Lashkivka

The village Lashkivka, formerly known as Laschkowka or Lashkiwka is named from the word “Ilascu” which is a diminutive form of the name Elijah (Ilya). It is located on both sides of the creek Sovytsya and is 16km north of Chernivtsi along the motorway between that city and Ternopil. The first mention of the village is in a document from 1503, but in 1949 remains of dwellings from the “Tripoli-Cucuteni Culture” dating from roughly 4000 BC were found here. During the 18th and 19th centuries the village was divided into two halves: Old Lashkivka and New Lashkivka.

In the late 18th century, during the period of Austrian rule, the village was the possession of the Bishop Dosofteya Heresku and the nobleman Yordaka. Starting in 1786 it was actually part of a “monastic estates fund” which consisted of over 200,000 hectares owned by the church which were intended to finance the needs of the diocese. This shows how much influence and importance the Greek Orthodox Church had in the region. In the village of Lashkivka this was represented by the Church of St. Nicholas.

In 1874 the first school in the village opened in a regular village house near the church. It had two rooms and a small porch. When the school became three classes it was necessary to rent houses. The education received was very rudimentary with the children learning to count, read and write with instruction provided in the Ukrainian language. This school building was replaced in 1912 by a new building funded and constructed by villagers.

At least one Olympic champion was born in the village: Sergei Kushniryuk won handball gold in 1976. The current population of 1,487 is slightly less than the population from the period of Austrian rule. The manor home and outbuildings from the village circa 1870 have been recreated in the Chernivtsi Regional Museum of Folk Architecture and Life where they provide visitors with a view of life in the region during that time period.

References

Local History (in Ukrainian) - this site compiles village histories for many of the villages in Bukovina.  For each there are sections covering history, education, spirituality, sports, culture, traditions, etc.  Much of the information here comes from the Google translation of those pages.

Manor house at Chernivtsi Regional Museum of Folk Architecture and Life (in Ukrainian) - photos of the manor house from the village of Lashkivka, recreated in the regional museum in Chernivtsi as it stood around 1870.

Kitsman Raion Website (in Ukrainian) - a website covering most of the villages in the Kitsman raion with some basic history and local amenities.

Microfilms of Church Records (Births, Marriages, Deaths) - a list of films available through the Family History Library covering from 1840-1938.

1910 Map (1:75000 scale) - part of the "Spezialkarte der Osterreichisch" set of maps digitized and available online through the New York Public Library.  "Neulaschkowka" and "Altlaschkowka" are located near the right edge of this page, just above the center.