A story about the fate of the most beautiful village in the Bieszczady Mountains and about what happened to the village and its inhabitants between March 21, 1945, and June 12, 1946…

Strubowiska (formerly Srubovyscze, Zruboviszcze, Srubowyska, Струбовиська, currently, since 1967, Strzebowiska) is a village located halfway between Wetlina and Cisna, on the Kalnica stream, a tributary of the Wetlinka River. It was founded under Wallachian law in the farthest part of the Bal family’s estate from Hoczew. The first mention of Strubowiska dates back to 1533.

Year 1533 – at the request of Mikołaj Bal, the chamberlain of Sanok, the king grants him a large grassy clearing adjacent to his mountain and forest called Minor Iaszyel (today Małe Jasło), located on the top of the royal mountain Maior Iaszyel (today Wielkie Jasło). The king decides that when the borders between the royal lands and those of Mikołaj Bal are delineated, starting from the Leschna stream, then the forests Magna Iaszyel will remain on the right as royal property and Parva Iaszyel on the left for Mikołaj Bal, up to the summit of Mount Przeslop, which leads from the forest Parva Iaszyel to the mentioned clearing, and further to a place called Srubowyska, opposite the corner mounds of the lords from Sobień (the Kmita family).

“In 1533, the demarcation between the royal lands and those of Mikołaj Bal of Hoczew was carried out, among others, toward the Leśna River, which we crossed, and then followed the border between the forests and mountains called Jasly, leaving Wielki Jasiel (Wielkie Jasło) on the royal side and Mały Jasiel (Małe Jasło) on the side of Mr. Bal, and circling Wielki Jasiel, we turned the boundary between the forest called Srubovyscze and Wielki Jasiel up to the borders of the lords of Sobień (the Kmitas), which stand on the Bystry stream between the royal estate and that of the Sobień lords, and thus we completed the boundary.”

Year 1534 – the demarcation between the royal lands and those of Mikołaj Bal of Hoczew began at Mount Niezablec and continued between the mountains Wielki Jasiel and Mały Jasiel (today Wielkie and Małe Jasło), ending “thedysmy obroczyely granycza myedzy lasz Srubovyscze vesvany a miedzy Jaszyel Vyelky as do granycz panów Sobyenskych (Kmitów), które stoya na potoku Bystrym miedzy ymyenym (majątkiem) krolyewskyem a panów Sobyenskych a thosmy doconaly granycz.”

In 1567, the village was mentioned under the name “Zruboviszcze” as a new settlement enjoying a period of tax exemption (wolnizna). It therefore must have been established after 1543. Strubowiska was part of the Terczański estate belonging to the Bal family. After the death of Mateusz III Bal in 1598, the village passed to his son, Samuel Bal, a royal captain. Shortly thereafter, Samuel’s brother, Piotr II Bal, gathered most of the Bal estates — the Stężnica, Terczański, and a large part of the Hoczew estates — in his hands. After his death in 1617, these lands were inherited by his son Adam and grandson Aleksander. During the time when Strubowiska belonged to Adam Bal, the tenant of the village was Wojciech Leszczyński (around 1640). After Aleksander, who died young and childless, the estates passed to his uncle Stefan Bal. They were subsequently inherited by his son Jan IV, and from 1711 by his grandson Ignacy. After a long legal dispute with Ignacy’s widow, Barbara of the Andrassy family, the property, together with Strubowiska, passed into the hands of Ignacy’s only child, Salomea. She brought the aforementioned three estates as her dowry into the Karsznicki family. Before 1790, Strubowiska and the neighboring villages were purchased by Count Franciszek Łoś. The Łoś family probably managed the village until the 1840s.

In 1846, the owner of Strubowiska and the neighboring Kalnica was Sylwester Brześciański, a co-organizer and participant of the uprising, who in February 1846 organized an insurgent detachment in Strubowiska and Kalnica, intending to attack Sanok. The attack on the town did not take place, as the insurgents dispersed near Sanok in the village of Zahutyń.

In 1868, the village covered an area of 1,180.4 hectares, including 840.2 hectares of forest. Peasant lands comprised 154.2 ha of arable fields, 103.6 ha of meadows and gardens, 57.6 ha of pastures, and 22.4 ha of forest. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Strubowiska was treated as a hamlet of Kalnica.

At the end of the 19th century, the local estate, covering about 700 hectares of forest, belonged to Stanisław Wysocki. On his initiative, among others, between 1900 and 1904, the Majdan–Kalnica narrow-gauge railway was built through the area of the village, soon extended to the Beskid hamlet in the southern part of Smerek (these are not the tracks that currently run through the village). The investment was financed by the owners of the forest estates in Cisna and Kalnica. Therefore, the tracks ran through the forest, along its edge, to avoid the costly purchase of peasant lands for the railway construction. Today, a forest road known as “stokówka” runs where those tracks once were.

During the interwar period, among the residents of Strubowiska there were two Gypsy (Romani) families (one with the surname Hałuszka), engaged in blacksmithing and music, living in a single hut on the northern edge of the settlement, near the road to Kalnica. There were also three Jewish families living here. In the local dialect, villagers called them Dohen, Herszko, and Kowa. The Herszko family leased their building to Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) soldiers (the so-called kasarnia), whose post was located in Przysłup.

The residents of Strubowiska, like those of all other borderland villages, were involved in smuggling. To do so, they crossed into the Slovak village of Ruskie. The route led through the Moniszowa clearing at the top of Okrąglik Mountain.

The first known record of Strzebowiska’s inhabitants dates back to 1773.

List of subjects of the villages Kalnica, Strubowiska, and Buk, property of Anna née Dunin Borkowska Łosiowa, widow of the judge of the Lviv land court and Żydaczów district (Marcin Łoś), dated May 22, 1773.

Reference: CDIAL, Lviv, 146/16/997.
Courtesy of Mr. Michał Ciemała.

Srubowiska:

Jako Mielnik

Iwan Boberski

Jako Boberski

Fedor Mihawczyk

Andryj Tytanin

Wasyl Kaniuk

Iwan Kaniuk

Jacko Szyłanicz

Andryi Mikow

Fedor Turczak

Fedor Szewczyk

Wasyl Mielnik

Iwan Skurka

Iwan Ilkow

Lesio Werchoła

Iwan Rusin

Stefan Rusin

Wasyl Bobrow

Petro Kuracha

Jurko Micyk

Iwan Cygan

Wasyl Kogut

Wasyl Werchoła

Few archival documents concerning the inhabitants of Strubowiska have been preserved. Several civil status records and conscription registers are kept in Sanok, a cadastral map of the village from 1852 is stored in Rzeszów, and the civil registry books of the parish church in Strubowiska are preserved in Przemyśl.

Excerpt from birth records

Since the 19th century, many inhabitants of Strubowiska emigrated to the United States due to poverty. Some of them sent money to their families back home. A few of these money transfer documents have been preserved.

Money transfers for the inhabitants of Strubowiska

In 1939, 54 families lived in the village. After May 10, 1947, no one remained in Strubowiska…

Since the 1960s, efforts were made to resettle the Bieszczady region, including Strubowiska. The first settlers were highlanders from Podhale, Spiš, and Limanowa, who had long been connected with these areas through seasonal grazing of their flocks. Unfortunately, the Podhale shepherds (bacas) and herders (juhases), deeply attached to their home regions, showed little interest in settling here permanently. They preferred to limit their contact with the Bieszczady to annual seasonal stays.

They owned farms in Podhale, while the Bieszczady served merely as an area of exploitation and an additional source of income. They did not hide their commercial attitude toward the region, although in their statements they often emphasized emotional or environmental reasons. For them, the “real” and “joyful” mountains were the Tatras. The Bieszczady, by contrast, were seen as “gloomy” mountains, plagued by wolves and wild boars.

The biggest obstacle, however, according to potential settlers, was the alleged danger posed by the former Lemko inhabitants. An exception in this respect was baca Maciej Zubek from Ratułów (Nowy Targ County). Zubek and his two adult sons — all bacas — had been running their shepherd huts (bacówki) for several years in Strubowiska, Wetlina, and Krywe (Lesko County). The huts were large and well-managed.

In 1961, Maciej Zubek purchased several hectares of land in Strubowiska, rented barns from the State Agricultural Farm (PGR) in Krywe, and wintered his own and his sons’ sheep there. However, the Zubek family did not liquidate their farms in Ratułów nor did they build new houses in the Bieszczady. During winter, they took turns tending to the sheep left in Krywe.

A similar attempt to settle was made by K. Wyroba and J. Staszel from Ratułów (Wyroba in Strubowiska, Staszel in Krywe). All of them wintered their sheep in Krywe.

It seems, however, that the attitude of the Podhale bacas was not representative of the entire highlander community. The bacas acted rather as entrepreneurs, calculating how to maximize profits, and their decisions reflected this pragmatic approach.

A shepherd’s hut above Strubowiska, most likely belonging to Maciej Zubek.

The Zubek family, however, became closely connected with Strubowiska… Wojciech Zubek (son of Józef), together with his wife Zosia, first grazed sheep in Łopienka. Zosia raised their eldest son, Stanisław, there. Later, they settled permanently in Strubowiska, and today Zosia serves as the village head (sołtys) of Strzebowiska.

In the 1960s and 1970s, new settlers arrived in Strzebowiska — from around Rzeszów, Silesia, and Podhale. Since the 1990s, the area has been rapidly developing with holiday homes and tourism infrastructure.

Former names of the village:

Zruboviszcze (1567) Strubowiszcze (1589) Strubowiszcz (1608) Strubowiszcza (1745) Strubowisko (1855) Strubowiska (1890) – Струбовиська / Струбовиска Strzebowiska (since 1967)

The name of the village comes from the Ukrainian word “zrubywaty”, meaning “to clear the forest.”

