Ivano-Frankivsk (, Ivano-Frankivs'k; ; ; , see also other names) is an administrative center in western Ukraine with almost 350 years of history as a city settlement. For most of its history the city was known by the Polish name of Stanisławów (Stanislaviv). In the Soviet period, it was decided to change the name of the city during its 300th anniversary in 1962. The local population sometimes refers to it as Frankivsk or even Franyk.
History
Establishment (Andrzej na Potoky)
The city, named Stanisławów (Stanyslaviv), was erected as a fortress to protect the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Tatar invasions and to reinforce the region in case of some other Khmelnytsky Uprising would occur. It was built out of a fort that was erected next to the villages of Zabolotiv which had been known since 1435 – The castle of Stanislaviv and Knyahynyn (1449). The village of Zabolotiv and the land around it were purchased by Stanisław Rewera Potocki from another Polish nobleman Rzeczkowski. The area was utilised for recreation, in and particular hunting. The city's name was later coined by Stanisław's son, Polish nobleman Andrzej Potocki, commemorating either his fatherSadok Barącz „Pamiątki miasta Stanisławowa", Lwów 1858, s. 11 or his first-born son Stanisław Potocki.
Andrzej issued his declaration establishing the city of Stanislawow with Magdeburg rights on May 7, 1662 Brief History of Ivano-Frankivsk for economic purposes of creating a city market, while allowing its local population to organize a city government headed by Wójt (Vogt), city council, and city court. The Magdeburg rights also allowed for the creation of various craftsman shops, independent craftsmen guilds, and, most importantly, the freedom of religion. However, it was not until August 14, 1663 that the city and its rights were recognized by the Polish Crown when Jan Casimir has finally approved them along with the city's heraldry. The first architect of the Stanisławow fortress was Francisco Corasini from Avignon, at the time when Andrzej initiated the redesigning of the Zabolotiv and Knyahynyn villages into a fortress in 1650. The fortress had two main gates which were known as the Halytska gate and Tysmenytska gate. The alternative names were Lvivska and Kamianetska respectively. The names were given for the direction in which they were facing. There was one more smaller gate known as Armenian or Zabolocki.
On September 17, 1662 Andrzej awarded the Jewish community of the city the right of self-government, which included permission to build their own schools, community buildings, and others. On May 23, 1663 the Armenian community of the city was allowed to build its own church as well, which was finished in 1665. Also in 1663 monks of Trinitarian Order from Warsaw arrived in Stanisławów. On April 24, 1664 the newly created city's Butchers Guild was awarded the "20-year freedom" exception from taxation. In 1666 was finished the city's ratusz.
By 1672 the fortress was restructured out of wood into brick. Also a new large fortified Potocki palace was erected in the place of older smaller wooden one. Today this building serves as the military hospital. In the same year Jews were granted the right to become permanent residents, and who could work, conduct commerce, and come and go from the city as they pleased.Jewish Genealogy – The Jewish Settlement from its Inception until 1772 In 1666 the city's first town hall (or ‘ratusha’) was erected and built out of wood.The city's Ratusha Soon after the Turks conquered the fortress of Kamianets-Podilskyi in 1672, Stanisławow, together with Halych, became the strongholds against Turkish forces. It was attacked and besieged in early September 1676, but the Turks did not manage to capture and pillage the city. However, some of Stanisławow fortifications were so badly damaged that in 1677 the Sejm in Warsaw relieved the city of its tax duties. On September 12, 1683, Stanisław, the oldest son of the city founder, perished in battle against the Turks near Vienna. His body was transferred to his native city and buried in the Potocki family parish kosciol also known as Fara (today the Art museum on Sheptytsky Square).
18th century
Originally the city was divided into two districts: Tysmenytsia and Halych. Sometime in 1817-1819 the neighboring village of Zabolottya, that had a special status, was incorporated into the city as a new district, while the Tysmenytsia district was divided into Tysmenytsia and Lysets districts. Each district had its main street corresponded with its name: Halych Street (Halych district), Tysmenytsia Street which today is Independence Street (Tysmenytsia district), Zabolotiv Street - Mykhailo Hrushevsky Street and Street of Vasylyanok (Zabolottya district), and Lysets Street - Hetman Mazepa Street (Lysets district). Later the city was split into six small districts: midtown where lived rich catholic population and patricians, pidzamche (subcastle), and four suburbs - Zabolotiv, Tysmenytia, Halych, and Lysets where lived plebeians. Jews were assigned a specific "Street of the Jews" near the river, where they were allowed to live. The first Jewish cemetery was established in 1662. By 1672 a wooden synagogue had been built. The Chevra Kadisha burial society was also founded.Jewish Genealogy – The Jewish Settlement from its Inception until 1772
According to the 1709 census in the fortified midtown lived 62 Ruthenian families, 50 Armenian, 25 Jewish, and 9 Polish. In the city operated the Polish-Armenian court that had a strict stance against the local peasant uprising known as Opryshky. The last public execution that took place in the city was on April 25, 1754 at the Market Square where Vasyl Bayurak was killed. Due to numerous military conflicts, diseases, and other socially dangerous events, the population of the city by the end of the 18th century did not exceed 5,000. Among such events was the invasion of the city by the Russian forces in course of the Great Northern War in 1706 that robbed the city in the revenge for Józef Potocki's switching the sides in the support of Stanisław Leszczyński. In 1712 the city was robbed again during some inter-magnate conflicts when it was invaded by the forces of Polish Hetman Sieniawski. In 1710 a quarter of the city population (1332) died of typhus.
