Pluzhnoe Township (Pluzhanskoy)
in 1906 covered the central area of Ostrog County directly east of Kunevskoy. This township included the Mennonite villages
of Stanislavka, Leeleva, Fuerstenthal, Mikailovka and Jadwinin.
In total, Pluzhanskoy
included 33 settlements or villages in 1906.
Boroisov (Borysow) was the largest village in the township with 550
households and a population of 2,899 people.
Pluzhnoe itself was the second largest village in the township. Other important villages included Miakoty,
Gnoynitsa (New Gnojnica) and Bolotin (Bialotyn). Miakoty and Boroisov lie directly on either
side of Pluzhnoe, forming a row of 3 large villages along the road to
Zaslaw. Bolotin, a few miles north of
Pluznoe, sits on the ancient road which ran through the forest from Ostrog to
Zaslaw. Bolotin was an important center
for ceramic and porcelain production.
The township was characterized by hilly land with increasing
forest cover, and decreasing elevation, towards the north. In most cases, villages were built in low
clearings between hills, with roads running through the valleys. The point of greatest elevation in the
township was a hill standing between Pluzhnoe and Boroisov which stands at just
over 290 meters. Lowest points were in
the northeast of the township near Dertka and Siver at points barely higher
than 200 meters.
Here’s a full listing of the Pluzhanskoy villages in 1906.
Note that this listing includes a village named Lesnaya as well as one
named Leleva. I’ve always thought that
Lesnaya and Leleva (Leeleva) were one and the same, but perhaps they
weren’t. Maps, however, do not indicate
the presence of two villages.
Furthermore, the village of Balyary is missing from this listing. On some maps, Balyary is listed as Khoten II,
so perhaps the compilers of this list included the inhabitants of Balyary with
those of Khoten.
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The Poles mapped Western Ukraine in the 1930s. Taken from Polish maps from the late 20s to
the early 30s, these were notable locations or services in Pluzhanskoy:
Post Office: Boroisov
Water mills: Dertka, Bolotin, Spivak, Khoten, Siver, Mala Radogosch
(small), Gnoynitsa and Majdan
Windmill: Boroisov
Factory: Bolotin
Natural water spring: Pluzhnoe, Boroisov, Lysa Gora
Cemetery: Jadwinin (Yadvigin), Storoniche, Miakoty, Kaletintsy,
Dertka, Lesnaya, Bilchin, Gnoynitsa
Gamekeeper’s lodges: Storoniche, Bolotin, Spivak, Kozaki, Boroisov,
Lysa Gora
Colonies: Stanislavka, Mikailovka, Lesnaya, Kustarnya (Fuerstenthal)
Folwork: Khoten, Miakoty, Pluzhnoe, Voytovtsy, Bilchin, Lysa
Gora
Futor: Spivak, Boroisov, Bilchin
Estates: Pluzhnoe, Gnoynitsa
Notable churches: Miakoty, Pluzhnoe, Boroisov, Gnoynitsa
Apaiary: Liski, Bilchin, Lysa Gora
The presence of apiaries in the southern areas of Pluzhanskoy is interesting. An apiary is a place where beehives are kept,
otherwise known as a bee-yard. Known as a pasika
(пасіка) in Ukrainian, an apiary would have been a fenced yard in which
multiple beehives were kept and tended in order to harvest honey. Ukraine has long cultivated a bee-keeping
culture and even today ranks among the world’s leaders in honey production. Here’s an old etching of a 19th
Century Ukrainian apiary, perhaps similar to those located in Pluzhanskoy.