Successive owners of the village:

1552 – 1595 – Mateusz III Bal
1598 – before 1617 – Samuel Bal (son of Mateusz III)
before 1617 – 1617 – Piotr II Bal (son of Mateusz III, brother of Samuel)
1617 – 1646 – Adam Bal (son of Piotr)
1646 – ca. 1665 – Aleksander Bal (son of Adam)
ca. 1665 – ca. 1690 – Stefan Bal (brother of Adam)
ca. 1690 – 1711 – Jan Bal IV (son of Stefan)
1711 – 1714 – Ignacy Bal (son of Jan IV)
1714 – 1770 – Barbara née Andrassy, first married name Bal, second married name Pothaym
followed by Salomea née Bal Karsznicka (1)
1770 – before 1790 – Piotr Karsznicki
1790 – 1829 – Count Franciszek Łoś (1756–1829)
1829 – before 1846 – Count Karol Łoś (1800–1854)
1846 – Sylwester Brześciański
1855 – Franciszek Majchrowicz
after 1855 – 1862 – Stanisław and Florian Brześciański
1862 – 1867 – Count Edward Łubieński (1819–1867)
from 1867 – Countess Konstancja Łubieńska née Szlubowska (b. 1827) (2)
ca. 1875 – 1880 – Countess Adela Dawidów
ca. 1885 – 1890 – Izydor Odillon Allair
ca. 1895 – 1904 – Stanisław Wysocki
1904 – 1908 – Maksymilian Straetz (d. 18 Aug 1908)
from 1908 – the Dydyński family
1926 – Bolesław Dydyński (654 ha) and Count Ignacy Krasicki (368 ha)
1930 – Bolesław Dydyński
1932 – 1937 – Łucja, Klementyna, and Ksawery Borck Prek of Lviv
1938 – 1939 – Lucjan Borck Prek of Kalnica (3)

Notes:

(1) In 1714, Ignacy Bal transferred his hereditary estate to his wife Barbara née Andrassy as a lifetime possession. After his death, she soon married Count Józef Pothaym, which entangled her in a lengthy legal dispute. Eventually, she renounced her life interest in favor of Salomea née Bal Karsznicka for a certain sum of money.

(2) Konstancja née Szlubowska was the second wife of Count Edward Łubieński. His first wife was Zofia Giżycka (1823–1847).

(3) The Prek family bore the Borek coat of arms.

Preserved photographs of Strubowiska and its inhabitants.

Women from Strubowiska raking hay.

Mężczyźni ze Strubowisk (1956 r.). Czarno-biała fotografia niektórych wysiedlonych ze Strubowisk, wykonana w Rożniatowie w 1956 roku. Na zdjęciu od lewej: (1) Michael Bereżański, (2) Wasyl Lazoryszyn (3), Wasyl Cyhan (4), Stanko Podolak (5), Stanko Popowicz (6), Mychajło Kaniuk (7), Mychajło Rusyn (8), Stanko Rusyn (9), Wasyl Podolak (10), Ivan Rusyn (11), Jurko Rusyn, i (12) Fedor Lucyszka.

Men from Strubowiska (1956).

A black-and-white photograph of some of the residents displaced from Strubowiska, taken in Rożniatów in 1956.
From left to right:
(1) Michael Bereżański, (2) Wasyl Lazoryszyn, (3) Wasyl Cyhan, (4) Stanko Podolak, (5) Stanko Popowicz, (6) Mychajło Kaniuk, (7) Mychajło Rusyn, (8) Stanko Rusyn, (9) Wasyl Podolak, (10) Ivan Rusyn, (11) Jurko Rusyn, and (12) Fedor Lucyszka.

Men from Strubowiska (1993).

Katerina Rusin (center) with her parents (father: Jurko Lazoryszyn).

Katerina Rusin.

Meeting with Katerina (a recollection by Ania and Jarek Pawliński)

We met Katerina in Strubowiska by chance. We were driving to our land. Near the roadside chapel stood an old bus, surrounded by a few elderly people. It turned out they were former residents of Strubowiska who had come for the Lemko Watra Festival in Zdynia and decided to visit their old village. We asked if anyone knew who used to own our land. Katerina asked us to take her there, along with her sister.

When we arrived, Katerina was astonished — the land had belonged to her father! She blessed us and wished that we would be happy there. We asked if she would like to return to Strzebowiska. Her answer was surprising:
“Why? I’ve built a life in Ukraine. My children have emigrated to the West. What would I look for here — do you know how poor it was here…?”

Some time later, Katerina wrote a letter that was published in a Ukrainian newspaper:

The Preserved Grove

I remember an incident that happened to me in the Beskids (in Polish territory), in the village of Strubowiska. I went there with a Lemko group on the way to the “Lemko Watra” in Zdynia, and on the way, I decided to visit the village where I was born and from which I was displaced in 1946.

We were driving through the village when a car caught up with us and stopped. A young couple got out. They had heard somewhere that former residents were visiting Strubowiska. One word led to another, and it turned out that Anna and Jarek Pawliński had bought land there and were beginning to build a house. They were curious — they asked if anyone knew who the land had previously belonged to.

When we went there together, my surprise knew no bounds — it was the land that had belonged to my father, Jurko Lazoryszyn! Near it was a small grove we called “Perelisok.” Our family consisted of seven people, and we had a small house. We could even afford a neat pantry, as we didn’t have to buy wood — we had our own forest. But we felt sorry to cut down the centuries-old oaks, firs, and spruces! It was a real joy to walk through our own forest. Father used to pat the trees, speaking to them as if they were people. You could pick a handful of wild strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries and return home happy and healthy.

My heart rejoices that Perelisok has survived to this day. It will now serve its new owners — the Pawliński family!

Whether I want to or not, I see a parallel to the present day. We do not care for our forests! We cut them down, destroy them, and forget about replanting. But we must remember that the Carpathians give people the most precious thing — oxygen, without which we cannot live even a minute. We are driven by material gain. Unfortunately. Because a catastrophe may occur, like in neighboring Transcarpathia — where the mountains “thanked” people for overlogging with devastating floods. The same may happen to us. And then it will be too late to take care of our Carpathians…

Katarina Rusin, Rożniatów

Zachowany Zagajnik – artykuł Kateriny Rusin

Obituary – The Passing of the Beskid Borderlander, Katerina Rusin

On November 15, 2011, at the age of 75, our teacher, activist, and public figure — Mrs. Katerina Rusin, the Beskid Borderlander — passed away.

This news saddened not only her family and friends but also everyone who knew, respected, and loved her. No one will replace Katerina Rusin in the Association of Friends of the Beskids or in the National Lemko Society, where she was always an informal leader.

Preserving cultural heritage and nurturing the traditions of her ancestral homeland were always the concerns of Katerina Rusin, author of the book “The Borders of the Beskids.” Unfortunately, she will not see her second book, scheduled for publication in December 2011, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of her birth. The Beskid Borderlander also wrote “The Lemko Prayer,” a poetic collection filled with the masterpieces of pain, faith, and hope.

Katerina Rusin was born in the picturesque mountain village of Strubowiska, on the eastern edge of Lemkivshchyna (now in Poland). After the residents of Strubowiska were deported to Ukraine, her family settled in Rozhniativ. A gifted girl, she entered the Ivano-Frankivsk Pedagogical Institute after finishing school. Later, she became a history teacher at the secondary school in Svarychiw, and from the 1980s she served as the principal of that school.

In retirement, Mrs. Rusin devoted herself to community work. She frequently took part in trips to her native land and in Lemko cultural events. She remained active in her final years, despite serious illness and age.

We will miss Katerina dearly. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, former students, and colleagues, as well as to members of the Association of Friends of the Beskids and the National Lemko Society.

The funeral took place on Thursday in Rozhniativ.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.

— Anna Kirpan

* From the title of her book “The Borders of the Beskids.”

Population of Strubowiska

Surnames of Pre-war Residents of Strubowiska

Andrejko • Beca • Bereżański • Berezowski • Cygan • Ferensewicz (Hałuszka) • Grendey • Kaniuk • Koba • Kopalciw • Kowal • Kuca • Lazoryszyn • Leszczyński • Lucyszka • Maruszczak • Milawczak • Moskal • Oszczep • Pliszka • Podolak • Popowicz • Rohanak • Rusyn • Rusynkiewicz • Sałamaszczak • Semenia • Stachurskyj • Stepanowycz • Swistak • Sywanycz • Terlecki • Warcholak • Wolosky (Herszko) • Wowk • Ziatyk

Village Buildings

Before the war, houses in Strubowiska were wooden log constructions with whitewashed walls and thatched roofs. Near the houses stood stone cellars (called “sklepy”) with small roofs. Wells were lined with stone, and their upper parts were covered with log structures. Usually, no draw-wells (żurawie) were used — water was often pulled out with a hooked pole.
Only remnants of stone foundations and cellars remain today.

Industry, Crafts, Trade, and Services

Narrow-Gauge Railway – Between 1900 and 1904, the Majdan–Kalnica section of the narrow-gauge railway was built, extending to Smerek. In 1908–1909, another section, from Szpickiery (in Strubowiska) to Beskid (in Smerek), at the foot of Mount Dziurkowiec (1,190 m a.s.l.), was constructed. The project was financed by landowners Stemberg and Dydyński, who owned the forests of the Cisna and Kalnica estates.
The line was used to transport timber to Łupków, with the connection at Majdan station. The railway operated until 1931 or 1944, depending on sources. In the 1970s, the old embankment was turned into a road between Majdan and Przysłup, later extended in the 1980s to Smerek and Kalnica. A new railway line, lower than the original, was built between 1957–1964, running from Majdan to Moczary. It operated until 1993, and today tourist rides run between Balnica – Majdan – Przysłup.

