Tolstoy (Zaleshchitsky district)

The urban type village Tolstoy is located on the banks of the Tupa River, upstream the village of Svidova (Chortkovsky District) adjoins, downstream the village of Golovchintsy adjoins.

The Chortkov – Zalishchyky railroad ( Tolstoy station) ^[2] and the M-19 ( E 85 ), P-24 roads pass through the village.

The settlement has been known since 1449 ^[3] .

In 1571, the village received the privilege from the king to hold fairs, since 1580 - to hold two fairs annually ^[4] .

In the 16th century the city belonged to Mikhail Khmel, the father of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

The first mention of the Jewish community dates back to the beginning of the 18th century; in 1734, Israel Baal Shem Tov (BEST) settled here, who later became the founder of Hasidism. His mother is buried in the Jewish cemetery in Tlust.

In 1717 the town became the center of the Roman Catholic parfia ^[4] .

In 1880, there were 3199 people and 365 houses, there was a two-year school, a post office, a loan office and a Catholic church ^[4] .

By 1930, the number of inhabitants in Tlust grew to 4,000 people. Jews made up about two-thirds of the population of the town.

As of 1939, 1,196 Jews lived here.

Since 1940 - an urban-type settlement ^[3] .

During the Great Patriotic War on July 8, 1941, the village was occupied by the advancing German troops .

In August 1941, a Judenrat and Jewish police were created here. In March 1942, Jews were locked up in the ghetto, and Jews from the surrounding villages were driven here. Ghetto prisoners were sent to labor camps nearby. The first "action" took place in August 1942. 300 Jews were sent to the Belzec extermination camp. September 20, 1942 the Germans expelled the Jews Zaleschikov in neighboring ghettos; most of them were sent to Tlust. The next month, on October 5, the second major "action" took place. 1000 Jews were deported from the town, and about 200 were killed on the spot. In the winter, a typhoid epidemic broke out in the ghetto, many prisoners died of illness and starvation. The third "action" in Tlust began on the morning of May 27, 1943. People were taken to the city square, where they were supposed to surrender all values. Able-bodied men were brought to a Jewish cemetery to dig holes. In the afternoon, prisoners in groups of 100 people were taken to the cemetery. The shooting continued until 9 pm. Up to 3,000 people were killed ... After 10 days, on June 6, Germans and policemen surrounded the ghetto and began its complete cleansing. The killings lasted for 2 days, all the remaining Jews were killed, up to 1000 people. Some managed to hide in the woods or escape death in labor camps. There were about 200 of them.

In 1944, Tlust was renamed Tolstoy. Until 1962 it was a district center.

As of the beginning of 1977, a bakery, a dairy factory, a plastic products factory, a brick factory and a gypsum plant were operating here ^[2] .

In 1983, the population was 4.1 thousand people, there was a bakery, a dairy factory, a plastic products factory, a brick factory, a gypsum factory, a public house, vocational schools, two secondary schools, a hospital, a cultural center and two libraries ^[3] .

In January 1989, the population was4689 people ^[5] .

As of January 1, 2013, the population was 3348 people ^[6] .

• Bakery.

• School.
• Vocational school number 22.
• School of Music.
• Kindergarten.
• House of Culture.
• Hospital.

• Koshel, Stepan Nikolaevich - Hero of the Soviet Union.

• Mass grave of Soviet soldiers.
• The old Jewish cemetery.
• Church of St. Anne.