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.

Consider using Ukraine Roots' genealogy services:

• Genealogical Tours in Ukraine

• Uncover Your Roots in Ukraine Remotely

• Archival Research in Ukraine

On this page:

• Ukrainian Roots

• Jewish Roots

• Polish Roots

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:

1. Tracing Ukrainian ancestry and heritage in urban centers such as Lviv, Chernivtsi, and Drohobych.

2. Exploring Ukrainian family roots in smaller rural communities throughout Ukraine.

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 in Western Ukraine requires consideration of several important factors:

• The near-total absence of Jewish populations in today’s smaller communities in the region.

• The destruction of Jewish sites during the war and their subsequent neglect.

• Poor preservation of historical records.

• The many decades that have passed since the disappearance of deeply rooted Jewish communities in Western Ukraine.

Jewish Heritage Sites You Can Explore

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

Synagogues

Surviving synagogues from the Second World War era in Western Ukraine are often abandoned. In the post-war years, local authorities repurposed many of these buildings for uses such as movie theaters (Chernivtsi, Olesko), furniture stores (Drohobych), gyms (Lviv, Horodenka), and pumping stations (Chortkiv).

In recent decades, efforts have been made to restore some synagogues, including the Choral Synagogue in Drohobych, the Beis Aharon V’Yisrael Synagogue in Lviv, and the Sataniv Synagogue. Unfortunately, most synagogues in Lviv, along with both of its Jewish cemeteries, were destroyed during the Second World War.

During visits, rabbis and staff at functioning synagogues can often provide valuable information about the location of former Jewish sites, local history, and available records.

Cemeteries

Many Jewish cemeteries were damaged after the expulsion of Jews from Galicia and Bukovina, but some remain well-preserved and maintained. Partially surviving Jewish cemeteries can be found in towns such as Brody, Berezhany, Drohobych, Rohatyn, and Chernivtsi.

Buildings

Various Jewish communal and cultural sites, such as orphanages, community centers, schools, and hospitals, were often repurposed as state-run institutions after the war. In cities like Lviv and Chernivtsi, residential buildings in former Jewish neighborhoods remain largely unchanged. Some buildings are remarkably well-preserved, with indentations in doorways where mezuzahs were once affixed.

In smaller towns of the former Russian Empire, Jewish quarters were often poorly constructed and largely replaced by newer developments after the war.

The Jewish Population of Western Ukraine

Before the Second World War, every town in present-day Western Ukraine had significant Jewish communities. In major cities like Lviv, Jews made up nearly one-third of the population.

The original Jewish population was largely decimated during the war. However, post-war Western Ukraine was home to a considerable number of Jewish residents, primarily individuals from outside the former Austrian Empire and interwar Poland.

This population, while ethnically Jewish, often had little cultural connection to Galician Jewry. Many distanced themselves from religion and primarily spoke Russian. With the relaxation of emigration restrictions in the Soviet Union during the 1970s, most of the Jewish population left Western Ukraine over the following two decades.

Finding Polish Roots in Ukraine

Polish Ancestry Sites in Western Ukraine

Identifying distinctly Polish sites in Lviv (historically Lwów or Lemberg) and other areas of present-day Western Ukraine can be challenging. This complexity stems from the multicultural nature of prewar Eastern Galicia, where Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish populations collectively shaped urban communities and infrastructure. As a result, it is rare to categorize a site as exclusively Polish without acknowledging its shared history with Jewish and Ukrainian communities.

For instance, Lviv was under Polish governance for centuries, either directly or as part of Polish autonomy within Austria-Hungary. However, the Second World War brought significant upheaval; in 1939, Poland lost its eastern territories, including Galicia, to the Soviet Union.

Churches, Cemeteries, Monuments, and Landmarks

Despite the shared heritage of Western Ukraine, several distinct Polish cultural and historical landmarks remain, such as churches, cemeteries, monuments, and other structures tied to Poland’s past. These sites, in many cases, have been better preserved compared to Jewish heritage sites, as they were not systematically targeted during World War II. However, they often endured neglect in the postwar years.

Many of these places carry a romantic yet melancholic aura, such as abandoned churches with fallen domes overtaken by nature, or intricately carved sculptures on Polish graves in overgrown cemeteries. Such sites serve as powerful reminders of the region’s layered history.

Renamed and Recontextualized Heritage

In some cases, Polish heritage sites in Western Ukraine were renamed or given new historical narratives to align with state policies of the time. These sites, like the Union of Lublin Mound in Lviv (also known as Vysoky Zamok), often dominate the local landscape while subtly revealing their Polish origins.

Unlike the search for Jewish heritage, which frequently involves reconstructing what has been lost, discovering Polish sites often requires unearthing what remains beneath layers of recontextualization.

Polish Rural Settlements

Polish interwar settlements, known as colonies or "kolonia," were once prevalent across Galicia and Volhynia. After the forced resettlements of the 1940s, many of these settlements were either destroyed or absorbed into surrounding villages. Today, only a few examples of original Polish architecture survive. These remnants can often be identified by their distinctive construction styles.

Polish Archival Records

A significant portion of Polish archival records from Western Ukraine was relocated to Poland after World War II, though many documents remain in Ukrainian archives in Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk. There is no consistent rule about which records were transferred and which remained.

When conducting research, it is crucial to confirm the location of the desired records—whether in Poland or Ukraine. Starting with Polish archives is often more productive, as they tend to be better organized and funded compared to their Ukrainian counterparts. Once the existence and location of a record are verified, efforts can be focused on obtaining a copy from the relevant archival institution.

Online resources, such as the LDS (Latter-day Saints) database, may also provide valuable information to aid your search.