Helm. Oriental Cresses
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City | |||
Chelm | |||
51°08′ N. sh. 23°29′ E d. | |||
Country | Poland | ||
---|---|---|---|
Voivodeship | Lublin Voivodeship | ||
Area | A city with the rights of a poviat | ||
Chapter | Agata Fisz | ||
History and geography | |||
Founded | 1392 | ||
Square | 35.28 km² | ||
Center height | 80 m | ||
Timezone | Central European Summer Time, UTC+1 and UTC+02:00 | ||
Population | |||
Population | 72600 people | ||
Digital IDs | |||
Telephone code | (+48) 82 | ||
Postcode | from 22-100 to 22-118 | ||
car code | LC | ||
helm.pl/glowna/ | |||
(Polish Chełm, Ukrainian Holm) - on the banks of the Uherka River, in the southeast, as part of the Lublin Voivodeship, 25 km from the border with. It is the center of the historical region of Kholmshchyna, the commune of Chelm and a city with the rights of a powiat ( urban poviat). The city is home to 72.6 thousand inhabitants.
Story
Archaeological excavations in the vicinity of Chelm have confirmed that the first settlements in this area appeared in the Paleolithic (30 thousand years BC).
It was founded in the first half of the 13th century by Prince Daniel of Galicia as the residence of the ruler of the Galicia-Volyn principality. After Daniel's death in 1264, the Kholm region was divided between his sons, then grandchildren. The hill is mentioned in the chronicle "List of Russian cities near and far".
In the XIV century, the Kholm principality passed to. The hill became the center of the Kholm starostvo as part of the Russian province.
Chelm has had official city status since 1392. In the Battle of Chelm in 1794, Count Franz Lassi defeated Zayonczek. From 1795 to 1809 - possession of the Habsburgs, after 1815 - a garrison city of the Kingdom of Poland.
Under Russian rule, Holm ceded his administrative functions. In 1912 it was made the center of the Kholmsk province Russian Empire(how Hill), in 1975-1998 - Chelm Voivodeship of Poland.
Before the Second World War (since the end of the 7th century), Jews lived in Chelm, by the end of 1939 - 15 thousand people, which accounted for 50% of the population. Engaged in the production and processing of leather, banking, there were Jewish printing houses, gymnasiums and numerous synagogues. Jewish folklore plays on its name, which in the mouths of Jewish residents sounded like Helem, similar to Yiddish חלם - “dream, dream”. Therefore, the "wise men of Helem" are the personification of naivety, and Helem is the famous "city of dreamers and dreamers." To exterminate the Chelm Jews, the Nazis created the Sobibor concentration camp.
Most of the Jewish population perished in the ghetto and in the concentration camp. Part of the survivors (about a hundred) left Poland in the early 50s due to anti-Semitism and moved to Israel and the United States. There is no information about the existence of a Jewish community in the modern Hill.
Attractions
Most of the buildings are industrial in nature of the Soviet type, but ancient monuments have also been preserved. Among them, the first place is occupied by the Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, erected in the Baroque style by the architect Paolo Fontana to house the Kholmskaya Icon of the Mother of God (now in
Chelm is a city that occupies special place in the history of the eastern border of the Commonwealth. Even in the Middle Ages, Chelmska Górka was a very impressive center of the settlement. A thousand years of written history is a combination of significant events related to the history of Poland and Ukraine, the fate of many nationalities, religions that have created the character of Helm over the centuries.
The history of the founding of Helm takes us back to the distant times of the Cherven cities - historical territory stretching between the rivers Vepsh and Bug, which for many years has been a stumbling block between Poland and Ukraine. The first written mention of these events can be found in the Kyiv chronicles - in 981, Prince Vladimir of Kyiv went to the Poles and occupied the cities of Przemysl, Cherven and others. Since in those years Helm, as a settlement of the Lendzyan tribe, did not have a particularly important status, its name is not mentioned in these chronicles either.
Helm (medieval miniature).
The conflict over the Cherven cities continued for several hundred years. In 1018, they were occupied by Boleslav the Brave returning from the Kyiv expedition, a few years later - by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, in subsequent years - Boleslav the Bold. After the division of Kievan Rus into separate principalities, Chelm became part of the principality of Galicia-Volinsky. Its ruler Danilo Galitsky in 1237 turned this small town into a princely capital and established an Orthodox diocese in it. King Danilo was very fond of Helm and thanks to him this provincial town soon became one of the most beautiful and modern cities.
The ruler of the Principality of Galicia-Volinsky Danilo Galitsky.
After 1387, Chełm, together with the surrounding area, was returned to Poland again. The city officially became the administrative center of the Chelm Region. In the 16th century Chelm reached the highest degree of prosperity, beautiful buildings and fortifications were actively erected in it. After the signing of the Union of Brest, Chelm became the capital of the Greek Catholic episcopate. In subsequent years, numerous hostilities taking place on the land of Chelm, almost completely ruined and destroyed the city. Cossacks of Khmelnitsky, Swedes, Hungarians, Muscovites - who just did not attack this glorious city. Work on the restoration of Helm began only in the 18th century, when the political situation in the Eastern Kresy was more or less settled.
Coat of arms of the city of Chelm.
After the third partition of the Commonwealth, Chelm falls into the possession of Austria-Hungary. Practical Austrians turned the city into the capital of the Galician province, as a result of which Chelm became one of the largest industrial cities in the Eastern Kresy. After World War I, this modern big city was given to the Western Ukrainian People's Republic. The population of Helm at that time was more than 23 thousand inhabitants of different nationalities and confessions. Ukraine rejoiced - the beloved city of Danil Galitsky returned to his native land. But not for long.
