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Lwów Voivodeship

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For the voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the capital in Lwów, see Ruthenian Voivodeship. For the short-lived voivodeship of Poland between 1944 and 1945, see Lwów Voivodeship (1944–1945).

Lwów Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo lwowskie) was an administrative unit of interwar Poland (1918–1939). Because of the Nazi invasion of Poland in accordance with the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, it became occupied by both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army in September 1939. Following the conquest of Poland however, the Polish underground administration existed there until August 1944. Only around half of the Voivodeship was returned to Poland after the war ended. It was split diagonally just east of Przemyśl; with its eastern half, including Lwów itself, ceded to the Ukrainian SSR at the insistence of Joseph Stalin during the Tehran Conference confirmed (as not negotiable) at the Yalta Conference of 1945.[1][2]

Lwów Voivodeship
Województwo lwowskie
Voivodeship of Poland
1920–1939

Lwów Voivodeship (red) on the map of Second Polish Republic
CapitalLwów
Area 
• 1921
27,024 km2 (10,434 sq mi)
• 1939
28,402 km2 (10,966 sq mi)
Population 
• 1921
2.718.014
• 1931
3.126.300
Government
 • TypeVoivodeship
Voivodes 
• 1921–1924
Kazimierz Grabowski
• 1937–1939
Alfred Biłyk
Historical eraInterwar period
• Established
23 December 1920
September 1939
Political subdivisions27 powiats
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Ukraine SSR
General Government
Today part ofUkraine, Poland

Population

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Voivodeship's capital, the biggest and its most important city was Lwów. It consisted of 27 powiats (counties), 58 towns and 252 villages. In 1921 it was inhabited by 2,789,000 people. Ten years later, this number rose to 3,126,300 (which made it the most populous of all Polish Voivodeships). In 1931, the population density was 110 per km2. The majority of the population (57%) was Polish, especially in western counties. Ukrainians (mainly in the east and south-east) made up about 33% and Jews (mainly in towns) - around 7%. Also, there were smaller communities of Armenians, Germans and other nationalities. In 1931, the illiteracy rate of the Voivodeship's population was 23.1%, about the same as national average and, at the same time, the lowest in the Polish Eastern Borderlands.[3]

According to the census of 1921 the Lwów Voivodeship was inhabited by 2,718,014 people, of whom by nationality 56.6% were Polish, 35.9% were Ruthenian (Ukrainian), 7.0% were Jewish and 0.5% were German and all others. By religion 46.5% were Roman Catholic, 41.5% were Uniate or Orthodox, 0.5% were Protestant and 11.5% were Jewish.[4]

In 1931 the voivodeship had 3,127,409 inhabitants, of whom by mother tongue 57.7% spoke Polish, 34.1% spoke Ukrainian and Ruthenian, 7.5% spoke Yiddish or Hebrew, 0.4% spoke German and 0.3% spoke other languages. By religion, 46.3% were Roman Catholic, 42% were Greek Catholic or Orthodox, 0.4% were Protestant, 11% were Jewish and 0.3% others.

The results of the 1931 census (questions about mother tongue and about religion) are presented in the table below:

Ukrainian/Ruthenian and Greek Catholic/Orthodox majority minority counties are highlighted with yellow.