Water Mill – Located in the upper part of the village on the Bystry stream. In 1852, it was a wooden mill with one wheel, built beside a 200 m-long millrace. Another mill operated during the interwar period, using water diverted by a wooden trough to a top-drive wheel. It belonged to a villager named Rusyn.

Forester’s Lodge “Szpickiery” – Situated on the Bystry stream, where the narrow-gauge line branched toward Kalnica and Beskid. The sharp curve in the valley gave the place its name (from German “Spitz Kehre” – sharp turn). The lodge was built after 1914 to supervise forests belonging to the Kalnica estate. By 1935, two residential buildings stood there. The forester during the interwar years was Ludwik Masłyk. After 1947, a state forester’s lodge was established, rebuilt in the late 1950s by ZBL, and today belongs to the Cisna Forest District.

Inn – Located along the village road, about 30 m north of the roadside cross (now a chapel). It belonged to the manor. In 1852, it was a wooden rectangular building (17.3 × 8.4 m). Its existence was confirmed in 1890.

Oil Press – Operated during the interwar period.

Blacksmith and Violinist Tynio Hałuszka (Cygan) – Active between the wars. He made fittings for wheels, wagons, sleds, hoes, plowshares, axes, etc. He accepted only food as payment, never money. His services were sought not only in Strubowiska but also in Kalnica and Przysłup. Despite being hard of hearing, he also played the violin at weddings and local dances.

Shop – Run by a Jewish resident known as Herszko during the interwar years.

Greek-Catholic Church

A filial church dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The first wooden church was built around 1700. According to the 1756 visitation, it was “a two-domed wooden church with a small belfry attached to it,” containing two bells. The last wooden church was built in 1843, with a log barrel-vaulted interior. It was destroyed after 1945.

Until the 1990s, three forged iron crosses that once crowned the church survived, later placed on graves — but they too have since disappeared. Today, a cluster of spruces grows on the site.

Until 1785, Strubowiska had its own parish, later attached to Kalnica, and in the 19th century to Smerek.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Smerek parish held 12 morgens of land and 34 cords of beechwood (1890–1895), and 11 morgens (1910) in Strubowiska.

The last priest serving Strubowiska (1934–1945) was Father Volodymyr Danyliv, father of Bohdanna Danyliv. In October 1945, he was forced to leave the parish and went into hiding. Before him, the priest was Father Ustjanowski, who died around 1935.

In 1992, the Magurycz Association secured the crosses to protect them from being lost.

On July 10, 2022, the crosses were handed over to the residents of Strzebowiska for restoration and for their placement at the site where the former church once stood.

The crosses after restoration, awaiting installation at the former church site (August 2022).

Relations between the village owners and the Church were not always harmonious.
In 1640, the leaseholder of the villages Kalnica and Strubowiska, Wojciech Leszczyński, drove the local priest into a pond and dunked him several times for defending the peasants. Afterwards, he ordered the priest to perform serf labor alongside the peasants, and only abandoned this demand once the priest bought himself out with a sum of money.

The Church Cemetery

The parish cemetery is located on a hill to the east of the village road, opposite the roadside chapel.
Around 1852, the cemetery had the shape of an irregular heptagon covering 13 ares (0.13 ha). It was later expanded to about 50 ares.
Today, it is entirely overgrown with trees. Only a dozen or so earthen graves remain visible.

In the cemetery lies one new grave — that of Roman Farat, operator of the Polish Film Chronicle, author of cinematography for many feature and documentary films. His ashes were first buried beside the chapel, but, as Andrzej Potocki wrote in his book “Chapel of Memory”,

“As a result of a certain incident, Jurek Dobroczyński moved his urn to the cemetery.”

In 2008, the displaced residents of Strubowiska erected a several-meter-high cross on the site of the former church, to commemorate its former inhabitants.
Someone always remembers the abandoned cemetery surrounding the church site — candles are often seen burning there.

Roadside Chapels and Crosses

Along the main road through the village, about 300 meters south of the Bieszczady bypass, stands a stone roadside chapel built around 1920 by Wasyl Podolak.
It features a niche for a saint’s figure, a gable roof, and is surrounded by a semicircle of lime trees.
It was erected on the site of an earlier wooden roadside cross, which existed in 1852 and 1878.

Education

In a 1790 report, the local priest mentioned four children in the village whom he considered capable of attending school.
There is no record of a school in Strubowiska during the Austrian partition.

In the early 1930s, the school operated in a rented house.
In the autumn of 1935, construction began — jointly with the residents of Przysłup — on a new school building.
By March 1936, all the timber was on site, and the school opened that same year.

It was a wooden building with one classroom and a teacher’s apartment (kitchen, two rooms, pantry).
The first teacher was Zygmunt Bąk.
All the children started in first grade, but after half a year, he promoted some to second grade.

During the winter of 1936–1937, the teacher organized evening classes for adults, but illiteracy remained widespread — even in 1939, many villagers still could not read or write.
Only three farmers subscribed to the newspaper “Narodnia Sprawa.”

Since the school’s founding, there were attempts to use Lemko-language textbooks, introduced in 1934, such as Łemkiwskyj Bukwar (Lemko Primer) and Persza Lemkiwska Czytanka (First Lemko Reader).

The following letter shows the local attitude toward Lemko textbooks:

Letter from the Head of the Primary School in Strubowiska

Strubowiska, October 24, 1936

Response to confidential letter dated October 12, 1936
To: The School Inspectorate in Sanok

Regarding the above-mentioned letter, I provide the following information:

What difficulties did I encounter in implementing the Lemko primer?
I am not implementing the Lemko primer — therefore, what difficulties could I have encountered?
Primarily from the villagers themselves.
The people of Strubowiska do not want to hear about Lemko books.
If they were introduced, more outspoken residents such as Sołtys Stachurski or Iwan Rusyn say they would simply refuse to accept them.

For now, they do not know which books I will use in the first grade — I avoid the topic, telling them I am waiting for official instructions.
Personally, I know the Lemko language well enough to converse with children and hold simple discussions, but I would need to prepare carefully for each one.
If I had to teach using the Lemko primer, it would involve much more work and self-study.

What is the local population’s attitude toward teaching the Lemko language?
The people want their children to learn in that language, but they fear that Lemko books will corrupt their speech.
No one knows exactly where this belief came from — perhaps from rumors or outside influence.
They also fear that the Lemko language will be marginalized.
At home, they ask their children: “Does the teacher speak to you in Polish or in Rusyn?”

— Zygmunt Bąk

During the German occupation, a Ukrainian school operated in the village, with a teacher named Szwordak.

Historical Maps and Village Plans

The last pre-war map of Strubowiska was prepared by the son of Michał Bereżański’s friend, an architect, together with his colleague.
The original was drawn on aged brown paper; the house numbers and notations were faded.
Translations of the Cyrillic labels were made by Walter Maksymowicz.

The map’s legend lists the names and nicknames of property owners (nicknames were common in Strubowiska and nearby villages).
The numbers on the plan correspond to those owners.
The map has no orientation markings, but it should be noted that the roads and streams run north–south through the village.

Map Strubowiska Michała Bereżańskiego

Legend of the Map of Strubowiska

(supplemented with the life stories of residents recorded by Aleksandra Rusyn from the memories of villagers Wasyl Mykhailov Sehan, born 1926, and Mykhaila Ivanova Rusyn, born 1930)

Nr         Nazwisko                                Przezwisko             Mieszkańcy

1          Szkoła            

2          Żyd Herszka (Wołoszka)           prowadził sklep              8

3          Ferensewicz, Fedor

           & Iwan Hałuszka                                                            6

4          Moskal, Iwan                                                                 5

5          Żyd Koba                                                                      5

6          Rusyn, Iwan                            Michawczik

7          Lazoryszyn Mykoła                  Kopaltsiw                        6

8          Moskal Stanko i Maria              Sernania                         6

9          Sałamaszczak, Dmetro             Dzedziw

10        Michawczik, Jurko                                                          5

11        Herendi, Iwan                           Wuhriniw        

12        Rusyn, Iwan                             Ruzin

           Kardasz, Stanko                       parobek Iwana Rysuna 

13        Bereżansky, Iwan & Stanko       Mandryczkiw                  14

14        Luciszka, Fedor & Maria           Pazin                               4

15        Rusyn, Jurko                           Bowtuljakiw                      7

16        Rusyn, Wasyl                          Celkiw                             5

17        Cehan, Mychajło                      Miczin                             8

18        Cehan, Anna                            Dzindzowa                      4

19        Rusyn, Leszo                                                                 6

20        Osczip, Wasyl                         Melnikiwskij (Malutki)       5

22        Podoljak, Wasyl                       Demkiw                           6

23        Rusynkiewicz, Mychajło            Juljanczek                       6

24        Osczip, Jurko                           Krupczen                         5

25        Rusyn, Mychajło                       Luzanczin                      11

26        Rusyn, Mychajło                       Witiw (młynarz)                5

27        Andrejko, Matwiej                                                            8

28        Beciw, Wasyl                                                                  3

29        Kaniuk, Petro                                                                  5

30        Swystak, Dmitro                                                              5

31        Rusyn, Stanko                          Hritskiw (z Greków ?)       8

32        Swystak, Mychajło & Stanko     Berezeniszczyn               8

33        Warcholak, Mykoła                   Szczerbatogo                   4

34        Warcholak, Hric                        Krakusiw (z Krakowa)       3

35        Kowal, Jurko                             Luczkiw                          5

36        Maruszczak, Iwan                     Firkiw                              7

37        Kowal, Wasyl                           Antoniw                           8

38        Warcholak, Fedor                     Antoniw

39        Warcholak, Iwan                       Wrubliw (Wróbel)         

40        Rusyn, Tekliwa                         Na Kamience                   3

41        Cehan, Wasyl & Iwan               Hreniw                             5

42        Rusyn, Mykoła                         Wijtiw (młynarz)               3

43        Popowicz, Fedor                      Bastrianczin                   10

44        Rusyn, Fedor                           Berezczin (Brzoza)           6

45        Kaniuk, Iwan & Anna                Kornikiw (Kurnik)               4

46        Wowk, Hric                                                                     5

47        Rusyn, Mychajło                       Milkiw                             6

48        Stachurskyj, Stanko                  prawdop.sołtys w 1945     6

49        Terlecki, Iwan & Jurko                Nastunjakiw                     7

50        Sałamaszczak, Iwan                  Demkiw                          5

51        Lazoryszyn, Jurko & Wasyl        Pazin

     (córka Jurko: Katerina Rusin, była też druga córka)            7

52        Leszczynski, Wasyl & Iwan        Jesiakiw                         8

53        ???                 

