A Guide to Galician Districts

Galician Districts evolved and changed over time. This timeline was put together by the Rohatyn Shtetl Research Group, with additional information provided by Wikipedia (particularly the German version of Wikipedia) and other websites. Additions, corrections, and suggestions are welcome.

1772, September 11 – Galicia is officially incorporated into the Austria-Hungarian Emprire.

1773, November – Galicia is divided into 6 Circles (Kreis):

• Krakau
• Sandomir
• Lublin
• Belz
• Red Ruthenia
• Podolia

1777, Galicia redivided into 6 Circles (Kreis) and 19 Districts (Bezirk):

• Kreis Wieliczka:Bezirk Zator, Bezirk Wiznic, Bezirk Neu-Sandez
• Kreis Pilzno: Bezirk Krosno, Bezirk Tarnow, Bezirk Lezajsk
• Kreis Sambor: Bezirk Lisko, Bezirk Przemysl, Bezirk Drohobycz
• Kreis Belz: Bezirk Sokal, Bezirk Tomaszow, Bezirk Zamosc
• Kreis Lemberg: Bezirk Brody, Bezirk Brzezany, Bezirk Zolkiew
• Kreis Halicz: Bezirk Halicz, Bezirk Tysmenica, Bezirk Kolomea, Bezirk Zaleszczyki

1782, March 22 – Bezirk Kolomea and Tysmenica merged to become Bezirk Stanislau

1786 – Kreis Czernowitz created with addition of Bukovina

1815 – Congress of Vienna

1817 – Galicia subdivided into 19 Circles (Kreis):

• Bochnia
• Brzezany
• Bukovina (Czernowitz)
• Czortkow
• Jaslo
• Kolomea
• Lemberg
• Myslenice
• Przemysl
• Rzeszow
• Sandez (Neu-Sandez)
• Sanok
• Sambor
• Stanislau
• Stry
• Tarnopol
• Tarnow
• Zloczow
• Zolkiew

1846, November 16 – Dissolution of the Republic of Krakau

1849 – Addition of Kreis Krakau

1850 – Administrative Reform, Bukovina became separate from Galicia. Galicia divided into 3 administrative districts (Regierungsbezirke) including Lemberg, Stanislau, and Krakau with 63 districts (Bezirkshauptmannschaften).

1854, April – Galicia redivided into Eastern Galicia (Lemberg Admistrative Region Verwaltungsgebiet) and Western Galicia (Krakau Administrative Region). Each region divided into Circles (Kreis) and further into Districts (Bezirk).

• Lemberg Administration Region:
  • Circle Lemberg
    Districts: Lemberg (area), Grodek, Szczerzec, Winniki, Janow
  • Circle Zhovkva
    Districts: Kulikov, Gross-Mosty, Uhnów, Niemirów, Belz, Cieszanow, Sokal, Zhovkva, Rawa, Lubaczów
  • Circle Przemyśl
    Districts: Sądowa Wisznia, Niżankowice, Sieniawa, Radymno, Krakowiec, Jaroslaw, Mościska, Jaworów, Przemyśl
  • Circle Sanok
    Districts: Lutowiska, Bukowsko, Ustrzyki Dolne, Baligród, Lisko, Dobromil, Sanok, Rymanów, Bircza, Dubiecko, Brzozów
  • Circle Zloczow
    Districts: Kamionka Strumiłowa, Łopatyn, Radziechow, Busk, Olesky, Gliniany, Zalošče, Zloczow, Zborów, Brody
  • Circle Brzezan
    Districts: Rohatyn, Przemyślany, Bursztyn, Chodorow, Bóbrka, Podhajce, Kozowa, Brzezan
  • Circle Stryj
    Districts: Rożniatow, Wojniłów, Bolechow, Dolina, Mikolajow, Żurawno, Skole, Stryj, Kalusz
  • Circle Sambor
    Districts: Łąka, Borynia, Rudki, Starasól, Medenice, Podbusz, Staremiasto, Turka, Komarno, Sambor, Drohobycz
  • Circle Tarnopol
    Districts: Ihrowice, Medyn, Mikulińce, Złotniki , Trembowla, Grzymałow , Skalat, Zbaraż, Tarnopol
  • Circle Czortkow
    Districts: Budzanów, Tluste, Hussiatyn, Jazłowiec , Zaleszczyki, Czortkow, Mielnica, Borszczow, Kopeczynce
  • Circle Kolomea
    Districts: Gwoździec, Zablotow, Kuty , Obertyn, Sniatyn, Kolomyja, Peczenizyn, Horodenka, Kossow
  • Circle Stanislau
    Districts: Nadworna, Bohorodczany, Delatyn, Sołotwina , Buczacz, Tyśmienica , Monasterzyska, Halicz, Stanislau, Tłumacz
• Krakau Administrative Region:
  • Circle Krakow
    Districts: Jaworzno, Mogiła, Chrzanów, Krzeszowice, Liszki
  • Circle Wadowice
    Districts: Skawina, Oswiecim (Auschwitz), Maków Podhalański, Milówka, Ślemień, Myślenice, Andrichau, Jordanów, Wadowice, Kalwarya, Kenty, Seypusch, Biala
  • Circle Sandec
    Districts: Grybów, Ciężkowice, Czarny Dunajec, Krościenko, Alt-Sandec, Neumarkt, Limanowa, Muszyna, Tymbark, New Sandec
  • Circle Jasło
    Districts: Dukla, Żmigród, Frysztak, Brzostek, Strzyżów, ​​Jasło, Krosno, Biecz, Gorlice
  • Circle Rzeszów
    Districts: Ulanów, Tarnobrzeg, Glogow, Rozwadow, Sokolov, Tyczyn, Nisko, Stet, Przeworsk, Rzeszów, Lezaysk
  • Circle Tarnow
    Districts: Dembica, Tuchów, Żabno, Kolbuszow, Dombrowa, Ropczyce, Pilzno, Mielec, Zasów, Tarnow
  • Circle Bochnia
    Districts: Podgórze, Woynicz, Niepołomice, Dobczyce, Wieliczka, Radlow, Brzesko , Wisnicz, Bochnia

