Everything about Halych totally explained
Halych (, ) is a historic city on the
Dniester River in western
Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of
Halychyna (
Galicia), of which it was the capital until the early
14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to
Lviv. In 1340-1772, the province comprised the
Ruthenian Voivodeship.
Today Halych is a small city and the
administrative center of the
Halytsky Raion (
district) of
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (
province). It lies 26 km north of the oblast capital,
Ivano-Frankivsk. Halych's population is estimated at 4,600.
Name
The city's name, though spelled identically "
Галич" in modern
East Slavic languages, is pronounced
Halych in
Ukrainian and
Galich in
Russian. The Russian transliteration shouldn't be confused with
Galich, Russia. In
Polish the name is rendered "Halicz"; in the
Yiddish language, "העליטש" ("Helitsh" or "Heylitsh"); in
Latin, "Galic"; in
Hungarian, "Halics."
The origin of the Slavic toponym "Halych" is uncertain. Historians formerly believed it was
Celtic, related to many similar place names found across Europe such as "
Galaţi" (
Romania), "
Gaul" (
France) and "
Galicia" (
Spain). Another version postulates "
hals," "
salt," at the root of "Halych," as the salt trade was a substantial economic factor in the medieval history of Halych.
Max Vasmer and modern
Slavists generally agree that "Halych" is an adjective derived from the
East Slavic word for "
jackdaw," "
halka." This bird features in the town's
coat of arms (and in the
Árpád coat of arms,
Corvinus).
Local folk legend would have it that the name "Halych" comes from a legendary "Prince Halychyna," the first ruler of these lands. In fact, a
kurgan referred to by locals as "Halychyna's tomb," excavated in 1996, contained a ritual
cremation site and a
bronze weapon and
gold disc that could have belonged to a noble leader.
Old Halych
Oldest archaeological artifacts from the territory of Halych are classified to
Neolithic period 40 000 years ago. More systematic findings from a wide number of archaeological cultures dated from 5500 BC till nowadays indicate that population of local terrains was virtually perpetual for some past 7000 years. According to excavated finds population of Halych became especially significant from 8-9 c. AD.
Written mention of Halych by Slavic chronicles dates back to 1138. Most comprehensive records about Halych are found in the
Hypatian Codex of the
Primary Chronicle. In 1141 Prince (
knyaz)
Volodymyrko Volodarovych (1104–1152) who united the competing principalities of
Przemyśl,
Zvenyhorod and
Terebovlya into the state of
Halychyna transferred his capital from Zvenyhorod, to Halych making it the seat of his
Rurikid dynasty and considerably expanding the settlement.
Interestingly, local officials attribute the first written mention of Halych to the year
896. The opinion is supported by a record found in
Gesta Hungarorum, court chronicles of the
Hungarian king
Béla III (dated by beginning of 13 century though). The chronicles describe a stay of Hungarian tribes led by
Prince Álmos in Halych on their way through
Slavic land to
Pannonia. The claim isn't supported by serious scholars. Similarly, another curious date for the first written mention, 290 AD (with a reference to "
Getica" by
Goth Jordanes) isn't accepted by majority.
The first dynasty of Halych, descending from
Vladimir of Novgorod, culminated in
Yaroslav Osmomysl (1153–1187) before going extinct in 1199. The same year
Roman the Great founded the new
Rurikid dynasty, uniting
Halychyna and
Volhynia into the more powerful principality of
Halych-Volhynia. The
Mongols under
Batu Khan took the capital in 1241, when the famous
King Danylo was its ruler. Thereafter the town steadily declined, eventually ceding supremacy to the newly-founded
Lviv.
The excavations of 1933-42 (Jaroslaw Pasternak), 1951-52 (Karger M.K., Aulikh V.), and 1955 uncovered remains of houses, workshops, fortifications, and ten churches built of white stone. Pasternak's excavations established that ancient Halych originated on the spot of today's village
Krylos (located 5 km north of modern Halych) as early as the
10th century. In 1936 Pasternak also discovered remains of an eleventh to twelfth century three-
apse cathedral with burial tomb of Prince
Yaroslav Osmomysl in it. The cathedral is ascribed to the Cathedral of the Dormition previously known only from
Chronicles, known to have been a sepulchre of the earliest Halychian princes. The sheer size (37,5 by 32,4 m) of the cathedral (the second largest mediaeval church on the territory of present-day Ukraine, smaller only to
St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev), suggests that ancient Halych was the seat of a
diocese. Most likely the cathedral was built in 1157 and destroyed in 1241 by
hordes of
Batyi Khan, then rebuilt again and last time mentioned in 1576.
It is believed that the early Halychian architectural style, thoroughly permeated with
Romanesque influences from the West, had been transferred further north-east. The builders of temples in Halych are believed to have also been responsible for the extant
Pereslavl Cathedral and
Church of Intercession upon Nerl. The foundations of the Assumption Cathedral (1157) are still to be seen. The only surviving medieval church is that of
Saint Pantaleon, originally constructed at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, but much rebuilt in the 17th century and controversially reconstructed in the 1990s. The archaeological excavations (1989-2005 under direction of Yuri Lukomsky) at the terrains of Krylos and Halych continue.
New Halych
Gradually, old Halych depopulated to the point that its only mid-14th century inhabitants were the
Metropolitan of Halych and his staff. The present-day town is situated 5 km away from the ancient capital of Halychyna, on the spot where the old town's riverport used to be located and where prince
Lubart of
Lithuania constructed his wooden castle in 1367.
Its main historical monument is the church dedicated to the
Nativity of Mary. Originally built at the turn of the 14th and 15th century, it was restored in 1825. Also of interest is an equestrian monument to
Danylo of Halych, opened in 2003 to mark the 750th anniversary of that prince's coronation as the king of
Ruthenia.
Tourist attractions
Further Information
Get more info on 'Halych'.
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