most part of Berezhany population, were undergoing the the greatest social and national oppression. They were excluded from the town administration institutions, suffered the violences, they were not even allowed to liver in town center. They were made foreigners at their own land.

The oppression of Polish nobility, their non hidden outrageous conduct were the major brake for the economic and cultural development of Berezhany. Many times town experienced great destructions and fires from the nobility invasions. Despite this, thanks to the laborers hands of peasants and craftsmen, Berezhany grew and developed. So, in the end of 16 th century, Berezhany numbered 413 courtyards, where 2.000 people lived. The surrounding forests provided with the cheap building material: all most all houses were wooden in Berezhany. In the center there was a wooden clock tower and around it the craftsmen workshops, shops and merchants' houses.

In the beginning of 17 th century Berezhany became craftsmanship and trading center. Craftsmanship was the profession for the most of inhabitants. Sewing, carpentry, wood carving became particularly popular then. Part of townsmen dealt in small trade, made the land, served in the castle etc.

The development of Berezhany as a trade center was assisted and prompted by its convinient geographical position. One of the important ways passed through the town. It led from Western countries to to the Black Sea areas. Here, people traded in cereals, flour, leathers, honey, fish, craft articles, namely in clay pottery and wooden articles. Not surprising, that yet in 1530, Berezhany had got the right to organize a bazaar once a week on Friday and a fair twice a year. In 1667, according to the royal privilege, there were yearly 4 big and 16 small fairs in the town. People were bringing for sale the textiles, arms, women jewelry. Gradually, the merchants from the most remote parts of Poland and Ukraine started to settle in Berezhany.

Economic and cultural life of Berezhany was accelerated by the Armenian settlers, who appeared here probably in 15 th century. The town with its powerful castle walls attracted wretched by the Moslem invasion people from faraway Armenia. These castle walls promised them peace and safeness. Wonderful climate conditions, traditional Ukrainian hospitality and also governmental privileges granted for the development of trade and craftsmanship. The street, along which the Armenians settled was called Armenian. The great percentage of Berezhany population comprised the Jews. Jews dealt primarily in trade.

HISTORY OF BEREZHANY CASTLE

In order to make their rule long lasting on conquered Ukrainian lands, Polish magnates built numerous castles, erected Roman Catholic churches. However, created by the golden hands of nameless masters and artists and by the shed blood of thousands of laborers, these magnificent buildings, dumb witnesses of old times, became long lasting monuments to the peoples genius.

In 1554 in Berezhany the erection of unseen before in this area stone castle was finished. The castle later in 1570 and in the first quarter of 17 th century was fortified and enlarged. Unlike other fortifications, Berezhany castle emerged not on a high, unaccessible mountain but in a deep swampy river valley, on an island, formed by two flows of Golden Lime Tree river. Besides these natural factors, the defensiveness of the castle was strengthened by the deep ditches with water and high land walls.

Berezhany castle reflects those great changes which took place in castle architecture in the middle of 16 th century, namely the transition of the castles from military defence buildings into residential defense buildings. This evolution touched not only the external appearance but also planning. So, in Berezhany castle, not defense walls but residential buildings were built along the perimeter of the courtyard. External walls of these residential buildings had canon holes. The fasades with big windows and two stories arcades - galleries which remind the Italian palazzos were turned to the side of the courtyard. In the 17 th century, at the eastern part of the castle, a palace decorated with white stone carving was built. For its luxurious decorations it was compared to Cracow's Wawel. Under the lords halls and apartments, there were minor rooms for the lords servicemen, guards, poor guests as well as warehouses. Along with this, there were battle towers, three of which have been preserved until nowadays. An entry gate decorated with stone carving and chain bridge led to the castle.

Interesting monument of medieval architecture is castle Roman Catholic church in the courtyard of the castle. Despite the mixture of styles, caused by reconstructions, the beauty of architectural lines, harmonic correlation of forms, the perfection of separate details provide basis to consider (along with Roman Catholic churches in Ternopil, Mykulyntsi and Sydoriv) as the best monument of Roman Catholic Church Art, which has been preserved until nowadays.

The central part of church with Gothic arrow like building sections and windows was built simultaneously with the castle. Much later, in the first half of 17 th century, two renaissance chapels with baroque elements and elegiac interior domes on the top, were added. Exceptional artistic value had the interior decoration of the church. Only baroque sculptural decorations of the dome interrior, western chapel and partly drawings and sculptural ornamentation over the choruses. Some of the marble grave stones and sarcophaguses of castle owners belonged to the masterpieces of sculptural arts. Unfortunately they are almost completely destroyed, namely the pair gravestone of Mikolaj and Hieronim Sieniawski (Mykola and Ieronim Syniavsky) of 1582, created by the famous artist Henrich Gorst, and also two gravestones and sarcophaguses, created in 1619 - 1636 by famous sculptor Jan Pfister. They represented the best samples of European plastics of those times. Though as far as I read Sieniawski sarcophagus was taken by Polish authorities retreating from the Soviet occupation in 1939 and as far as I read was placed in Piaskowa Skala Church near Cracow. Some of Berezhany sculptures and exponated and kept at the Olesko Castle Museum (the branch of Lviv Gallery) in Olesko by Lviv.

Who had led this uniquely exceptional monument to such a state? With the Russian Soviet occupation of Berezhany in 1939 and re-occupation of the town in 1944, new Russian authorities set a bomb in the castle and deliberately destroyed it. And all during the Soviet rule and Soviet stagnation years castle was ultimately brought to ruins. The fires of two world wars also added to the destruction. Not accidentally Polish poet Karol Wiejski wrote to defend the castle.

It is worthy to note that at the beginning of the 17 th century, Berezhany became a kind of the artistic center, where many famous artists and masters lived. Jan Pfister had his stone house here. In some sources he was even referred as "Berezhany sculptor and townman".

Berezhany castle, as a complex of civil and cultic architecture was the exceptional creation of local artists. His connection with the Ukrainian and Polish architecture can be traced in the planning of the building, in its external appearance. It impressed the imagination of people of those time and ours. With astonishment Berezhany Castle was described by famous traveller Ulrich von Verdum, who saw already not just one majestic fortifications back in Belgium, France, Germany. Polish writer Z. Kaczkowski described Berezhany castle in his novel "Sodalis Marianus" in the 19 th century. Many poetic lines were devoted to Berezhany castle by one of the most famous Polish poets Juliusz Slowacki (who was born in Krements/Krzemieniec some 80 km north east of Berezhany):

Brzezany lord in wonderful surroundings 


Had a settling. There among two brooks, 


Luxurious castle in an astonishing beauty,


High chapel and tower raised high. 


Shining of the apartments - equal only to the royal ones:


There gold, luxuries and peace.

(my rough translation)

Here among noisy parties, the life of Berezhany owners flew. Such a luxury demanded serious spendings, so the magnates exploited the poor peasantry. Besides the maintenance of "royal court" of Sieniawski dynasty, half hungry society was obliged "to fortify and repair the ground walls and wood fences" for the defense and also to keep on guard the ready guns and dust, in order to defend the town wherever there is such a need. In the castle Berezhany people had the right to hide only in case when the town was given up. During the alarm, the inhabitants of whole surrounding areas were escaping here.