Bolekhiv (Ukrainian: Болехів; Polish: Bolechów) is a city in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population is 10,633 (2001). In 1890, half the population was Jewish. The town is a principal subject of Daniel Mendelsohn's 2005 book The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million.
The first mentioning of the Bolekhiv's lands are dated back in 1371 when the Hungarian Queen Izabela gave this property to some Danylo Dazhbohovych for his meritorious service. But not too long after that the Polish King Jogaila defeated Hungarians and it became part of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1546 Emilia Hrosovska established the local salt refinery in the town. The building of the refinery survived until the XXI century. In 1603 Sigismund III Vasa gave the town the Magdeburg rights. In XVIII the region around the town was known for the famous Opryshky movement led by Oleksa Dovbush. Simultaneously the region started to be colonized by German population. By the XX century half of the town's population were Jewish, but out of those 3000 only 48 survived the World War II. After the war the city became the Raion seat, but in 1964 its Raion was merged with the neighboring Dolyna Raion. Since 1993 the city under the direct Oblast subordination.
- Daniel Mendelsohn, wrote a book The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million about the Jewish community of Bolekhiv - Natalia Kobrynska (1855-1920), famous Ukrainian writer and public activist. She organized the female movement in the region and was friend of Olha Kobylianska. - Ivan Franko, he visited the city in 1884-1888 and later wrote its drama The Stolen Hapiness (Ukradene schastia)
Ukraine (Ukrainian: Україна, transliterated: Ukrayina) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev (Kyiv) is both the capital and the largest city of Ukraine.