54        Kuca, Jewa                                Jewunia                          6

55        Cerkwa Cerkiew                       

56        Rohanicz, Kasia                          Kopaltsowa (górnik)        1

57        Kaniuk, Mykoła                          Tsidanicziw                      8

58        Herszka Wołoszko                     Kasarnia

     (barak wynajęty wojsku – posterunek Straży Granicznej)       

?          Miławczak, Iwan                                                               4

?          Rusyn, Helena                                                                 6

?          Swystak, Mykoła                                                             6

?          Kowal, Fedor                             Antoniw                           5

?          Warcholak, Mychajło                  Wróbel                            5

?          Kowal, Andro              

?          Warcholak, Seman                                                           4

?          Cyhan, Jurko                             Dzinziw                            1

?          Cyhan, Dmitro                           Dzinziw                            1

?          Pliszka, Andrej                          Lesiw                               1

?          Hrendy, Dmytro                         Woren                              1

?          Hrenda, Marta                           Worenowa                        1

            Maslik Ludvig (leśniczy)

                                   Razem:     321

Total: 321 residents

Map of Strubowiska
with the names of land plots and homesteads marked.

Legend of the Map of Strubowiska with Marked Land Names

1          Bagno – Mochnaczka, las między Strubowiskami i Kalnicą

2          Baryńskie – las i pola między Strubowiskami i Kalnicą

3          Berdo – las i stok na północ od drogi, między Krywem i Kalnicą

4          Bystryj (potok) – granica między Strubowiskami i Smerekiem.

      Chlopskyj Staw – pole na południe od drogi do Kalnicy

5          Byśkid – grzbiet graniczny

6          Czerenyna – polana na grzbiecie między Jasłem a Okraglikiem

7          Dił (Diły) – obszar na wschód od dolnej i środkowej części wsi

8          Dolyna – pole na wschód od wsi (za cerkwią)

9          Horbik – las we wschodniej części wsi

10        Horbky – pole na północ od drogi Krywe – Kalnica

11        Hranyca – pole między Przysłupem i Strubowiskami

12        Hrb – las wzdłuż potoku Bystry

13        Jablyń – las na północ od drogi Krywe – Kalnica

14        Jaworysz – pole Field na północ od drogi Krywe – Kalnica

15        Kalnyci – łąka po południowej stronie drogi do Kalnicy

16        Kalnyczka – potok, lewy dopływ Wetlinki

17        Kalnyczka – pole na zachód od niższej części wsi

18        Koło Bystroho – pole we wschodniej części wsi, koło potoku Bystry

19        Koło Młyna – pole przy potoku Bystrym

20        Kruhlak – przesieka na grzbiecie między Jasłem i Okraglikiem

21        Krupowiszcza – las na wschodnim ramieniu Jasła

22        Łazy – łąki na wschodnich ramieniu Jasła

23        Medżyputia – las i pola na wschód od dolnego końca wsi

24        Mirky – pole na wschód od górnego końca wsi

25        Moniszowa – Mojeszowa: polana w pobliżu Okrąglika

26        Nazaraczky – łąka na wschodnim ramieniu Jasła

      Panskyj Staw – pole po północnej stronie drogi do Kalnicy

27        Pastwisko – pole na wschód od górnego końca wsi

28        Pawłykania – las na płónoc od drogi Krywe – Kalnica

29        Piddilnyci – pastwisko na wschód od górnej części wsi

30        Pohari – łąka na wschodnich zboczach Jasła

31        Polanky – nazwa niezlokalizowana

32        Roztoky – pola orne na zachód od zabudowań

33        Staji – pola na zachód od zabudowań

34        Chlopskyj Staw (patrz nr 4)

35        Panskyj Staw (natrz nr 26)

36        Szpickiery – leśniczówka niedaleko dawnych torów

      kolejki wąskotorowej na górze wsi

37        Tyn (Tynok) – teren między Smerekiem i Kalnica

38        Tyndryk – las poniżej Smereka, wyższa partia doliny Kindratu

39        Wjasiw (Jasło ) – góra (1153 m)

40        Za Dilom – część wsi Smerek (3 domy)

      przy drodze Smerek-Kalnica

41        Za Dolyną – pole na wschód od zabudowań wsi i cerkwii

42        Za Horbikom – łąki we wschodniej części wsi

43        Za Horbom – łąki we wschodniej części wsi

44        Zwirci – pole na zachód od wsi

Names of the village areas provided by:
 Jerzy Sywanycz, Czaplin Wielki near Trzebiatów, February 1996
 Michał Bereżański, New York, April 1996

Strubowiska w/g mapy katastralnej z 1852 r.

Strubowiska w/g mapy katastralnej z 1852 r. centralna część wsi.

The Most Tragic Days of Strubowiska

We wish to ensure that the events that struck Strubowiska in 1945 are not forgotten.
To that end, we have gathered in one place the memories of former residents, members of the UPA, and witnesses of the battle that took place in the village.

The First Victims

On September 19, 1944, Ukrainians murdered two people in Strubowiska.
According to one account, they were a man and a woman; another version identifies them as Franciszek Halik, son of Andrzej, a former member of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) and tailor, and Mieczysław Halik, son of Franciszek, born October 25, 1925 (as recorded in “Polegli w walce o władzę ludową” – “Those Who Fell Fighting for People’s Power”, published by the Party History Department of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, 1970).

Official Historical Outline of the 1945 Events

In 1939, Strubowiska was home to 54 families.
After the Red Army liberated the area in 1944, the new authorities selected 330 residents for deportation to Soviet Ukraine, yet by March 1945, none had been deported.

In February 1945, a sotnia (company) of the UPA under the command of “Burłaka” was quartered in the village when it was attacked by an NKVD detachment, though the partisans escaped without losses. Later, another UPA unit under “Wesełyj” settled in Strubowiska.

On March 21, 1945, the village was surrounded by two battalions of the NKVD, along with units of the Polish Army and militia from Cisna, commanded by Colonel Stiepaszkin.
It became one of the bloodiest clashes with the Ukrainian partisans in the Bieszczady region.

The battle lasted almost the entire day and was fought among the village buildings.
The UPA resisted for several hours to allow for the evacuation of wounded and sick fighters.
Eventually, they retreated into the forest.

According to various reports, 13 to 17 UPA soldiers were killed (though some Polish sources claim an unlikely 84 dead, including both UPA members and civilians).
The attacking forces suffered several dead and a dozen or so wounded.

During the fighting, almost the entire village burned down — some say set ablaze by the UPA, others by the attacking forces during or after the battle.
Only one to five houses remained standing.

The surviving villagers built dugouts and shelters, later beginning to rebuild their homes in summer.
Most residents of Strubowiska were forcibly deported to Ukraine in 1946 — about 237 people in total (according to local estimates).

As part of Operation “Vistula” (Akcja “Wisła”), between April 28 and May 10, 1947, the last 30 inhabitants were expelled — families of Berezowski, Bereżański, Popowicz (about 13–14 people total) and two Roma families.
After that, no one remained in Strubowiska.
The Ukrainian families were resettled to Trzęsacz in Western Pomerania, while Roma families from Strubowiska were still living in Szczecinek in the 1990s.

Conflicting Accounts

Polish and Ukrainian sources provide different versions of the battle and varying numbers of casualties.
Below are accounts from multiple witnesses of those tragic events.

The Battle According to UPA Records

On March 21, 1945, at 8:45 a.m., Sotenny “Wesełyj”, commander of the UPA company stationed in Strubowiska, ordered combat readiness.
The riflemen left their quarters and took defensive positions along a 2 km front, about 500 meters west of the village.

The order was issued based on reports from scouts that, on March 20, 1945, around 1:00 p.m., approximately 200 Soviet vehicles had arrived in Cisna.
At that time, the sotnia counted about 70 healthy riflemen, while another 50 were ill with typhus.

A Soviet 11-man patrol approached along the Przysłup–Strubowiska road, occasionally firing into the surroundings.
The platoon of “Wowk” allowed them to come within 50 meters before opening fire, killing several soldiers.
The survivors retreated and called for reinforcements, which were brought by truck to Krywe overnight.

On March 21, the Soviets launched a massive assault on UPA positions.
They advanced shouting “Urra!”, “Za rodinu, za Stalina!”, “Surrender, Banderites!”
They used rifles, pistols, and both light and heavy machine guns.

The UPA soldiers, lying motionless in the snow, waited until the enemy was 40–50 meters away before opening precise fire.
The Soviet troops panicked and withdrew, leaving behind many dead and wounded.