Helm as part of the ZUNR.
Second World War in Chelm began on October 25, 1939, when German troops entered its streets. In the suburbs, a ghetto was organized for Jews, both Galician and Slovak. After 45 years, this very place was a prisoner of war camp. According to rough estimates, it Soviet authorities dealt with more than 90 thousand soldiers of the Western armies.
A ghetto for Jews, later a Soviet POW camp.
After the division of Europe and the implementation of the Curzon plan, Chelm and part of Galicia were given to Poland, and the Ukrainian population, who did not want to accept Polish citizenship, was massively evicted to Siberia, to Far East and in the northern regions of the USSR. It should be noted that in many respects this step was also provoked by the fears of both the Soviet and Polish authorities, the relative strongest insurgent movement formed in Western Ukraine. As a result of the measures taken, about 480,000 Ukrainians of various ethnic groups - Lemkos, Boykos, Hutsuls - were evicted from the Eastern Kresy. Helm in again became part of Poland, where he remains to this day.
The Ukrainian population, who did not want to accept Polish citizenship, was massively evicted to Siberia.
Now let's return to the present and consider Helm through the eyes of an average tourist. Already at the entrance to Helm, the Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin towering above the city catches the eye. This spectacular building stands on the very Chelmska Gora, where the first Lendzyans settled 1000 years ago. In the 13th century there was Orthodox Church Mother of God, built by King Danilo of Galicia. The basilica itself was built in the 18th century as a catedral Greek Catholic cathedral.
Towering above the city is the Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin.
The architectural ensemble of the basilica includes several more Chelm sights - Ustluzhsk Brama, the palace of the Uniate bishops, the residence of the Basilian Order, the medieval center of Chelm was Vysoka Gurka. It is on Vysoka Gurka that historians localize the location of the princely castle of Danylo Halytsky. Today, the hill is freed from any buildings and crowned with a large cross.
The medieval center of Chelm was Vysoká Górka.
To see one of the most interesting and original tourist sites, we will have to go underground. The chalk dungeons in Chełm are the only ones in Europe. They are huge tunnels and corridors, cut through several hundred meters of limestone and shrouded in an aura of mystery and mysticism. The tourist route through the dungeons has a total of about 1800 meters and passes directly under the city itself. Dungeons have their own legends. The most famous of them is the polar bear, which guards the underground labyrinths from unwanted visitors. It is this bear that flaunts on the city coat of arms of Helm.
The chalk dungeons in Chełm are the only ones in Europe.
This is not a complete list of Chelm's beauties. To get to know them better, you should go for a walk around this beautiful town of two peoples. And finally, we want to quote the words of one famous literary character - the Jew Schlemel: “Those who leave Chelm end their journey in Chelm. Those who stay in Helm stay there forever. All roads lead to Helm, because the whole world is one huge Helm.”
The small town of Chelm is located near Lublin. It is located just 25 km from the border with Ukraine. At first glance, it is a nondescript settlement, where most of the houses were built in Soviet times. But that's just the first impression...
Back in the 14th century
In fact, archaeologists, having carried out excavations, found that the first people in the territory where Helm is now located settled more than 30 thousand years ago. But that settlement did not survive, and now it is impossible to know what happened to it. And Helm was founded by the ruler of the Galicia-Volyn principality Daniil of Galicia in the XIII century, he wanted to build a residence in these parts.
After the death of the prince, the city passed by inheritance to his descendants. However, this did not last long, in the next, XIV century, locality falls into the hands of the Polish king. Helm received city status only at the end of the century. During this period, he was part of the Russian Voivodeship.
A large number of Jews lived in the city, which contributed to the development of trade. It was thanks to this activity that the settlement prospered and grew. However, periodically locals staged pogroms of Jews, which had a negative impact on the city's economy. After all most it was the Jews who contributed funds to the city treasury.
A difficult fate awaited the city, it was almost completely destroyed in 1648, when the Cossacks of B. Khmelnitsky entered it. At the end of the 18th century, the settlement was part of Austria, then - Russia, and only in 1919, when Poland gained independence, Chelm again became part of it.
During the 19th century economic development Helma slowed down, he became an ordinary provincial town of no particular importance.
Attractions
Chełm is located on a hill overlooking a magnificent landscape. The river Ukherka flows near the city. The population is more than 72 thousand inhabitants. In the city it is worth visiting the Church of the Traveling Apostles. It is one of the most beautiful in Poland, built in the Baroque style. The author of the project is Paolo Fontana, and the church was built in the period from 1753 to 1763.
The interior of the church impresses with its luxurious decoration. There is an organ in the building, many tourists come to Chelm to hear it. The surfaces of the walls are decorated with wonderful paintings depicting biblical scenes. The whole environment makes you think about the greatness of God and the insignificance of the human being. However, the situation is not depressing, rather encouraging, the interior looks especially good on sunny days, when the entire space is permeated with sunlight.
The Basilica of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was founded in the 13th century. However, the building that we can see now was built in the 18th century. Pilgrims flock to this place not only from all over Poland, but also from other countries. All this is done for the sake of the miraculous icon that is kept in the Basilica. According to an ancient legend, it was thanks to this icon that Helm managed to resist the Tatars. Full list miraculous events are described in the book by I. Golyatovsky "The New Sky". The monastery complex was built in the Baroque style.
In Chelm there is a unique underground passage, the length of which is 2 km. It lies under almost all cities, created on the site of the extraction of chalk mines. During the war, when the Nazis massacred Jews, many residents of the city escaped by hiding in underground passages.
Walkers will be happy to stroll through the Chelm Landscape Park, which offers an excellent view of the nearby surroundings.