Following German aggression on Poland, and in accordance with the secret protocol of Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Soviet forces invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939. As bulk of the Polish Army was concentrated in the west, fighting Germans, the Soviets met with little resistance and their troops quickly moved westwards. Polish authorities originally intended to organize anti-German resistance in Stanisławów Voivodeship , with Polish Army units planned to stand ground until the spring of 1940 when French attack on Germany was expected. However, the Soviet invasion of Poland rendered these plans ineffectual. It is estimated that prior to Soviet counter-offensive in the later part of World War II, over 18,000 Polish civilians in Stanisławów Voivodeship fell victims to OUN-UPA massacres.
Demographics
The Voivodeship's capital was Stanisławów. In 1921 was inhabited by 1,339,191 people, and its population density was 72.9 persons per km². Ukrainians and Ruthenians constituted 68% of the population, especially in the countryside. Poles, distributed across the entire Voivodeship, made around 23%, Polish Jews, around 7%. Also, there were smaller communities of Galician Germans. In 1931 the population grew to 1,480,300 and the density to 88 persons per km2.
Geography
The Stanisławów Voivodeship's area was 16,894 square kilometers. It was located in south-eastern corner of the country, bordering Tarnopol Voivodeship to the northeast, Lwów Voivodeship to the west, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania to the south. It was in large part covered by forests of the Carpathian Mountains, with numerous mountain spas. Landscape was hilly and mountainous, with Hoverla in the Chornohora range as the highest peak. The other significant mountain range was the Gorgany. The main river was the Dniestr, which also marked border with the Tarnopol Voivodeship. Other rivers were: the Prut, the Stryj and the Czeremosz.
Administrative divisions
Before the onset of World War II the Stanisławów Voivodeship consisted of 15 powiats , 29 towns, 904 villages and numerous smaller communities . Those were the same 12 powiats that were part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria with the addition of Turka powiat later on. Its capital Stanisławów was the largest city, with population of some 60,000. Other important municipal centers of the voivodeship were: Kołomyja, Stryj, Horodenka, Kalusz, Sniatyn and Bolechow. The Stanisławów Voivodeship consisted of 12 powiats :
The Stanisławów Voivodeship was located in the so-called Poland "B" region, which meant that it was underdeveloped, with low level of industry and considerable numbers of inhabitants living in poverty. Agricultural production was low due to poor quality of soil. Since mid-1930s, the area was quickly gaining popularity as a tourist destination, with numbers of visitors to mountain springs rising steadily year by year. Railroad network was well-developed in the north, with such important junctions as Stanisławów, Kołomyja and Stryj. In the south, however, rail connections were lacking. On January 1, 1938, total length of railroads within Voivodeship's boundaries was 755 kilometers.
Voivodes
The local government of voivodeship and city was located at address Ulica Karpinskiego, 7.
Edmund Jurystowski: 21 October 1921 – 18 August 1925
Aleksander Des Loges: 18 August 1925 – 25 October 1926
Władysław Korsak: 18 December 1926 – 12 September 1927
Stanisław Jarecki: 20 January 1939 – 2 September 1939
Following Soviet invasion of Poland in 17 September 1939, the voivodeship existed until 27 November 1939. In 6 October 1939 – 27 November 1939 the voivodeship was governed by Soviet provisional chairman of Civilian Administration Mikhail Grulenko who later continued to hold his post as the 1st secretary of the CPU in the region.
