Poryck Massacre
Encyclopedia
Pavlivka is a town now located in northwestern Ukraine
, in Volyn Oblast
, near Volodymyr-Volynskyi
, on the Luga
river.
, and was a town in Wołyń Voivodeship, inhabited by almost 2000 people, half of whom were Jewish and the remaining part mostly Polish and Ukrainian. The residents had previously lived peacefully together, and no ethnic conflicts had taken place there before.
On July 11, 1943, Ukrainian units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and OUN
nationalist groups murdered Polish inhabitants of the town. Most people were killed during a ceremony in a local Roman Catholic church. The Ukrainians entered the church and threw grenades at the faithful, many of whom were women and children. Then they shot at them with machine guns and finally set fire on the church filled with people. Altogether 300 persons were brutally murdered.
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."
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, in Volyn Oblast
Volyn Oblast
Volyn Oblast is an oblast in north-western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town and the last station in Ukraine of the rail line running from Kiev to Warsaw.-History:...
, near Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynskyi
Volodymyr-Volynsky is a city located in Volyn Oblast, in north-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Volodymyr-Volynsky District, the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
, on the Luga
Luga
Luga is a town and the administrative center of Luzhsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Luga River south of St. Petersburg. Population:...
river.
History
In the interbellum period (1918–1939) it belonged to PolandSecond Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, and was a town in Wołyń Voivodeship, inhabited by almost 2000 people, half of whom were Jewish and the remaining part mostly Polish and Ukrainian. The residents had previously lived peacefully together, and no ethnic conflicts had taken place there before.
On July 11, 1943, Ukrainian units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and OUN
Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists is a Ukrainian political organization which as a movement originally was created in 1929 in Western Ukraine . The OUN accepted violence as an acceptable tool in the fight against foreign and domestic enemies particularly Poland and Russia...
nationalist groups murdered Polish inhabitants of the town. Most people were killed during a ceremony in a local Roman Catholic church. The Ukrainians entered the church and threw grenades at the faithful, many of whom were women and children. Then they shot at them with machine guns and finally set fire on the church filled with people. Altogether 300 persons were brutally murdered.
On the 60th anniversary of the massacre, Presidents Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Aleksander Kwasniewski
Aleksander Kwaśniewski is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule he was active in the Socialist Union of Polish Students and was the Minister for Sport in the communist government in the 1980s...
of Poland and Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
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."
Sources
- http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/2969/
- http://www.tol.cz/look/CER/article_single.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=14&NrIssue=50&NrSection=5&NrArticle=10068&ST1=body&ST_T1=cer&ST_AS1=1&ST_max=1
- http://www.polandembassy.lt/en/news.php?obj=pranesimaiWebCat&action=showOne&id=74
- 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.
External links
Poryck in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1887) Poryck in the Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland (1902)
See also
- Massacres of Poles in VolhyniaMassacres of Poles in VolhyniaThe Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia were part of an ethnic cleansing operation carried out by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army West in the Nazi occupied regions of the Eastern Galicia , and UPA North in Volhynia , beginning in March 1943 and lasting until the end of...
- Krupki massacre