Pavlivka, Volyn Oblast

Pavlivka (Ukrainian: Павлівка, formerly Poryck, Polish: Poryck) is a town now located in northwestern Ukraine, in Volyn Oblast, near Volodymyr-Volynskyi, on the Luga river. For centuries, Poryck was property of several noble Polish families. The town is the birthplace of a Polish statesman Tadeusz Czacki (born 1765). On 11 July 1943, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, supported by local nationalists murdered here more than 300 Polish civilians,[1] who had gathered in a local Roman Catholic church for a Sunday ceremony (see also the Volhynian Genocide).

Pavlivka

Павлівка

Poryck
Village
Flag
Coat of arms
Pavlivka
Pavlivka
Coordinates: 50°37′N 24°27′E
Country Ukraine
Oblast Volyn Oblast
RaionVolodymyr-Volynskyi Raion

History

Poryck was first mentioned in the first half of the 15th century. In 1557 the town burned in a fire, and King Zygmunt August allowed its owner, Aleksander Porycki to exempt residents from taxes for the period of 10 years. Poryck belonged to several szlachta families, including the Koniecpolski and Czacki families. In 1806, Tadeusz Czacki built here two empire style palaces. Located at the lake, one palace housed a large library (the so-called Poryck Library), in which a number of Polish national treasures was kept. Also, Czacki had a rare collection of fine china. Second palace served as a family residence. In 1816, Poryck was visited by Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, who described his stay here in his “Historic Travels”.[2]

During the November Uprising, Poryck was one of targets of General Jozef Dwernicki's raid over Volhynia, Podolia and Ukraine. On 11 April 1831, a Polish-Russian battle took place here. After a Polish victory, Dwernicki issued an appeal to the local residents, urging them to join the rebellion. In 1916, during World War I, the library was ransacked, and the china collection was destroyed, together with Czacki family archive. The residence was burned down, and what remained of the library was transported to Pulawy.

Poryck 1943 massacre of Poles
Location of the Poryck massacre
(map of Poland before the 1939 invasion)

In the interbellum period (1918–39) Poryck belonged to Poland. It was a town in the Wołyń Voivodeship inhabited by almost 2000 people, half of whom were Jewish and the remaining part mostly Polish and Ukrainian. The residents had lived peacefully together for the most part.

On 11 July 1943, units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and OUN nationalists murdered Polish inhabitants of the town. Most people were killed during a ceremony in a local Roman Catholic church. The Ukrainian sotnia of 20 men surrounded and entered the church filled with people. They threw grenades at the faithful most of whom were women and children. Then they shot at them with machine guns and finally set fire to the church with survivors in hiding. Altogether 300 persons were murdered. Later on, Ukrainian nationalists burned what remained of the Czacki palace. The town was captured by the Red Army on 18 July 1944.[1]

On the 60th anniversary of the massacre, Presidents Aleksander Kwaśniewski of Poland and Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine unveiled a monument commemorating the event. Both presidents called for forgiveness and reconciliation, with Kuchma saying "In this place where Polish victims rest, on behalf of all Ukrainians who want peace and justice, I wish to express my deep sympathy to all the wronged Poles, all those who suffered as a result of this disaster. We issue a strong condemnation of the violence committed against the Polish civilian population." — Pavlivka [3]

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See also

Notes
  1. Tadeusz Piotrowski (2000). Genocide and Rescue in Wołyń: Recollections of the Ukrainian Nationalist Ethnic Cleansing Campaign Against the Poles During World War II. McFarland. pp. 126, 134–136, 188. ISBN 0786407735.
  2. A. Mielcarek, T. Brożbar (2003), KOWEL - WŁODZIMIERZ - PORYCK Ilustrowany przewodnik po Wołyniu.
  3. Krzysztof Renik, Road to Reconciliation. Pavlivka, Ukraine.

References
  • Zygmunt Stanski, Witold Stanski. "PORYCK miasteczko kresowe symbol tragedii Polakow na Wolyniu". Wydawnictwo A. Marszalek 2005; ISBN 978-83-7441-166-0.
  • Wladyslaw Siemaszko, Ewa Siemaszko. "Ludobojstwo dokonane przez nacjonalistow ukrainskich na ludnosci polskiej Wolynia 1939-1945, Wydane przy pomocy finansowej Kancelarii Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej", Warszawa 2000;. ISBN 83-87689-34-3
  • Grzegorz Motyka. "Ukrainska partyzantka 1942-1960". Rytm Oficyna Wydawnicza. Warszawa. 2006; ISBN 83-7399-163-8.
  • Poryck in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1887) (in Polish)
  • Poryck in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1902) (in Polish)

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