A second assault also failed, with heavy losses for the attackers.
The Soviets launched a third frontal attack, supported by a flanking maneuver.

Around 11:45 a.m., the fiercest phase of the battle began.
Mortar shells fired from the Beskid ridge rained down on the UPA defenses.
The southern flanking attack from the direction of Beskid was repelled, but with heavy casualties on both sides.

Facing an enemy twelve times stronger and running out of ammunition, the UPA unit began retreating at 2:30 p.m. toward the forests along the border ridge.
The Soviet forces did not pursue but, after entering the village, set fire to the houses — only four cottages survived.

According to the UPA account, Soviet troops threw children, the elderly, and women into burning buildings.
That evening, Wesełyj’s sotnia withdrew to Runina (then in Czechoslovakia, today in Slovakia) for rest.
The march was extremely difficult — snow reached up to 1.5 meters deep.
At 10 p.m., Wesełyj gathered the villagers, explaining the mission of the UPA and its struggle.
He noted that national consciousness among the local population was virtually nonexistent.

UPA’s Claimed Losses and Soviet Casualties

A captured Soviet officer reportedly testified:

“We knew there were no more than 80 Banderites in Strubowiska.
Our losses were 150 killed, and after long searches, we found only five dead UPA men.”

Mapa bitwy w Strubowiskach

Version of the UPA Chaplain – A. Jaworienko

On the evening of March 20, 1945, sotenny (company commander) Wesełyj went to the kurin (battalion) commander for orders, appointing adjutant Bir as his temporary replacement.
He returned to his unit with the news that 200 Bolshevik trucks were approaching.
He immediately summoned the platoon leaders (czotowi) and ordered full combat readiness.
Everyone waited impatiently for dawn, fully armed and prepared.

Until 6:30 a.m., it was fairly quiet.
Exactly at 7:00 a.m., sentries from Przysłup reported that Bolsheviks and Polish troops had entered the village of Krywe.
After a short meeting with adjutant Bir, medic Horesław, and scout Biały, Wesełyj decided:

“On this first day of spring, let us teach the Russians a good lesson.
Let us greet the enemy, who dares to climb into our Lemko mountains, with a hail of lead.
We shall not allow the Ukrainian people to be terrorized.”

He ordered immediate battle preparations.
The men cheerfully ran out toward the battlefield, as if glad to meet the enemy.
It was uplifting to see the riflemen smiling and joking:

“Oh, the enemy’s going to get it today!”

They ran out of the village and took up positions on the hills between Strubowiska and Przysłup, along the road leading to the forest.
At that time, 85 men were fit for combat – the rest of the sotnia lay ill with typhus.
Despite this, no one feared battle.
Each man waited calmly for the commander’s signal, unaware of how great the enemy’s forces were.

The Battle Begins

“We waited in the snow for almost two hours. Nothing was visible.”

The men began joking that they might return home without firing a single shot.
Then, around 8:00 a.m., the first shots were heard from Przysłup – the village’s self-defense unit was retreating.
Moments later, the enemy vanguard appeared on the hilltop.
Behind it, waves of Bolshevik soldiers began to advance.

The UPA riflemen’s blood boiled.
They laughed among themselves:

“Let those cursed ones come closer so we can get a better look before we shoot.”

When the first Soviet wave appeared on the left flank, Wesełyj gave the order to open fire.
The main weight of the assault fell on the right flank, where Wilk’s platoon fought fiercely.
The Bolsheviks attacked from the forests near Kalnica and Przysłup.

Suddenly, rifles and machine guns roared, and the air filled with shouting.
The attackers fell in waves, while cries of pain mixed with the shouts of “Naprzód!” (“Forward!”).
Despite losses, the Soviets continued their assault in second, third, and fourth waves.

The UPA fighters were satisfied — their machine guns were mowing down the enemy like weeds, and the enemy was wasting its strength.
But the Soviets didn’t retreat.
Seeing they couldn’t break the defense, and with a tenfold numerical advantage, they brought up mortars and heavy machine guns.

“We did not lose hope and answered them with the fire of our own guns.”

Although the enemy fell like flies, the shouted orders “Forward!” drove them on.
Soon the Soviets reached the edge of the village and began setting houses on fire.
The UPA answered with submachine-gun fire.
The men fought like lions.

When platoon leader Wilk and section leader Sowa fell repelling another attack, Wesełyj ordered a withdrawal on the right flank.
The center line, commanded by Hytrolis, continued firing to cover the retreat.
On the left flank, the fight went on.
The men stood their ground bravely, though voices were heard that ammunition was running low.

The battle had already lasted four hours.
The battalion adjutant sent Oles to contact the center and right wings.
He returned halfway, reporting that the right flank had completely withdrawn and the center was falling back.

Final Moments of the Battle

Once more, gunfire erupted.
Platoon commander Grań and section leader Grim shouted to the machine-gunner:

“Aim carefully – every bullet counts!”

He hadn’t finished the sentence when two Soviet soldiers appeared, raising their PPSh submachine guns to strike from behind.
Before they could fire, the political officer, with one burst from his PPSh, cut them down instantly.

The Soviets pressed forward, encircling the left flank from three sides.
The adjutant ordered a full retreat.
Some men escaped directly into the mountains, others along the forest ravine, pursued closely by the Soviets.

By evening, the riflemen regrouped at a designated spot in the Smereczański forest, and the entire sotnia, together with the local self-defense unit, moved toward Beskidnik.

Aftermath

Those who failed to flee the village were, according to Jaworienko,

“tortured and beaten by the Bolshevik man-eating beasts.”

That day, 33 unarmed civilians were killed, and the entire village was burned — only six houses survived.

“This was how the Red saviors ‘liberated’ the Ukrainian Lemko land.”

Yet, as the chaplain wrote,

“The blood of the martyrs was not shed in vain.”

The Ukrainian insurgents avenged them, killing a Soviet captain and 86 of his men, and wounding many others.
The sotnia lost 14 men killed and one wounded.

Mapa bitwy w Strubowiskach z książki “W Lasach Łemkowszczyzny”

An Eyewitness Account by Yuriy Sywanycz, a Resident of the Village of Przysłup

On March 21, 1945, the village of Strubowiska was attacked by NKVD units together with detachments of the Polish Army. At that time, members of the “Veselyi” (Cheerful) UPA sotnia (company) were quartered in the village. Some of them were suffering from typhus and were being treated in various cottages. Suddenly, a messenger brought word that a large military force was approaching from the direction of Cisna. The UPA units began preparing to march out and evacuate the sick.

The village head, Stakhurskyi, pleaded with them to stay and defend the village against the enemy instead of leaving. The partisans agreed and took up defensive positions away from the houses. When the enemy approached, they unleashed a hail of bullets. Neither the Poles nor the Russians had expected such a “welcome.” Many were killed, and many others were wounded. A Russian captain (Golovienko) was also killed, and medics worked frantically to save him. They said he had survived the long march from Lenino to Berlin, only to meet his death at the hands of the “Khakhols” (a derogatory term for Ukrainians). (Editor’s note: this refers to the commander of the reserve battalion, who was killed near the end of the battle.)

On the insurgents’ side, 15 men were killed. They were buried outside the fence of the local cemetery. Another witness, Semen Pliszka (who dug the graves and buried the bodies), later recounted the event. It is believed, though not confirmed, that the fallen were later reinterred in the cemetery.

That same day, the Polish Army together with NKVD soldiers began burning the village. It was a terrible sight—one I will never forget. The village burned to the ground. Out of seventy cottages, only three survived. The enemy inflicted unimaginable cruelty upon the civilians, driven by a wild desire for revenge. Four innocent families were killed, including four children, along with four random residents of Strubowiska. Elderly people who were unable to flee into the forest were caught by soldiers near their burning homes and deported to Ukraine, most of whom never returned.

A resident of Wetlina recalled that those who escaped during the battle to nearby villages survived. When the NKVD soldiers entered Strubowiska, only 26 people remained—mostly the elderly and children. They were herded into houses that were then set on fire. Those who tried to flee the burning buildings were shot and thrown back into the flames. In this way, everyone who had stayed behind perished.

The Battle of Strubowiska

Account written by George Warholic in 1996, based on testimonies of local residents.

The history of Strubowiska is tragic—the village became one of the first postwar victims of the civil war in the Bieszczady region. In September 1944, Nazi forces were driven from the area by Soviet troops. Strubowiska was under the administration of the Cisna commune, where a local government office and a Citizens’ Militia post were established, recruiting many young men from nearby villages. The local population, relieved that the war had ended, believed that peaceful times had finally arrived.

Soviet soldiers were advancing westward, clearing southern Poland of the remaining German forces that had sought refuge in the Carpathian region. Among them were remnants of the 14th SS Division “Galizien,” infamous for its brutality. This unit had been formed by the Germans from Ukrainian nationalists in the Soviet-occupied territories in 1941. In June 1944, the division was crushed by Soviet troops in battles on Volhynia. Only about 5,000 men—one-third of the division—survived. Many of the survivors fled to the Bieszczady Mountains, where they joined the UPA, considering the Carpathians a favorable area for guerrilla warfare. Refugees from Soviet territory cooperated with German officers, civil administrators, the SS, and members of the so-called Einsatzgruppen—special units tasked with exterminating intellectuals, officials, and other people deemed dangerous by the Germans. All these elements sought safe haven in the Bieszczady region. Their ideological justification was the expectation of an imminent Third World War between the West and the Soviet Union.

The UPA units felt comfortable in this mountainous, forested region, guarded only by small Soviet and militia detachments. The 400,000-strong Polish People’s Army was at that time fighting in central and northern Poland. In these conditions, Ukrainian nationalists began building a powerful underground army in the Carpathian forests. In 1946–1947, this army would wage a civil war against Polish armed forces.

