Ukrainians in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The first Ukrainians in Bosnia and Herzegovina appeared after the Berlin Congress in 1878, since BiH became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire , to which Galichina and Bukovina already belonged. Until now, this territory has been sparsely populated with infertile soils. The Austrian government, knowing the Ukrainian character, its industriousness, launched a wide activity in order to populate desert spaces as quickly as possible. People from Eastern Galicia , Northern Bukovina and Transcarpathia began to arrive on the territory of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina . Mostly the landless peasants came here, because there was a lot of state land. The Austrian government has promised that everyone who comes to Bosnia and stays there will receive 24 mortuaries of land ^[2] .

Ukrainians settled in BiH were mainly engaged in agriculture. Compared with the local population, they owned more advanced methods of cultivating the land: they introduced an iron plow and demonstrated the advantages of deep plowing. They brought with them previously unknown cultures in Bosnia - rye, buckwheat, potatoes, hops, and also experience in gardening , gardening , beekeeping , construction and home decoration ^[2] .

The first Ukrainian reading room in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the name Ruska reading room of the Enlightenment society was founded in the city of Prnjavor in 1909.

Ukrainians in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the censuses were registered as Ukrainians, Ruthenians and Greek Catholics.

Censuses in Bosnia and Herzegovina during Austro-Hungarian rule:

• In 1895 .............................. 163 Greek Catholics;
• In 1910 .............................. 8136 Greek Catholics.

Censuses in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Kingdom of Serbs-Croatian-Slovenes (Yugoslavia):

• In 1921 .............................. 9308 Greek Catholics;
• In 1931 .............................. 8915 Greek Catholics;

Censuses in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the socialist Yugoslavia ^[1] :

• In 1948 ............................... 7883 Rusyns;
• In 1953 ............................... 7473 Rusyns;
• In 1961 ............................... 6136 Rusyns;
• In 1971 ............................... 5333 Ukrainians and 141 Rusyns;
• In 1981 ............................... 4502 Ukrainians and 111 Rusyns;
• In 1991 ............................... 3929 Ukrainians and 133 Rusyns.

It is noteworthy that the Ukrainians in Bosnia and Herzegovina until 1918 called themselves Rusyns. Between two world wars - Rusyns-Ukrainians, later only Ukrainians. In Yugoslavia, only starting from the 1971 census, Ruthenians and Ukrainians began to be counted separately, however, most Ukrainians in Bosnia chose Ukrainian self-identification ^[1] . The Serbs who dominated Bosnia and Herzegovina at that time did not recognize the national name "Ukrainians" for a long time and it was very difficult for them to agree in modern times that there is a separate East Slavic Ukrainian people ^[1] .

The vast majority of Ukrainians in BiH live in Republika Srpska . They live compactly in the villages of Naseobina Lishnya, Mravitsa, Khorvachany, Dubrovka, Devyatina, the cities of Pryavor , Banja Luka and Dervent. Several Ukrainian families live in Sarajevo , the capital of the country. For the first time, Ukrainians arrived in the city of Prnjavor . In addition to the heavy relocation and settlement on this land, the Ukrainians of BiH survived three wars - the First World War, the Second World War and the Civil War of the 1990s, suffered considerable casualties and other disasters. A significant part left the country ^[2] .

• Ukrainian Association of Creative Intelligentsia “World of Culture”.
• Cultural and educational community of Ukrainians "Chervona Kalina"
• Cultural and educational community of Ukrainians " Taras Shevchenko "

1. Bogdan Lisky, "Ukrainian at Bosnia and Herzegovina", st. 149-169, Almanac of the View of the Homeland of Ukraine, 1998, Toronto
2. Roman Miz, Materials for History in Ukraine near Bosnia, Novi Sad, Volume I 2004, Volume II 2006, Volume III 2007, Volume IV 2008, Volume V 2008
3. Cultural and educational community of Ukrainians "Chervona Kalina" (Bosnia)
4. Ukrainian in foreign society. - K .: Nauk.Dumka, 1991 .-- 138 p.