Genealogy Guide for Ukraine: Ukrainian, Jewish, and Polish Roots

This guide provides an introduction to exploring Ukrainian, Jewish, and Polish family histories in Lviv and its surrounding areas. It highlights heritage sites such as churches, synagogues, historic buildings, cemeteries, and monuments significant to these communities.

Unraveling the historical tapestry of Lviv (also known as Lwow and Lemberg) and its surroundings reveals the deeply intertwined heritage of these three vibrant groups. While acknowledging their shared history, this guide also shines a light on uniquely Ukrainian, Polish, and Jewish ancestral sites.

We aim to simplify the complex process of uncovering these cultural legacies, offering insights into family histories and connections that span borders.

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On this page:

Finding Ukrainian Roots

How to Search for Long-Lost Ukrainian Roots in Ukraine

When searching for your Ukrainian roots, there are two main approaches to consider:

Ukrainian Ancestry in Urban Areas of Western Ukraine

Researching Ukrainian ancestry in larger cities of Western Ukraine presents unique challenges. Historically, before World War II, Ukrainians made up less than one-third of the urban population in Galicia. Following the war, many members of the Ukrainian urban middle class were displaced due to forced resettlements, emigration, or persecution by Soviet authorities. These efforts aimed to suppress resistance to the Soviet regime after the incorporation of Galicia, Bukovina, and Volhynia into Soviet Ukraine.

As a result, the chances of finding living relatives among today’s urban population are relatively low. However, urban centers still hold historical and cultural significance, offering valuable insights into your ancestry.

Ukrainian Ancestry in Rural Ukraine

If your ancestors come from a rural town or village in Ukraine, uncovering your roots may be less complex. The rural population, historically a poorer social class, faced fewer Soviet repressions and was more likely to remain tied to the land. This stability increases the likelihood of tracing ancestral connections in Ukraine's countryside.

Residents of smaller communities often provide invaluable assistance, pointing you to ancestral homes or sharing local family histories. However, this link to ancestry is gradually fading as village populations age and younger generations move to urban areas or abroad in search of better opportunities.

Archival Records in Western Ukraine

Key records for Ukrainian genealogical research include church vital records, school registers, and cadastral documents. These are typically stored in the State Archives of Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi.

While these archives are a treasure trove of information, the records are not always complete and may be divided across various locations. Thankfully, a significant portion of Ukrainian vital records has been digitized and is now accessible through English-language ancestry websites or on microfilm, simplifying research for those tracing their roots from afar. 


Finding Jewish Roots in Ukraine

Jewish Ancestry Heritage in Ukraine

Exploring Jewish ancestry sites within Western Ukraine presents several important considerations for genealogical research:

What Jewish Heritage Sites You Can Expect to Find

As you delve into your family history, you may encounter various Jewish landmarks in Ukraine, including former synagogues, cemeteries, and historical buildings.

Synagogues

In Western Ukraine, surviving synagogues from the Second World War era are often abandoned. In the post-war years, local authorities repurposed these former temples for various uses, such as movie theaters (Chernivtsi, Olesko), furniture stores (Drohobych), gyms (Lviv, Horodenka), and pumping stations (Chortkiv). However, in recent decades, efforts have been made to restore some synagogues, such as the Choral Synagogue in Drohobych, Beis Aharon V’Yisrael Synagogue in Lviv, and Sataniv Synagogue, among others. Lviv, unfortunately, lost most of its synagogues and both Jewish cemeteries during the Second World War. When visiting, the Rabbis and staff at functioning synagogues in Ukraine can offer valuable information about the location of former Jewish sites, local history, and available records.

Cemeteries

While many Jewish cemeteries suffered damage after the expulsion of Jews from Galicia and Bukovina, some are still well-preserved and maintained today. Partially surviving Jewish cemeteries can be found in towns like Brody, Berezhany, Drohobych, Rohatyn, Chernivtsi, and others.