1865, October – Responsibilities of Circles transferred to District Administrations

1867 – Lemberg and Krakau Administrative Region division abandoned, Galicia divided into 74 Districts (Bezirk):

• District Biala
• District Bircza (changed to Dobromil on September 30, 1876)
• District Bóbrka
• District Bochnia
• District Bohorodczany
• District Borszczow
• District Brody
• District Brzesko
• District Brzezan
• District Brzozów
• District Buczacz
• District Chrzanów
• District Cieszanow
• District Czortkow
• District Dąbrowa
• District Dolina
• District Drohobycz
• District Gorlice
• District Gródek
• District Grybów
• District Horodenka
• District Husiatyn
• District Jaroslau (Jarosław)
• District Jasło
• District Jaworów
• District Kalusz
• District Kamionka Strumiłowa
• District Kolbuszow
• District Kolomea (Kolomyja)
• District Kosów
• District Krakau (Cracow)
• District Krosno
• District Łańcut
• District Lemberg (Lvov)
• District Limanowa
• District Lisko
• District Mielec
• District Mościska
• District Myślenice
• District Nadworna
• District Neumarkt (Nowy Targ)
• District Neu-Sandec
• District Nisko
• District Pilzno
• District Podhajce
• District Przemyśl
• District Przemyślany
• District Rawa Ruska
• District Rohatyn
• District Ropczyce
• District Rzeszów
• District Rudki
• District Sambor
• District Sanok
• District Saybusch (Zywiec)
• District Skalat
• District Sniatyn
• District Sokal
• District Stanislau (Stanisławów)
• District Staremiasto
• District Stryj
• District Tarnobrzeg
• District Tarnopol
• District Tarnów
• District Tłumacz
• District Trembowla
• District Turka
• District Wadowice
• District Wieliczka
• District Zaleszczyki
• District Zbaraż
• District Zloczow
• District Zolkeiw
• District Żydaczów

1877 – “Jewish Administrative Centers (Districts)” created in Galicia. In 1877, the Austrian government assigned to 73 Administrative Districts (ADs) the Galician towns where Jews were known to have lived at the time of the 1870 census. The government designated some towns as Jewish Administrative Centers, which were the administrative seats where Jewish metrical (birth, death, marriage) records were to be kept. The Jewish community of each town was assigned to one Jewish Administrative Center, all the towns and their administrative center together constituting a “Jewish District”. See our page on the 1877 Galician Administrative Districts for more information.

1896, September 15 – District Podgórze added.

1896, September 15 – District Strzyżów added.

1898, June 15 – District Peczenizyn added.

1899, November 1 – District Przeworsk added.

1904, September 1 – District Zborów added.

1910, July 1 – District Auschwitz (Oswiecim) added.

1911, January 1 – District Skole added.

1912, January 1 – District Radziechow added.

1918 – End of World War I

1918-1919 – Polish-Ukrainian War

1920-1921 – Polish-Soviet War

1921, September 1 – Galicia under control of Poland, and divided into 4 provinces: Lemberg, Krakau, Stanislau, and Tarnopol.