The streets in the city were starting to be paved in cobbles around 1695. In 1728 the Akademia Stanislawowa was converted into Jesuit Collegium for which a separate building was erected in 1733–1743. In 1729 the Jesuit Church was built in the city, around 1744 the city's Jewish community started to the construction of a new synagogue which was finished in 1777, and in 1762 the Armenian Church was restored. In 1767 the city brewery was built as the oldest industrial venture, building of which was preserved to our days. In 1759 the Jewish community of Stanisławów took part in a dispute with the Frankists from Lwow eventually joining the later group (see Jacob Frank). Due to that the Stanislawow rabbis were subordinated to the Rabbi of Tysmenytsia. One of the most prominent Jewish figures of that time was Rabbi Dov Berish, a son of Yaakov Avraham, as well as Rabbi Yehuda Zelka known for his commentary "Ravid Zahav" on "Yoreh De'ah", and many others.
On February 26, 1761 the city was passed to Vincent Potocki who was a minor. The city was managed by his guardian Kateryna Kossakiwska who was also of the Potocki family. Eventually the Potocki family went bankrupt and the city was passed to the state treasury. Extensively rebuilt during the Renaissance, it was sometimes called Little Leopolis.Travel Ivano-Frankivsk The city was also an important centre of Armenian culture in Poland after the fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, with an Armenian church in which a painting of Mary was kept. The painting was in 1945 moved to Gdansk.
Austria-Hungary In 1772, after the Partitions of Poland it became a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and successively of the autonomous Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. The Austrian riflemen entered the city on October 25 of that year. The new administration ceased the functioning of the city fort. According to the "Vienna patent" since 1789 a city magistrate was introduced as form of government headed by its burg-minister, while the city itself was returned into ownership of countess Kossakiwska until 1797. In 1801 due to the next bankruptcy the city was passed now into the Austrian state possession. Since then and until 1820 all the fortifications in the city were disassembled and their materials were used to build new buildings and pave streets. The moats around the fortifications were evened out and changed into streets. With the rock material from the fortifications were cobblestoned four city squares and 24 streets. One of the first streets that appeared outside of the city fortifications were Dvirska (today Chodkewicz), Mlynarska, Tartakova (Dudayev), Polyova (Petlyura). On the territory of the former moats today run the following streets: Sich Riflemen, Dnistrovska, and Vasyliyanok. Some other streets such as Valova, Starozamkova, and Fortechna, kept their historical toponyms. By the start of the 20th century the adjacent villages of Knyahynyn and Sofiivka were fully incorporated into the city. The street that connected the railway station with the old town (midtown) the city magistrate named Grunwaldska to commemorate the 500 Anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald.
The center of education and culture became the First state German-Polish gymnasium that was founded in 1774. One of the famous students of that school was the Ukrainian writer, historian, and ethnographer Ivan Vahylevych who studied there in 1824 - 1830. On May 8–10, 1848 during the Spring of Nations in the city was established the Rus Council () and was formed the National Guard. On September 2, 1848 the first city newspaper was issued in the Polish language "Kurier Stanislawowski". In 1862 the first recorded city celebration took place to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the foundation of the city. On September 1, 1866 the city was connected to a railway network Lviv-Chernivtsi, while the locomotive-repair shop was opened along with the train terminal. At around that time series of plants and factories were built.
On September 28, 1868 Stanisławów experienced a major disaster. The city was engulfed in a major fire which originated at Lypova street and destroyed the third of the city (some 260 buildings) and the market place of the town. The city required a major renovation and was almost completely rebuilt.The city's Ratusha A new six-stories rathaus was built in 1871. During that time the center of the city slowly moved from the market square southward towards the Tysmenytsia Road (today Nezalezhnist street - stometrovka). Here for the first time in all Galicia gas street lights were installed in 1876. Dr. Arthur Nemhein was the mayor of the city from 1897 to 1919, but was later fired by Polish authorities in 1919 for cooperating with Ukrainian separatists. In the elections to the Austrian parliament of 1907, Dr. Marcus Braude, a Zionist Jew, gained the majority of votes.Jewish Genealogy – The Era of Austrian Rule (1772–1918) During World War I, the front-line was for some time in the area of the city, Russians and Austro-Hungarian forces fought several battles in Stanisławów and its vicinity. In 1917 Russian forces burned the central districts during the Kerensky Offensive.
Start of the 20th century
In October 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed and the Western Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR) was proclaimed.Toronto Ukrainian Genealogy Group – History of Galicia