Comparison of Polish and Ukrainian population of Lwów Voivodeship according to the 1931 census[5][6]
Today part of County Pop. Polish % Ukrainian & Ruthenian % Roman Catholic % Uniate & Orthodox %
  Bibrka 97124 30762 31.7% 60444 62.2% 22820 23.5% 66113 68.1%
  Brzozów 83205 68149 81.9% 10677 12.8% 65813 79.1% 12743 15.3%
  Dobromyl 93970 35945 38.3% 52463 55.8% 25941 27.6% 59664 63.5%
  Drohobych 194456 91935 47.3% 79214 40.7% 52172 26.8% 110850 57.0%
  Horodok 85007 33228 39.1% 47812 56.2% 22408 26.4% 56713 66.7%
  Jarosław 148028 120429 81.4% 20993 14.2% 83652 56.5% 52302 35.3%
  Yavoriv 86762 26938 31.0% 55868 64.4% 18394 21.2% 62828 72.4%
  Kolbuszowa 69565 65361 94.0% 62 0.1% 63999 92.0% 91 0.1%
  Krosno 113387 93691 82.6% 14666 12.9% 91189 80.4% 15132 13.3%
  Lesko 111575 31840 28.5% 70346 63.0% 18209 16.3% 81588 73.1%
  Lubaczów 87266 43294 49.6% 38237 43.8% 32994 37.8% 44723 51.2%
  Lviv City 312231 198212 63.5% 35137 11.3% 157490 50.4% 50824 16.3%
  Lviv County 142800 80712 56.5% 58395 40.9% 67430 47.2% 67592 47.3%
  Łańcut 97679 92084 94.3% 2690 2.8% 86066 88.1% 4806 4.9%
  Mostyska 89460 49989 55.9% 37196 41.6% 34619 38.7% 49230 55.0%
  Nisko 64233 60602 94.3% 115 0.2% 59069 92.0% 925 1.4%
  Przemyśl 162544 86393 53.2% 60005 36.9% 67068 41.3% 73631 45.3%
  Przeworsk 61388 58634 95.5% 406 0.7% 54833 89.3% 3042 5.0%
  Rava-Ruska 122072 27376 22.4% 82133 67.3% 22489 18.4% 84808 69.5%
  Rudky 79170 38417 48.5% 36254 45.8% 27674 35.0% 45756 57.8%
  Rzeszów 185106 173897 93.9% 963 0.5% 164050 88.6% 3277 1.8%
  Sambir 133814 56818 42.5% 68222 51.0% 43583 32.6% 78527 58.7%
  Sanok 114195 67955 59.5% 38192 33.4% 48968 42.9% 54882 48.1%
  Sokal 109111 42851 39.3% 59984 55.0% 25425 23.3% 69963 64.1%
  Tarnobrzeg 73297 67624 92.3% 93 0.1% 65891 89.9% 194 0.3%
  Turka 114457 26083 22.8% 80483 70.3% 6301 5.5% 97339 85.0%
  Zhovkva 95507 35816 37.5% 56060 58.7% 20279 21.2% 66823 70.0%
Total Lwów Voivodeship 3127409 1805035 57.7% 1067110 34.1% 1448826 46.3% 1314366 42.0%

Location and area

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The Voivodeship's area was 28,402 square kilometres (10,966 sq mi). It was located in southern Poland, bordering Czechoslovakia to the south, Kraków Voivodeship to the west, Lublin Voivodeship to the north and Volhynian Voivodeship, Stanisławów Voivodeship and Tarnopol Voivodeship to the east. Landscape was hilly (in the north) and mountainous (in the south, along the Czechoslovakian border, with numerous spas located there, such as Slawsko). Forest covered 23.3% of the Voivodeship area (January 1, 1937 statistics; with the national average of 22.2%).

Cities and counties

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Lwów, the voivodeship's capital, was by far its biggest city, with the population of 318,000 (as of 1939). It was also the biggest city in south-eastern Poland and the third biggest city in the country (after Warsaw and Łódź), before Kraków (259,000). Other important centers in the voivodeship were: Przemyśl (in 1931 pop. 51,000), Borysław (pop. 41,500), Drohobycz (pop. 32,300), Rzeszów (pop. 27,000), Jarosław (pop. 22,200), Sambor (pop. 22,000), Sanok (pop. 14,300) and Gródek Jagielloński (pop. 12,900).

Counties of the Lwów Voivodeship

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Administrative division of Lwów Voivodeship, 1938
  • Bóbrka county (area 891 km2 pop. 97 100),
  • Brzozów county (area 684 km2 pop. 83 200),
  • Dobromil county (area 994 km2 pop. 94 000),
  • Drohobycz county (area 1,499 km2 pop. 194 400),
  • Gródek Jagielloński county (area 889 km2 pop. 85 000),
  • Jarosław county (area 1,337 km2 pop. 148 000),
  • Jaworów county (area 977 km2 pop. 86 800),
  • Kolbuszowa county (area 873 km2 pop. 69 600),
  • Krosno county (area 934 km2 pop. 113 400),
  • Lesko county (area 1,832 km2 pop. 111 600),
  • Lubaczów county (area 1,146 km2 87 300),
  • city of Lwów county (powiat lwowski grodzki - area 67 km2, pop. 312 200),
  • Lwów county (area 1,276 km2 pop. 142 800),
  • Łańcut county (area 889 km2 pop. 97 700),
  • Mościska county (area 755 km2 pop. 89 500),
  • Nisko county (area 973 km2 pop. 64 200),
  • Przemyśl county (area 1,002 km2 pop. 162 500),
  • Przeworsk county (area 415 km2 pop. 61 400),
  • Rawa Ruska county (area 1,401 km2 pop. 122 100),
  • Rudki county (area 670 km2 pop. 79 200),
  • Rzeszów county (area 1,270 km2 pop. 185 100),
  • Sambor county (area 1,133 km2 pop. 133 800),
  • Sanok county (area 1,282 km2 pop. 114 200),
  • Sokal county (area 1,324 km2 pop. 109 100),
  • Tarnobrzeg county (area 949 km2 pop. 72 200),
  • Turka county (area 1,829 km2 pop. 114 400),
  • Żółkiew county (area 1,111 km2 pop. 95 500).

