Shpola

Shpola

Шпола
Shpola Шпола
	Taras Shevchenko monument in Shpola
	Flag Coat of arms
	Shpola Location of Shpola Shpola Shpola (Ukraine)
	Coordinates: 48°59′59″N 31°23′32″E / 48.99972°N 31.39222°E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Cherkasy Oblast
Raion	Zvenyhorodka Raion
Hromada	Shpola urban hromada
First mentioned	1594
City rights	1938
Government
• Mayor	Sergiy Kravchenko (since 2015)
Area
• Total	61.29 km2 (23.66 sq mi)
Population (2022)
• Total	1,623
Postal code	20600—20609
Area code	+380 4741

Shpola (Ukrainian: Шпола, pronounced [ˈʃpɔlɐ]) is a city located in Zvenyhorodka Raion of Cherkasy Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. In May 2011, a 14-meter monument was installed on the outskirts of the city, claiming that Shpola is the geographical center of Ukraine.^[1]^[2] It hosts the administration of Shpola urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine.^[3] It had a population of 16,323 (2022 estimate).^[4]

Administrative status

In 1797, Shpola became part of the Zvenigorod district in the Kiev Governorate. It has been a city since 1938.^[5] Until 18 July, 2020, Shpola served as an administrative center of Shpola Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Cherkasy Oblast to four. The area of Shpola Raion was merged into Zvenyhorodka Raion.^[6]^[7]

History

After the revolution of 1917, Shpola became first a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and then of the USSR.

During World War II, Nazi Germany invaded USSR, and the Jewish population of Shpola was massacred in 1942. Today Jews make up around 0.5% of Shpola's population.

Demographics

In 1847, Shpola's Jewish population numbered 1,156. By 1897, that number had grown to 5,388 of a total population of 11,933, or about 45%. This level held steady until the Second World War. In 1989, the population of the city was 22, 378 people.^[8]^[5]

International relations

Shpola is a sister city with Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Notable people

Ivan Kulyk (1897-1937) - Ukrainian poet, short stories writer, and diplomat;
Lev Shvartzman (1907-1955) -- a senior Soviet secret police officer, known for his brutality;
Sergiy Rozhitskiy - Colonel of Ukrainian People's Army;
Sergiy Dobrovolskiy - Lieutenant of Ukrainian People's Army;
Oleksandr Tkachenko - chairman of Ukrainian parliament;
Itzik Feffer (1900-1952) - Yiddish poet;
Reb Aryeh Leib, "der Shpoler zeyde" (Yiddish: "the grandfather of Shpola") (1725-1812) - Hasidic tzaddik.

Gallery

Abaza Palace
Khovkivka River near Shpola
Darivka Park
Taras Shevchenko statue
Ukrainian Orthodox Church

References

^ ПРОЧЕРК. "«Забили в серце України запорізьку палю», - краєзнавець про знак «географічний центр» — ПРОЧЕРК.інфо". ПРОЧЕРК (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-06-28.
^ "Geographical Centre of Ukraine". UA.IGotoWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
^ "Шполянська територіальна громада" (in Ukrainian). decentralization.gov.ua.
^ Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2022] (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b Шпола // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 2. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1991. стр.668
^ "Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ". Голос України (in Ukrainian). 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
^ "Нові райони: карти + склад" (in Ukrainian). Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України.
^ Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу

Shpola Room at the Jewish Escape Room in Brooklyn: This link appears current: https://www.everyescaperoom.com/new-york-ny/onebefore-escape-shpola-room This one brings a "404"message:https://OneBeforeEscape.com/shpola Archived 2020-10-01 at the Wayback Machine

(in Ukrainian) (1972) Історія міст і сіл Української CCP - Черкаська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Cherkasy Oblast), Kyiv.