Chernihiv Governorate

(Redirected from Government of Chernigov)

Chernihiv Governorate[a] was an administrative-territorial unit of the Ukrainian State and the Ukrainian SSR, existing from 1918 to 1925. It was inherited from the Russian system of territorial subdivisions that existed prior to World War I. Specifically, Chernigov Governorate[b] was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire. It included the territory of the left-bank Ukraine and was officially created in 1802 from Malorossiya Governorate with its capital in Chernigov (Chernihiv). Little Russia Governorate was transformed into the General Government of Little Russia and consisted of Chernigov Governorate, Poltava Governorate, and later Kharkov Governorate.

Chernihiv Governorate
Чернігівська губернія
Governorate of the Ukrainian State and the Ukrainian SSR
1918–1925

  Chernihiv Governorate
CapitalChernihiv
Area 
• (1897)
52,396 km2 (20,230 sq mi)
Population 
• (1897)
2,298,000
History 
• Established
27 February 1918
• Disestablished
1 August 1925
Political subdivisionscounties: 18 (1918–1919)
11 (1919–1923)
okruhas: 5 (1923–1925)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Chernigov Governorate
Mogilev Governorate
Kursk Governorate
Hlukhiv Okruha
Konotop Okruha
Nizhyn Okruha
Chernihiv Okruha
Today part ofChernihiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast
Bryansk Oblast
Kursk Oblast
Gomel Region
Chernigov Governorate
Черниговская губерния
Governorate of the Russian Empire (1802–1917), and the Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–1918)
1802–1918
Coat of arms of Chernigov
Coat of arms

Location in the Russian Empire
CapitalChernihiv
Area 
• (1897)
52,396 km2 (20,230 sq mi)
Population 
• (1897)
2,298,000
History 
• Established
27 February 1802
• Disestablished
1 August 1918
Political subdivisionsuezds: 15
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Little Russia Governorate (1796–1802)
Chernihiv Governorate
Today part ofChernihiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast
Bryansk Oblast
Chernigov Governorate map

Chernigov Governorate borders are roughly consistent with the modern Chernihiv Oblast, but also included a large section of Sumy Oblast and smaller sections of the Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine, in addition to most of the Bryansk Oblast of Russia.

Administrative division

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When part of the Russian Empire, the governorate consisted of 15 uyezds (their administrative centres in brackets):

Of these, 11 were in territory inhabited by Ukrainians: Borzna, Hlukhiv, Horodnia, Kozelets, Konotop, Krolovets, Nizhyn, Novhorod-Siverksyi, Oster, Sosnytsia, and Chernihiv.[2]

Chernigov Governorate covered a total area of 52,396 km², and had a population of 2,298,000, according to the 1897 Russian Empire census. In 1914, the population was 2,340,000. In 1918 it became part of Ukraine and transformed into Chernihiv Governorate.

As part of the Ukrainian State and the Ukrainian SSR, the governorate consisted of 18 counties (povits):

  • Borzna County
  • Hlukhiv County
  • Horodnya County
  • Homel County (added from the Mogilev Governorate)
  • Kozelets County
  • Konotop County
  • Krolevets County
  • Nizhyn County
  • Novhorod-Siversky County
  • Oster County
  • Putyvl County (added from the Kursk Governorate)
  • Rylsk County (added from the Kursk Governorate)
  • Sosnytsia County
  • Chernihiv County
  • Mhlyn County
  • Novozybkiv County
  • Starodub County
  • Surazh County

In 1919, the northern Mhlyn, Novozybkiv, Starodub, and Surazh counties, with their mixed Ukrainian–Belarusian–Russian population, were transferred from Ukraine to the newly established Gomel Governorate of the Russian republic.[2]

In 1925, the governorate’s territory was redistributed among Hlukhiv, Konotop, Nizhyn, and Chernihiv districts (okruhas).[2]

Principal cities

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At the times of the Russian Census of 1897:

  • Nezhin – 32,113 (Ukrainian – 21,733, Jewish – 7,578, Russian – 2,366)
  • Chernigov – 27,716 (Ukrainian – 10,085, Jewish – 8,780, Russian – 7,985)
  • Konotop – 18,770 (Ukrainian – 10,290, Jewish – 4,415, Russian – 3,565)
  • Novozybkov – 15,362 (Russian – 11,055, Jewish – 3,787, Belarusian – 303)
  • Hlukhiv – 14,828 (Ukrainian – 8,621, Jewish – 3,837, Russian – 2,217)
  • Borzna – 12,526 (Ukrainian – 10,846, Jewish – 1,515, Russian – 109)
  • Starodub – 12,381 (Russian – 7,255, Jewish – 4,897, Ukrainian – 133)
  • Krolevets – 10,384 (Ukrainian – 8,328, Jewish – 1,815, Russian – 209)
  • Berezna – 9,922 (Ukrainian – 8,349, Jewish – 1,354, Russian – 144)
  • Novgorod-Seversky – 9,182 (Ukrainian – 4,884, Jewish – 2,941, Russian – 1,296)
  • Mglin – 7,640 (Russian – 4,840, Jewish – 2,675, Belarusian – 75)
  • Sosnytsia – 7,087 (Ukrainian – 5,068, Jewish – 1,840, Russian – 158)
  • Korop – 6,262 (Ukrainian – 5,309, Jewish – 865, Russian – 77)
  • Oster – 5,370 (Ukrainian – 3,229, Jewish – 1,596, Russian – 399)
  • Kozelets – 5,141 (Ukrainian – 2,834, Jewish – 1,632, Russian – 468)
  • Pogar – 4,965 (Russian – 3,800, Jewish – 1,159, Germans – 6)
  • Gorodnya – 4,310 (Ukrainian – 2,349, Jewish – 1,248, Russian – 604)
  • Surazh – 4,006 (Jewish – 2,400, Belarusian – 978, Russian – 559)
  • Novoye Mesto – 1,488 (Russian – 1,421, Jewish – 67)

Language

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Imperial census of 1897.

At the time of the Imperial census of 1897.[3] In bold are languages spoken by more people than the state language.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Генеральная карта Черниговской губерніи Съ показаніемъ почтовыхъ и большихъ проъзжихъ дорогъ, станціи и разстоянія между оными верстъ – Ст. Петербургъ, 1829. (in Russian) (Page title read as: "General map of the Chernihiv province. St. Petersburg, 1829.")
  2. ^ a b c "Chernihiv gubernia". Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine. 2001 [1984]. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. ^ Language Statistics of 1897 Archived 22 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  4. ^ Languages, number of speakers which in all gubernia were less than 1000
  1. ^
  2. ^
    • Russian: Черниговская губерния, pre-1918: Черниговская губернія, romanized: Chernigovskaya guberniya
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