Introduction

Kremenets History, by Dr. Ronald D. Doctor, 2001

Introduction: Kremenets & Similar Names

Kremenets is one of the oldest cities of Ukraine. It was first mentioned in the Hypatian Chronicle for the year 1226 (Freenet.Kiev). The first mention of Jews in Kremenets is for the year 1438, when the Grand Duke of Lithuania gave them a charter. Such charters, or laws, were important because they decreed that the Jewish population “formed a class of free citizens under the immediate protection of the Grand Duke and his local administration” (Dubnow, vol. 1, p. 59). The fact that a charter was issued in 1438 implies that Jews were present earlier, and indeed, the Center for Jewish Art says that Jews were present in Kremenets as early as the 14th century (Center for Jewish Art, 1998).

Kremenets (50°6’N, 25°43’E) is the accepted modern spelling of the Ukrainian town’s name, but when under Polish rule, the name was spelled Krzemieniec. Other variations in spelling include: Kremenits, Kremenetz, and Kremenitz. There also are similarly named towns in other nations (JewishGen ShtetlSeeker [now the JewishGen Gazetteer.--ed.]):

Kremenets is in the Gologoro-Kremenets chain of high hills. Massifs with steep sides, a network of gullies, and numerous karst formations characterize the hills. The town itself is at an elevation of 230 meters or 754 feet. (Ukraine Gateway)

Under Russian and Polish rule, Kremenets was a Uyezd in the Guberniya of Volhynia. With the rearrangement of political entities that took place after World War II, Kremenets became one of 16 raions in the Oblast of Ternopil’, Ukraine. Uyezds and raions are similar to U.S. counties or regions. Guberniyas and oblasts are similar to U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Currently, there are 25 oblasts in Ukraine.