Shpola ( ) is a city located in Zvenyhorodka Raion of Cherkasy Oblast (oblast) in central Ukraine. In May 2011, a 14-meter monument was installed on the outskirts of the city, claiming that Shpola is the geographical center of Ukraine.
Administrative status
In 1797, Shpola became part of the Zvenigorod district in the
Kiev Governorate. It has been a city since 1938.
[Шпола // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 2. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1991. стр.668] Until 18 July, 2020, Shpola served as an administrative center of
Shpola Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Cherkasy Oblast to four. The area of Shpola Raion was merged into Zvenyhorodka Raion.
History
After the revolution of 1917, Shpola became first a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and then of the
USSR.
During World War II, Nazi Germany invaded USSR, and the Jewish population of Shpola was massacred in 1942. Today Jews make up around 0.5% of Shpola's population.
Demographics
In 1847, Shpola's
population numbered 1,156. By 1897, that number had grown to 5,388 of a total population of 11,933, or about 45%. This level held steady until the Second World War. In 1989, the population of the city was 22, 378 people.
[ Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу]
Sister city
Shpola is a sister city with Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Notable people
-
Ivan Kulyk (1897-1937) - Ukrainians poet, short stories writer, and diplomat;
-
Lev Shvartzman (1907-1955) -- a senior Soviet secret police officer, known for his brutality;
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Oleksandr Tkachenko (1939-2024) - chairman of Ukrainian parliament;
-
Itzik Feffer (1900-1952) - Yiddish poet;
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Aryeh Leib of Shpola, "der Shpoler zeyde" (Yiddish: "the grandfather of Shpola") (1725-1812) - tsaddik.
See also
-
List of cities in Ukraine
==Gallery==
Shpola Room at the Jewish Escape Room in Brooklyn:
This link appears current: https://www.everyescaperoom.com/new-york-ny/onebefore-escape-shpola-room
This one brings a "404"message:https://OneBeforeEscape.com/shpola
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(1972) Історія міст і сіл Української CCP - Черкаська область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Cherkasy Oblast), Kyiv.