The first signs of the coming conflict appeared in 1944. In September, the UPA massacred 42 people during Mass in Baligród. (According to Luba Danyliv, the massacre in Baligród was revenge for earlier events in Zawadka Morochowska, where the entire village had been wiped out by Soviet and Polish troops.) A little earlier, the UPA murdered a group of people returning home from church in Komańcza.

During the winter of 1944–1945, small UPA groups left their scattered forest camps and merged into larger formations known as “sotnias” (hundreds). From Jawornik, south of Wetlina, the sotnia commanded by Veselyi moved to Strubowiska for the winter. Veselyi was born in Ternopil County and had previously served as a noncommissioned officer in the SS “Galizien” Division. He was known for his cruelty toward both Poles and Ukrainians. In the UPA, he first commanded a squad, then a platoon, and finally a sotnia. In February 1945, part of his unit attacked a militia post in Zatwarnica, killing four militiamen. This incident alarmed the Soviet command stationed in Wetlina.

The residents of Strubowiska secretly informed the militia post in Cisna about the situation in the village (Veselyi’s troops were disliked by the locals because of their behavior). The sotnia began forcibly conscripting young men into the UPA. Civilian reports allowed the militia to prepare an operation to free the group of young men “recruited” by force.

On March 21, 1945, two companies of Soviet infantry surrounded the village. A third company, under Colonel Stiepushkin, remained in reserve.

The sotnia’s chaplain, A. Yavorienko, wrote in his diary that day:
“On the evening of March 20, Veselyi went to see kurin commander Bir for orders, leaving his adjutant in charge. Early on March 21, our patrol reported that militiamen from Cisna together with Bolsheviks were in the village of Krzywe. After a short discussion with his adjutant, the sentry Bilyi, the unit’s doctor Horyslav, and the priest, Veselyi decided that on the first day of spring, the Russians must be given a good lesson… No one expected such a large enemy force.”

Around 7 a.m., the village was completely surrounded by Soviet troops and militiamen. It was a freezing day, and the soldiers lay on open ground. The UPA was given one hour to surrender and leave the village, in order to spare the civilians’ lives and property. When no response came by 8:20, Colonel Stiepushkin gave them another hour. Civilians were informed that they could leave their homes and cross the line to safety. Several women carrying children ran out of the houses. When they reached the soldiers’ line, some soldiers stood up to help them. Suddenly, machine guns opened fire from the village windows, killing the women, the children, and several soldiers. Only one small boy survived.

A red flare fired by the colonel signaled the attack. Militiamen from Cisna, who knew which houses were occupied by the UPA, guided the troops. Fighting erupted around every house. The UPA had prepared strong defensive positions. One house containing an ammunition depot exploded, killing everyone nearby. By evening, most of the village had been cleared of UPA fighters, though shots still rang out from a few houses. Soviet flares illuminated the battlefield, revealing enemy movements. Suddenly, a group of women was seen fleeing the village—but suspiciously, they carried no children. In the flare’s light, a soldier noticed that one of the “women” was holding a machine gun. Both sides opened fire, and there were casualties. The “women” retreated back into the houses.

The UPA began setting fire to the village. In the glow of the flames, they ran and shot as they tried to escape. Soldiers also opened fire. The reserve battalion was brought in to encircle the battlefield. Only a few UPA members survived the fight.

Early on March 22, the battle of Strubowiska was over. Eighty-four bodies were found on the battlefield. Every house in the village had been burned. Among the attackers, only a few were killed, including Captain Golovienko, commander of the reserve company. The soldiers remained in the village all day, searching for weapons and ammunition.

That evening, Soviet troops withdrew eastward, leaving the village in ruins. Civilians, using horse-drawn sleds, left with them, taking whatever personal belongings they could salvage. They went to Ustrzyki Górne, from where they were deported to the Soviet Union. In his report, a Soviet officer wrote: “Tragedy and pain were written on their faces.”

By the end of April 1945, Colonel Stiepushkin’s units had left the area. A detachment of the Polish Army took over in Cisna. Their task was extremely difficult—to clear the entire Bieszczady region of remaining UPA elements. The civil war lasted through 1946–1947. During that time, no one lived in Strubowiska. Veselyi himself was eventually killed in battle.

Strubowiska 1944–1947 in the Memories of Its Inhabitants

Recollections of the villagers (Danna and Luba Danyliv) from the final months of the war through the battle between UPA partisans and Soviet and Polish troops, and the subsequent deportation of the village—recorded by George Warholic based on interviews with Michał and Danna Bereżański and Luba Danyliv.

Michał Bereżański

Michał Bereżański
Son of Ivan and Maria (née Podolak) Bereżański. Born in 1926 in Strubowiska. He married Bohdanna A. Danyliv from Smerek (born May 3, 1923, in Caryńskie – died December 12, 2012, in New York). Bohdanna’s sister, Luba (born 1928), is the author of many of the recollections that form the basis of this article. After Operation Vistula, Michał’s family was resettled in Trzebiatów, near Koszalin. Michał and Bohdanna emigrated to the United States in December 1965 and settled in New York. Michał Bereżański is also the author of the map of Strubowiska, which is discussed on our website. In 1945, Michał was 19 years old. After the arrival of the Soviets, due to his young age, he avoided conscription—since the draft applied only to men aged 24–25.

The Beginning of the End of Strubowiska

In 1944, Strubowiska was occupied by German forces. They were surrounded by Soviet partisans. Beyond that line was the front, and behind it—the UPA. The village was trapped and its people suffered at the hands of all sides, one after another.

The first signs of the end for Strubowiska came in September 1944 (22.09.1944), when the Red Army entered the area—Luba was then 16 years old. Soviet propaganda began encouraging the villagers to voluntarily relocate to the Soviet Union. They were told that “life there is like heaven and everyone is rich.” Some residents of neighboring villages sympathized with the Soviets, believed the propaganda, and moved to the USSR voluntarily. However, none of the inhabitants of Strubowiska or Smerek wanted to leave. Only one family from the area agreed to go, but they returned to Poland a year later. Until March 1945, very few residents had left. The Soviets then announced that the village must be completely evacuated by September 1945.

The Battle of Strubowiska

From December 1944 to January 1945, a UPA detachment was stationed in Smerek, and later moved to Strubowiska. On Wednesday, March 21, 1945, Soviet troops, Polish soldiers, and militiamen from Cisna surrounded the village to eliminate the UPA. Both Soviet and Polish forces were under Soviet command. A battle began, during which the entire village was burned down.

When asked whether UPA soldiers had actually stayed in houses within the village, Michał Bereżański denied it. He also stated that it was untrue that UPA fighters escaped dressed as women. The night before the attack, Michał was summoned by “Veselyi” (the UPA commander) and given a secret message to deliver to Smerek. The letter was folded into a tiny packet so that it could be swallowed if he was caught. He and his cousin went to Smerek to meet with the local self-defense unit. They had been given a password, but upon arrival were told it was incorrect and were taken to the UPA headquarters. Michał returned home late that evening.

Early the next morning, his mother woke him saying, “Michał, get up—something’s happening in the village. All the partisans have fled.” All the men, including Michał, left the village and ran into the forest or the mountains. Only women and children remained, hiding in their homes. Civilians were not spared during the fighting. One of Luba’s acquaintances was killed with a bayonet.

Why were civilians killed? Because they were accused of aiding the UPA—even though the partisans were not quartered directly in the village but in the forest behind it, from where they fired toward the settlement. According to Luba, the attackers were “mad—like rabid dogs.”

After the Battle – The Struggle to Survive

The village was completely destroyed, but the desperate survivors tried to stay alive. They lived in cellars, dugouts, and makeshift shelters. All men over 15–16 years of age hid in the forests. The Soviet Army command was stationed in Smerek, in the Danyliv family home.

Bohdanna and Luba, along with their brothers, hid in Wetlina after the battle, where a typhus epidemic was raging. They took shelter among the sick, knowing that soldiers were afraid of infection and avoided houses with patients inside. On Saturday (March 25?), they hid in a house whose owner had died that very day. Typhus was transmitted by lice, which were widespread in the Bieszczady region at the time. Despite the risk of infection, they preferred to spend the night in a house with a dead body lying on the table beside a burning candle—rather than risk deportation to the Soviet Union. Soldiers entered the house asking about horses, saw the corpse, quickly shut the door, and never returned. The woman’s husband and their children (aged 15, 8, and 6) were also sick; another son was hiding in the forest.

The next morning, Luba went to see Danna, who was hiding in another house in Wetlina. Luba’s hair was braided in thick plaits; when Danna unbraided it, lice fell to the ground. Despite this, Luba miraculously never caught typhus.

The Soviets

The Red Army was stationed in Smerek, from where it made raids into nearby villages in search of UPA partisans. They hunted and arrested people suspected of ties to the UPA—or anyone denounced, truthfully or not, as a collaborator. Bohdanna and Luba’s parents were also arrested and deported (to another part of Poland). Someone informed Bohdanna, who disguised herself as a peasant woman with a bundle of hay in a scarf on her back, and went to her parents’ home. She stopped at a neighbor’s, who told her that one of her family’s cows had already been slaughtered and the second would soon meet the same fate. Fearing that if both cows were killed she would have no milk for her little brother, she returned home—only to be caught by Soviet soldiers.

