The Pre-Soviet Village in Ukraine

The Pre-Soviet Village in Ukraine Roman A. Cybriwsky* The study of rural settlements is a facet of cultural geography which has received increasing attention in recent years.1 However, one area which has long been neglected in such investigations is Ukraine,2 an area much changed by Soviet influence especially after the introduction of collectivized agriculture in 1929. According to Stel'makh, there are two periods with which a student of the Ukrainian rural scene must deal: one before and one after 1929, both of which are essential to understanding this extensive rural landscape.3 It is the purpose of this paper to concentrate on the fundamentals of Ukrainian rural settlements prior to Soviet reorganization . These fundamentals are reflected mainly by village settlements , three aspects of which are emphasized here: (1) physical factors influencing village sites, sizes, and shapes; (2) cultural and ecological factors influencing settlements; and (3) settlement * Mr. Cybriwsky was an undergraduate major in geography at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee when this paper was submitted. He is currently in die doctoral program in geography at Pennsylvania State University. The author wishes to thank Dr. Robert C. Eidt for technical and editorial suggestions, Dr. Paul E. Lydolph and HHb Hayuk for encouragement, and David Schoen of the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee Cartographic Service for assistance with the maps. 1 Among recent extensive works with worldwide examples are: George Niemeier, Siedlungsgeographie, Braunschweig, 1967; Toshio Noh, Geography of Rural Settlements, Tokyo, 1952; S. A. Kovalev, SeTskoe rasselenie, Moscow, 1963; Gabriele Schwarz, Allgemeine Siedlungsgeographie, Berlin, 1966; Frits Hastrup, Danske Landsbytyper, Arrhus, 1964; and W. Brünger, Einführung in die Siedungsgeographie, Heidelberg, 1963. 2 The proclamations of the Ukrainian National Republic (November 20, 1917, and January 22, 1918) confirmed the name Ukraina or "Ukraine" as the official name of the country. Therefore, in this paper, the name "Ukraine" preserves official usage without the English article the. Likewise, the spelling of place names conforms to the Ukrainian pronunciation of the words. 3H. IU. Stel'makh, "Sil'ski Poselenia RadiansTrai Ukrainy," Narodna Tvorchist' ta Etnografia, No. 3, 1957, p. 93. 119 120ASSOCIATION OF PACIFIC COAST GEOGRAPHERS anatomy, i.e., shapes and street patterns of settlements as well as actual locations of buildings within villages. Village Sites, Sizes, and Shapes The sites, sizes, and shapes of agricultural villages are influenced by a number of physical factors, especially landforms, climates, soils, and vegetation. An area with the most favorable combination of these factors will display the largest and mostproductive settlements. Conversely, areas with rugged terrain, unfavorable climate and vegetation, and poor soils will be sparsely settled. To evaluate the Ukrainian system of rural settlement, an analysis of these factors within Ukraine is necessary. A rough subdivision of Ukraine shows four major physical provinces: (1) Polisya in the northwest of Ukraine, an area of swamps and marshes; (2) the heavily forested Carpathian Mountains in the western margins of the country; (3) the steeply sloped Crimean Mountains in the south; and (4) the flat to undulating chernozem plains extending throughout most of the rest of Ukraine.4 In the north this plain is a forest-steppe, whereas in the south there are broad expanses of grassland. Many settlement differences are reflected in these four provinces. Polisya is an area of poor drainage, and settlements were located primarily away from rivers on the interfluves. Furthermore, because there was little arable land, settlements were small and dispersed.5 On the other hand, villages of the Carpathian Mountains were located primarily in lower and more level areas along the valley bottoms. Because of the shape of the valleys, settlements were usu4 This subdivision is similar to the one used by Stel'makh in his book Istorychnyi rozvytok siTs'kykh poselen no Ukraini, Kiev, 1964, pp. 44 fi. 5 There have been numerous drainage projects in Polisya and some resulted in the reclamation of sizable acreages. Consequently, many of these dispersed settlements were reorganized into villages. This took place between 1939 and 1941 and was especially prevalent in southern Belorussia but also affected parts of northern Ukraine. (R. A. French, "Drainage and Economic Development of Poles'ye U.S.S.R.," Economic Geography, Vol. 35, 1959, p. 179). See also...