Buildings

Various Jewish communal and cultural sites, including orphanages, community centers, schools, and hospitals, were often preserved and continued functioning as state-run institutions after the war. Residential buildings in formerly Jewish areas of Lviv and Chernivtsi remain unchanged to this day. Some buildings have been remarkably preserved, with indentations in doorways where mezuzahs were once affixed by their Jewish owners. However, Jewish quarters in smaller towns of the former Russian Empire were often poorly constructed and largely replaced by newer developments after the war.

Jewish Population of Western Ukraine

Prior to the war, all towns in present-day Western Ukraine had significant Jewish communities. In major cities like Lviv, Jews constituted nearly one-third of the total population. While the original Jewish population was largely decimated during the war, post-war Western Ukraine still hosted a considerable number of Jewish residents, mainly comprised of Jews from outside the former Austrian Empire and interwar Poland. However, this population, though ethnically Jewish, had little cultural connection to Galician Jewry, often distancing themselves from religion and primarily speaking Russian. With relaxed restrictions on emigration from the Soviet Union starting in the 1970s, most Jewish residents left Western Ukraine over the following two decades.

Finding Polish Roots in Ukraine

Polish Ancestry Sites in Western Ukraine

Identifying specifically Polish sites in Lviv (Lwow and Lemberg) or present-day Western Ukraine can sometimes be challenging. This is due to the multicultural nature of the urban communities in prewar Eastern Galicia, where Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish populations contributed equally to the development of Galician towns and infrastructure. It is often difficult to label a site as solely Polish without acknowledging its shared history with Jewish and Ukrainian communities. Lviv, for instance, was under Polish governance for centuries, either directly or as part of Polish autonomy within Austria-Hungary. However, with the onset of the Second World War in 1939, Poland lost its Eastern territories to the Soviet Union.

Finding Polish Sites in Western Ukraine: Churches, Cemeteries, Monuments, and Other Landmarks

Despite the intertwined nature of Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish life in Western Ukraine, there are still some distinct Polish heritage sites to be found. These include Polish churches, cemeteries, monuments, and other landmarks with connections to Polish history. Many of these sites have been better preserved compared to Jewish heritage sites, as they were not specifically targeted during WW2 but suffered neglect in the following years. Despite the bitter history of war-time and post-war Galicia, many Polish heritage sites exude a romantic aura, such as abandoned churches with fallen domes being slowly reclaimed by nature or intricately crafted sculptures adorning Polish graves in overgrown cemeteries.

Renamed and Concealed Heritage

Some Polish heritage sites in Western Ukraine were renamed and given new narratives to align with the official state policy of the time. These sites are prevalent throughout Western Ukraine and often dominate the surrounding areas, such as the Union of Lublin Mound in Lviv, also known as Vysoky Zamok. Discovering Polish historic and ancestry sites in Western Ukraine often involves uncovering what already exists. This is unlike Jewish heritage, where the search for ancestry places requires filling voids and reconstructing history.

Polish Rural Settlements

Polish interwar settlements in present-day Western Ukraine, referred to as colonies or "kolonia" in Polish, merit special mention. These settlements were widespread across Galicia and Volhynia before the War. However, after the forced resettlement of inhabitants in the 1940s, many of these settlements were either completely destroyed or absorbed into nearby villages. Original Polish houses disappeared, with few exceptions, and can often be identified based on their construction methods.

The State of Polish Archival Records

A significant portion of Polish archival records from Western Ukraine were relocated to archives in Poland after the War. However, some records remain in archives in Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk. There is no strict rule regarding which records were transferred to Poland and which remained in Ukraine after the division of Galicia into Polish and Soviet parts. When searching for records, it's crucial to verify their location – whether in Poland or Ukraine. Beginning with Polish archives may yield better results, as they are often more organized and better funded than their Ukrainian counterparts. After confirming the existence and location of a record, efforts can be directed toward obtaining a copy from a specific archival institution in Ukraine or Poland. Internet resources, such as the LDS database, can also be explored.

Please also consider utilizing our GENEALOGY SERVICES to locate your ancestry sites and records in Ukraine.