They told her she would soon be arrested, but until then she would have to cook for them. Terrified of being poisoned, the soldiers forced Bohdanna to taste every meal she prepared. Later they arrested her and beat her brutally. Three weeks later, after the soldiers withdrew, Luba went searching for her sister. When she found her, Bohdanna’s back and the soles of her feet were black and blue from bruises. The soldiers had forced her to lie on the floor with her legs on a chair and whipped her with a rope. Her legs were so swollen she couldn’t wear shoes.

Deportations

After the March raid, the Soviets reappeared in the summer and again in September. They informed the remaining villagers that everyone would be deported to the Soviet Union. The Polish Army, recently withdrawn from Germany and led by a Soviet captain, also appeared. The Polish soldiers knew nothing of the Red Army’s prior actions. They told the villagers to hide, and marked their doors with notes saying the residents had already been relocated. The people fled into the mountains for two weeks.

The army returned in October—this time to carry out the deportations in full. Soldiers were ordered to find anyone hiding and send them to the railway station in Lesko. Troops camped in the mountains for three weeks, posting guards above the villages of Przysłup and Smerek to block escape routes. When Luba tried to flee into the forest, soldiers fired at her with machine guns.

Winter was approaching, snow began to fall, and the villagers still hid in the mountains, trying to survive the cold. In spring, after Holy Saturday (according to the old calendar), they again had to flee uphill. During that time, soldiers stationed in Wetlina used a small artillery gun to fire into the mountains. In Wetlina and Smerek, several houses were burned. The soldiers remained in the area until a week before Pentecost Sunday.

By then, Strubowiska and Przysłup had already been emptied of their inhabitants, and everyone knew Smerek would be next. People crept down from the mountains to fetch whatever belongings they could carry. Chaos reigned, and no one knew what to do. The army entered Smerek and began rounding up the villagers.

The troops deported everyone from the lower part of the village, below the church. A sign was placed in the middle of the settlement claiming that twelve families living between Kalnica and Smerek had already been relocated—though in truth they had fled into the mountains.

One Sunday, the refugees learned that 75 houses in Smerek had already been emptied, and that 74 more—those above the church—were next. On Monday, word spread that the village was on fire. The residents of the upper part of Smerek had been like one big family—but by then that family was broken apart. Some who returned to retrieve food or livestock were caught by soldiers. Around seventy houses were burned. The roofs were thatched.

That same day, some villagers came to the church and were told they could stay. No one knew what to do with the grain and food supplies. They feared that if they buried them, they might never find them again, but if they left them in their homes, they would be stolen or destroyed. In one house (the mayor’s, perhaps), there was a barrel of sauerkraut for the winter. The soldiers defecated into the barrel to make sure the residents would have nothing to eat. They smashed windows and destroyed everything. In Bohdanna’s family home, they stabbed a picture of Jesus with a bayonet.

Bohdanna Bereżańska (née Danyliv) with the image of Jesus that soldiers pierced with a bayonet.

The next day, at sunrise, everyone was arrested and deported. The only ones who remained were Luba, Bohdanna, and their mother.

The residents were told they would be transported to the Soviet Union. Luba and Bohdanna did not want to go to the USSR without their father, who was in another part of Poland. The soldiers checked with the militia and confirmed it was true. The family asked to go to Cisna and then continue by train to their father, which the soldiers allowed. They needed a horse, but had only a cow that had never pulled a cart. They sat and waited until they heard a wagon approaching. It was driven by a man named Dryhynych, whose wife had died of typhus while they were hiding in the mountains. He had four sons aged two to thirteen. He had not been deported because he was too ill to travel, but by then he felt better. During the deportation he tried to climb onto a truck, but the soldiers pushed him off. He had a wagon pulled by a cow, but it was already full.

So the family kept sitting at the crossroads by the road as trucks carrying people from Wetlina rumbled past, asking for a lift to Cisna. The soldiers wanted to help, but there was no room for belongings on the trucks. Then they saw that Strubowiska was burning again. They heard an explosion; Luba climbed a hill and saw smoke. After March 1945, some residents of Strubowiska had rebuilt their homes; now the army was burning them down again…

They waited for transport until the next morning. The following day they found a wagon onto which they loaded their things as well as Dryhynych’s, and set off for Kalnica—a trip of about three or four hours. In Kalnica they saw scattered, abandoned clothing, geese and cows in the fields, and several dead horses. Far from the road lay clothes that they recognized as belonging to a familiar family—identified by the distinctive embroidery on linen skirts and blouses. There was an entire trunk full of belongings and a broken sewing machine.

They headed toward Strubowiska. They stopped at the first house because it was raining. It was the only house still standing in Strubowiska; all the others had already been burned. They stayed until the rain stopped. Luba went to look around the other houses. Some were still burning. When the rain let up, they continued on to Przysłup, but between Strubowiska and Przysłup, on a hill, they encountered the army. The soldiers were walking single file along the middle of the road. They were stopped and questioned about where they were going. They explained that they were trying to reach their father but the trucks would not take them.

Luba looked around and saw a horse missing a leg, tied to a tree. Nearby stood a cow, also missing a leg. An officer assigned a thirteen-year-old boy to go over to the cow, which was about twenty meters from the road. The boy went first; the officer followed in his footsteps and shot the cow and the horse. He returned and told them to be careful and to keep strictly to the middle of the road because both sides were mined. The soldiers moved off toward Kalnica or Jaworzec. Dusk was falling.

They went on, but suddenly the cow stopped dead and refused to take another step. In the end it jumped from one side of the road to the other, and the wagon with their belongings landed in the ditch at the roadside—very close to a large crater from a mine explosion. Panicking, they unloaded the wagon and pushed it out of the ditch. They did not know what to do; they wanted to reach Dołżyca, since that village had not yet been cleared out. They hoped to find a horse there to get to Cisna. They agreed not to tell anyone they met where they were headed—you never knew whom you might encounter: a soldier, a partisan, or someone else. They would say only that they were going to seek help. They began looking for food.

At last they reached Krzywe. They spotted a man walking along the stream. Luba recognized him from the church choir. She asked whether he could help and told him the whole story. He could not help, but told them to go to Przysłup, where two Sywanycz families lived, each with a horse. Five families had remained in Przysłup and had not been relocated. It was June 12, 1946. The man added that the deportations of Ukrainians were to end on June 15, 1946. He told them to go to Dołżyca and find the priest. They did so. The priest told them the same and urged them to stay there until June 15. He could not lend them a horse because the army had taken it to assist with deportations from other villages.

They reached the bridge. It was already dark. They entered the first house and saw all the residents standing outside on the threshold. When they asked what had happened, they learned that the sentry watching the village from the hillside had seen a wagon approaching, so they all came to see what was going on. The village was empty except for five families. No one lit lights or fires in the stoves so the soldiers would think the village was deserted.

They spent a total of ten or eleven months in Przysłup in 1946–1947. At that time five families lived in the village: the Pliszka, Hriszta, two Sywanycz families, and the Wasylkow family.

Recollections of Katarina Rusin

(a native of Strubowiska, later living in the village of Rożniatów)

It was the summer of 1946, just the beginning of June—the spring had barely ended… Rumors started to circulate, people were saying that trouble was coming to the village, that there would be deportations to “Great Ukraine.” No one could sleep peacefully.

In the evenings the householders gathered to discuss what they had heard that day. Some said we should flee to the forest, hide there with our families, possessions, and animals, because they would take everyone away. Who would take us, where they would take us—no one knew. Fear gripped everyone: women, children, and men. People said they would deport us to Siberia…

Suddenly, unexpectedly, that terrible day came—the conflagration broke out…

The battle began above the village. When the first houses went up in flames, everyone realized the fighting was drawing near Strubowiska. Flames, smoke, the cries of children, shouted military commands—all merged into one terrible human wail that rose over the Beskids. Then came the moans and curses of the wounded and burned. The horrific neighing of horses and foals, the lowing of cattle, the mournful, unending rumble of trucks—all this still echoes in my memory, the echo of my beloved Beskids…

A dreadful word rang through the village: “Deportations!” We were ordered to take only what we could carry in our hands and in bundles. People were herded onto trucks and taken to the trains. They wept, looking back at their homes, the village, the fields, the forests, but no one believed it was the last time they would ever see them… A bloody glow from burning cottages rose over the mountains—the smoke of a homeland in flames—and no one could fully comprehend the tragedy that had befallen us…

Fifty years have passed… and still one cannot forget the suffering and the tears—the pain that not even the heaviest amnesia can cure…

The “Road of Tears”

Recollections of Halyna Fiodorivna Andreiko
(née Popovych, from Strubowiska, later living in Krehovychi), covering June 6–12, 1946:

The village burned during the fighting (March 21, 1945). Only three houses remained. Mounted troops arrived. We were given half an hour to prepare to leave. People from different villages were brought to Cisna, and then through Baligród to Zagórz. Along the way our cattle were taken from us and people were whipped. The “road of sorrow” added yet another tragedy—mines that exploded and tore people to pieces… Horrors unfolded: a mine blast overturned and shattered a wagon; horses and people died. A woman sitting on a wagon had her legs torn off. There was no help. Her daughter had to bury her mortally wounded yet still living mother alive. To this day she cannot erase that tragedy from her memory—she would at least like to visit the place once, set up a cross, light a candle—maybe the soul would feel lighter…

At the Zagórz station we waited two days; we were not even allowed to cut grass for the cattle that had not yet been taken from us… Then the train moved… we arrived in Sambor, then Stryi, then Stanislaviv. People began to settle in new places…

Recollections of Mykhailo Mykolayovych Kanyuk
(from Strubowiska, later living in Rożniatów):

I still cannot forget those terrible days. My native village lay on the left bank of the San River, at the foot of the Beskids. The householders were prosperous; they had land and many animals. The cruelties of the 1946 deportations, when we were forced to leave our homes, cannot be fully described. Terror seized me when I saw the weeping women and children. The road along which people were carried was lined with soldiers. We were taken by trucks to the station in Zagórz. Soldiers sat among the people. Fearing UPA attacks, they placed women and children in front of themselves as hostages and shields against bullets. The road was mined. Many were maimed or killed. It was a terrible road…

After a week we left for Ukraine; on June 12, 1946, we were already in Stanislaviv province at the Krehovychi station. From there people were transported to the villages where they were to settle: residents of Liszna to Tsineva and Ripne; people from Strubowiska to Svarychiv and Rożniatów; residents of Smerek to Krehovychi.