Railroads and industry

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Interwar Poland was unofficially divided into two parts - Poland "A" (better developed) and Poland "B" (less developed). Lwów Voivodeship was located on the boundary line of these, with two main centres - the city of Lwów itself and the rich in oil southern region of Borysław and Drohobycz.[citation needed]

See also: Sztafeta, book of literary reportage about industrial development

Starting in the mid-1930s, the Polish government decided to start a massive public works project, known as Centralny Okreg Przemyslowy (COP). The project covered western counties of the Voivodeship, where several factories were constructed (a steel mill in newly created city of Stalowa Wola, an aircraft engine and artillery factory in Rzeszów, as well as an armament factory in Sanok). This was a huge boost for overpopulated rural areas, where unemployment was high. The project was still incomplete at the beginning of the Second World War.

The railroad network was well-developed only in the area of Lwów, as the city itself was an important hub with as many as eight lines coming from it. Apart from this, some counties (like Kolbuszowa, Brzozów or Jaworów) lacked rail connections, while others (Lesko, Lubaczów, Rudki, Stary Sambor) were greatly underdeveloped. Other rail hubs were Rawa Ruska, Rzeszów, Rozwadów, Sambor, Drohobycz, Przeworsk, Chodorów, and Przemyśl.

As for January 1, 1938, total length of railroads within Voivodeship's boundaries was 1,534 kilometers, which was 5.4 km. per 100 km2.

 
Mother tongue in Poland, based on the 1931 Polish census (original)

Voivodes

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  • Kazimierz Grabowski, 23 April 1921 – 30 June 1924
  • Stanisław Zimny, 10 March 1924 – 4 December 1924
  • Paweł Garapich, 30 December 1924 – 28 July 1927
  • Piotr Dunin-Borkowski, 28 July 1927 – 30 April 1928
  • Wojciech Agenor Gołuchowski, 9 July 1928 – 29 August 1930
  • Bronisław Nakoniecznikoff-Klukowski, 29 August 1930 – 6 July 1931
  • Józef Rożniecki, 22 July 1931 – 30 January 1933
  • Władysław Belina-Prażmowski, 31 January 1933 – 14 April 1937
  • Alfred Biłyk, 16 April 1937 – 17 September 1939

September 1939 and its aftermath

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Following the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and the subsequent Russo-German conquest of Poland, the voivodeship was divided by the victors in late September 1939. The western part of the voivodeship was annexed by Germany and added to the General Government, while the eastern part (including the city of Lwów) was incorporated into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. After July 1941, Lwów and the eastern part were occupied by Germany and also added to the General Government; the Polish underground administration existed there until August 1944. In 1945, when Poland's current borders were established, the western part of former Lwów Voivodeship (to the San river) was organized into the newly created Rzeszów Voivodeship; this territory has been part of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship since 1999.

The remaining eastern part became Ukraine's Lviv Oblast.

References

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  1. ^ Sylwester Fertacz (2005), "Krojenie mapy Polski: Bolesna granica" (Carving of Poland's map). Magazyn Społeczno-Kulturalny Śląsk. Retrieved from the Internet Archive on 5 June 2016.
  2. ^ Simon Berthon; Joanna Potts (2007). Warlords: An Extraordinary Re-Creation of World War II. Da Capo Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-306-81650-5.
  3. ^ "Województwo lwowskie. 1920-1939". KALENDARIUM. Grodek Jagiellonski. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2017 – via Internet Archive.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "Plik:Woj.lwowskie-Polska spis powszechny 1921.pdf – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia" (PDF). commons.wikimedia.org (in Polish). 1927. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  5. ^ "Plik:Woj.lwowskie-Polska spis powszechny 1931.pdf – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia" (PDF). commons.wikimedia.org (in Polish). 1938. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  6. ^ "Plik:M.Lwów-Polska spis powszechny 1931.pdf – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia" (PDF). commons.wikimedia.org (in Polish). 1937. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  • Maly rocznik statystyczny 1939, Nakladem Glownego Urzedu Statystycznego, Warszawa 1939 (Concise Statistical Year-Book of Poland, Warsaw 1939).

49°50′05″N 24°01′41″E / 49.834834°N 24.027997°E / 49.834834; 24.027997

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