By the roads of Mykolaivshchyna By the roads of Mykolaivshchyna | Page 15

battles at the Austrian-Russian front, in which the legion of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen took part. On March 3rd, 1918, the meeting (with about 10, 000 participants) in support of the government of the Ukrainian People Republic was held in Mykolaiv. At the beginning of November 1918, pursuant to the collapse of the Austrian Hungarian Empire, the West Ukrainian People’s Republic was proclaimed. At that time, the part of Mykolaivshchyna was incorporated in Zhydachiv political powiat. The Ukrainian Galician Army (UGA) was established for the protection of the Ukrainian lands against the Polish government, which wanted to join them to the renewed Polish state. Mykolaiv was defended by Lviv brigade under the commandment of Alfred Bisantz (born in Dornfeld – Ternopillya; his mother was a Ukrainian, whereas his father was a German colonist). On May 18th, 1919, Mykolaiv and Rozdil were taken by the Polish troops. In August, 1920, the units of the First Cavarly Army entered the land of Mykolaivshchyna. In March 1921, the Treaty of Riga was signed under which Western Ukrainian lands got under the rule of Poland. In Mykolaivshchyna, mostly, small industry – such as lime, tiles, bricks, pottery manufacturing. The big enterprise “Rozvadiv Lime and Tiles Plant” was owned by a rich Jewish capitalist Schmorack. The main bulk of population was occupied in agriculture, and suffered a lot from landlessness. With the beginning of World War II, the preparation for an uprising against rule was gathering momentum. Mykolaiv Rayon is rich in minerals, such as limestone, used for manufacturing cement and burning of lime; marl, quartz sand, and greensand. The valley of the Dniester is rich in the deposits of clays, which are used for brick and cement manufacturing. Count Skarbek The atmosphere of the 18th century Lviv brought into prominence a number of extremely brave and advantageous personalities; but, perhaps, count Skarbek holds the most prominent place in the history of the city. Everything started when Stanislaw became an orphan at the age of four. Countess Rzewuska, an extremely wise and strong woman, managed the huge estate all by herself. When Stanislaw was 20, his aunt also died, leaving him a considerable heirdom. The young man got the news in Lviv, where he studied at school. Using this opportunity, Stanislaw Skarbek went to continue his education in Vienna. Youth, richness, wild life, – due to all these, the young man lost his head. Rather soon, nothing was left from his former richness. But again, Fortune held out her helping hand: the trusted manager sent the count a letter, in which he informed him that rich deposits of iron ore had been found, and asked for permission to start the extraction. Skarbek did not hesitate to give the manager unlimited authorities (together with a small amount of money). 13