Volhynia Gubernia - Other Names: Volinskaya, Wolin, Wolyn, Wolina, Wolinsk, Volinski, Wolinski, Volenskii, Wolenskj, Wolenskja, Volin, Volyn.

Volhynia was located in what is now northwest Ukraine, on the border with Poland and Belarus.

Volhynia was ruled by Poland until the late 18th century, when Poland was partitioned by the Prussian, Austrian, and Russian empires. After the partition of Poland, Volhynia was a gubernia, or province, of the Russian Empire until 1919, when the western part of Volhynia once again became part of Poland. In 1945 the entire area of the Volhynia Gubernia was absorbed into the Soviet Union, but the gubernia system was no longer used and the Volhynia name was used to identify a smaller region, called an oblast, in the western part of the old gubernia. Most of what was the Volhynia Gubernia is now in Ukraine, with a small part of northern Volhynia in Belarus.

Major cities and towns in and around Volhynia include Zhitomir (the former capital), Rovno, Lutsk, Kovel, and Novograd-Volinsk.

Pre World War I Districts of Volhynia

The districts of the province of Volhynia and their 1897 populations were:

1. Vladimir-Volynsky Pop. 198,688
2. Dubno Pop. 158,734
3. Zhytomir Pop. 281,387
4. Zaslavl Pop. 93 381
5. Kovel Pop. 121,326
6. Kremenets Pop. 196,751
7. Lutsk Pop. 203,761
8. Novograd-Volynsky Pop. 273,123
9. Ovruch Pop. 194,976
10. Ostrog Pop. 166,882
11. Rovno Pop. 275,119
12. Starokonstantinov Pop. 211,768

The districts were named for their capital cities, which are listed below, with their populations -- Jewish and non-Jewish -- from the Russian Census of 1897.

• Zhytomir – 65 895 (Jewish – 30 572, Russian – 16 944, Ukrainian – 9 152)
• Rovno – 24 573 (Jewish – 13 704, Russian – 4 278, Ukrainian – 4 071)
• Kremenets – 17 704 (Ukrainian – 8 322, Jewish – 6 476, Russian – 1 863)
• Kovel – 17 697 (Jewish – 8 502, Russian – 4 828, Ukrainian – 2 093)
• Novograd-Volynsky – 16 904 (Jewish – 9 363, Russian – 2 939, Ukrainian – 2 662)
• Starokonstantinov – 16 377 (Jewish – 9 164, Ukrainian – 4 886, Russian – 1 402)
• Lutsk – 15 804 (Jewish – 9 396, Russian – 2 830, Ukrainian – 1 478)
• Ostrog – 14 749 (Jewish – 9 185, Ukrainian – 2 446, Russian – 2 199)
• Dubno – 14 257 (Jewish – 7 096, Russian – 2 962, Ukrainian – 2 474)
• Zaslavl – 12 611 (Jewish – 5 991, Ukrainian – 3 990, Russian – 1 722)

Ukrainian Towns With Jewish Communities By District

Zhytomir

Rovno

Kremenetz

Zaslav

• Antoniny [Rus], Antonin [Yid]
• Bilohorodka [Ukr], Belogorodka [Rus], Bielogorodka [Yid]
• Hritsiv [Ukr], Gritsev [Rus], Ritzev [Yid]
• Izyaslav [Ukr], Zaslav [Rus], Zaslov [Yid]
• Kornitsa [Rus], Kornitza [Yid], Kornytsya [Ukr]
• Shepetivka [Ukr], Shepetovka [Rus, Yid]
• Slavuta [Ukr, Rus], Slovita [Yid]
• Sudilkov [Rus], Sudylkiv [Ukr]
• Yurovshchyna [Ukr, Rus], Labun [Yid]

Kovel

Novograd-Volynsky

• Baranivka [Ukr], Baranovka [Rus, Yid]
• Berezdiv [Ukr, Yid], Berezdov [Rus]
• Dovbysh [Rus, Ukr], Markhlevsk [Rus, 1927-35], Shchors'k [Rus, 1939-44]
• Horodnytsya [Ukr], Gorodnitsa [Rus], Horodnitza [Yid]
• Kamennyy Brod [Rus], Kameny Brod [Yid], Kam'ianiy Brid [Ukr]
• Korets [Rus, Ukr], Korzec [Pol], Koretz [Yid]
• Krasnostav [Rus, Ukr]
• Lyubar [Rus, Ukr], Lieber Tov [Yid]
• Miropol' [Rus], Myropil' [Ukr], Miropolye [Yid]
• Nova Chortoriya [Ukr], Novaya Chartoriya [Rus], Nay-Tshertriye [Yid]
• Novohrad-Volyns'kyy [Ukr], Novograd Volynskiy [Rus], Zvhil [Yid]
• Ostropil' [Ukr], Ostropol' [Rus], Ostropolia [Yid]
• Polonne [Ukr], Polonnoye [Rus], Polona [Yid]
• Poninka [Rus, Ukr, Yid]
• Rohachiv [Ukr], Rogachëv [Rus], Ratchiv [Yid]
• Romaniv [Ukr, since 2003], Dzerzhyns'k [Ukr, 1933-2003], Romanov [Rus, Yid], Dzerzhinsk [Rus, 1933-2003]
• Sokolov [Rus], Sokoliv [Ukr]
• Yemil'chyne [Ukr], Emiltchina [Yid], Yemil'chino [Rus]

Starokonstantinov

Lutsk

Ostrog

Ovruch

Dubno

Rovno

Vladimir-Volynsky (Vladimir)