Recollections of Halyna Fiodorivna Lazoryshyn
(née Lutsyszka, from Strubowiska, Liski County; later living in Svarychiv, Pidmonastyr):

It was Pentecost. For the first time in their lives, people were not in their family homes in the Beskids, but far away—at the station in Zagórz, where all the deportees were brought. People looked at the forests and the train cars and remembered their cottages, their land, their streams. I will never forget the huge old pear tree I loved to climb… even now I see it all before my eyes… No one imagined they would never return to their homeland. Some old man spread a rumor that they would take us all to the sea and “throw us into deep water.” Each of us hoped to return home soon. Faith led people into the forest to break linden and hazel branches and decorate the train cars, as we used to decorate our homes for Pentecost. Could we have imagined what fate had in store for us…?

The train started moving, and the women, with great sorrow, began to sing:

The wagons roll over the high bridge—
In the third wagon, they’re taking Marusia…

Recollections of Hanna Yurkiwna Szlapak
(née Lazoryshyn, from Strubowiska; later living in Rożniatów):

I remember that terrible day when we were driven out of our villages. We went on foot, and those who could not walk—children, the sick, the elderly—were taken by truck. Our entire village was loaded onto three trucks. In the forest near Cisna, three mines had been planted; they exploded. Many were wounded, dying without any help…

In the evening we stopped in Zagórz. We wanted to milk the cows, but the Polish army gave us no opportunity to rest or to feed or milk them. We went into Zagórz for drinking water, but the wells were filled with the bodies of murdered people… In the evening we were put into train cars. People noticed that the wagons loaded with cattle had been uncoupled. They began to cry, to shout, and to demand the return of the cattle. No one knew where we were being taken or for what sins. Someone said we were going “to the white bears”… We arrived in the village of Krehovychi, in a foreign land… We began to settle. It was Whitsun Saturday—June 17, 1946.

Civilian Casualties in Strubowiska

The exact number of civilian victims of the battle of Strubowiska is unknown. Two Milawczak brothers lived in the village, each married to a sister from Przysłup. Soldiers killed almost the entire family. One brother was shot and fell into a stream. He hid under the ice and spent the whole day there, nearly bleeding to death, but survived. The daughter of one brother (Magdalena) also survived. The rest of the family (five people) were killed by soldiers—hacked to death and decapitated with axes…

According to a list compiled by Michał Bereżański, 32 residents of Strubowiska died during the fighting. According to participant and eyewitness Semen Pliszka, fewer residents died: 17 people.

List of civilian victims of the fighting in Strubowiska (per Michał Bereżański):

Kowal Andro (2 osoby)

Kowal Maria   

Miławczak Jurko (5 osób – zginęli porąbani siekierami)

Moskal Stańko (3 osoby)

Rusyn Magdalena      

Rusyn Mychajło         

Rusyn Iwan    

Rusyn Myhailo (3 osoby)

Rusyn Ewa     

Sałamaszczak Katarina           

Warcholak Dmytro

Warcholak Semen  (4 osoby)

Warcholak Maria   

Warcholak Anastastia (3 osoby)

Warcholak Mykoła (4 osoby)

The First Deportations to the USSR

According to Michał, in the first period after the battle, 10 residents of Strubowiska were deported to the USSR. According to Semen Pliszka, only six.

List of those deported to the USSR after the battle in Strubowiska (per Michał Bereżański):

Bereżański Stańko; Cehan Iwan; Kowal Ewa; Leszczyński Senkyl; Miławczak Iwan; Rusyn Anna; Rusyn Iwan; Sałamaszczak Jurko; Stachurskyj Stańko; Wowk Hryc.

The UPA Sotnia

The unit that stationed and fought in Strubowiska was the sotnia “Udarnyky 94,” commanded by Danylo Swistel “Veselyi.” The sotnia belonged to the 1st UPA Kuren “Udarnyky” (the Lemko Kuren), part of the 26th Tactical Sector “Lemko” of the VI Military District “Sian.” The kuren’s name derives from the nom de guerre of the first commander of the VI District—Yakiw Chorniy Udarnyk, who was killed in action against NKVD troops in the district. The kuren was organized in the spring of 1945 by Vasyl Mizernyi “Ren,” who was appointed commander by Col. Myroslav Onyshkevych “Orest.”

Order of battle of the kuren:

1. Sotnia “Udarnyky 94” — commanders: “Veselyi” (Danylo Swistel), later “Didyk” and “Brodycz” (Roman Hrobelskyi)
2. Sotnia “Udarnyky 95a” — commander “Chryn” (Stepan Stebelskyi)
3. Sotnia “Udarnyky 96” — commanders “Nychai,” “Buryi,” “Bir” (Vasyl Shyshkanynets)
4. Sotnia “Udarnyky 96b” — commander “Stach”

UPA Casualties

When asked how many UPA soldiers died in the battle, Michał said no one knows exactly. Some say 15, others 19 or 20, or 25. The book Gmina Cisna gives 50. In Eugeniusz Misilo’s Mohyly (Graves), UPA losses are put at around 10. Eyewitness Semen Pliszka saw the battle. According to UPA records, 13 partisans were killed:

• Czotowy “Wowk” (surname unknown)
• Rojowy Mychajło Orenczak “Sołomej” (36)
• Rojowy Wołodymyr Chajus “Sowa” (38)

Riflemen:

• “Buława” (surname unknown)
• Mychajło Danyliuk “Mucha” (29)
• Heroj (surname unknown)
• Wołodymyr Iwanczyk “Strum” (23)
• Stepan Komar “Trawyczka” (24)
• Wołodymyr Pidhirnyj “Dysk” (26)
• “Poticznyj” (surname unknown)
• Stepan Snida “Krywyj”
• Mykoła Wintoniuk “Czobit” (19)
• Wasyl Worobec “Popowycz”

According to UPA information, all were buried in Strubowiska.

UPA Commander Danylo Swistel “Veselyi”

(in Ukrainian literature: “Vesolohyi”)

Danylo Swistel “Veselyi” was probably a prewar captain in the Polish Army, born in Ternopil County and married to a Ukrainian woman. He did not have to “defect to the UPA,” because he never considered himself Polish. He had earlier served as a non-commissioned officer in the SS “Galizien” Division, and was known for cruelty toward Poles and Ukrainians alike.

Asked whether they knew the UPA commander Veselyi, Michał Bereżański and Luba Danyliv said they saw him and knew him very well, but did not know his real name—no one wanted to know it for fear of accidentally betraying him. According to Michał and Luba, Veselyi generally did not force young men into his unit; rather, he organized self-defense groups in the villages. Some men joined him voluntarily, others “not entirely voluntarily.” People had little weaponry—only a few pistols and some ammunition left by the Soviets. Veselyi met with villagers and assigned men by age group. They did drills and prepared to defend the village.

It is uncertain where and how Veselyi died. Some accounts say he fell in battle. According to Luba Danyliv, he was killed in Wetlina, where he was hiding while his sotnia was stationed in Jawornik in the mountains—killed by the Polish militia and the Red Army. The sotnia’s doctor was a man nicknamed “Hucula.” Veselyi was buried in the cemetery by the church in Wetlina, which was demolished in 1972. His grave was said to be by the road at the edge of the cemetery. No prewar headstones survive there today—only a single, modern metal cross stands (by the fence near the shop). According to the Historical and Sightseeing Dictionary—Bieszczady, Gmina Cisna, unreadable graves of UPA soldiers from Veselyi’s sotnia—along with Veselyi himself, Danylo Swistel—are located in the cemetery’s northern corner; Red Army soldiers are also buried in mass graves there. According to UPA accounts, “Veselyi” died on April 2 from wounds in a hunting lodge in Moczarne, near the Czechoslovak border.

Attempt to Reconstruct the Fates of the Residents (1939–1947)

We attempted to compile all available information from every source and reconstruct the fates of Strubowiska’s prewar residents. As a reference we used Michał Bereżański’s map, cross-checking house numbers and residents’ names.

Bibliography:

1. http://warholic.tripod.com
2. http://warholic.tripod.com/Strub_45_47.html
3. http://warholic.tripod.com/strubowiska.html
4. http://carpatho-rusyn.org/strubow.htm
5. http://kolejka.bieszczady.pl/historia-kolejki/
6. http://www.wikipedia.org
7. http://forum.milua.org/
8. http://zustrich.quebec-ukraine.com
9. Gmina Cisna. Bieszczady — słownik historyczno-krajoznawczy, Part 2, ed. Stanisław Kryciński
10. Maria Biernacka, Dawne oraz współczesne formy organizacji pasterstwa w Bieszczadach, 1963
11. Strzebowiska, Agnieszka Paluch
12. Słownik Historyczny Ziem Polskich © 2010, Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences
13. Maurycy Horn, Walka chłopów czerwonoruskich z wyzyskiem feudalnym w latach 1600–1648, 1976
14. Polegli w walce o władzę ludową, Zakład Historii Partii KC PZPR, 1970
15. Author’s own materials

Contact the author:
Email: jaroslaw.pawlinski@gmail.com
Mobile: 601 22 41 22