Chernihiv Governorate



Chernihiv Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit of the Ukrainian State and the Ukrainian SSR, existing from 1918 to 1925. It was inherited from the Russian system of territorial subdivisions that existed prior to World War I. Specifically, Chernigov Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire. It included the territory of the left-bank Ukraine and was officially created in 1802 from Malorossiya Governorate with its capital in Chernigov (Chernihiv). Little Russia Governorate was transformed into the General Government of Little Russia and consisted of Chernigov Governorate, Poltava Governorate, and later Kharkov Governorate.

Chernigov Governorate borders are roughly consistent with the modern Chernihiv Oblast, but also included a large section of Sumy Oblast and smaller sections of the Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine, in addition to most of the Bryansk Oblast of Russia.

Administrative division
When part of the Russian Empire, the governorate consisted of 15 uyezds (their administrative centres in brackets):
 * Borznyansky Uyezd (Borzna)
 * Glukhovsky Uezd (Hlukhiv)
 * Gorodnyansky Uyezd (Gorodnya/Horodnia)
 * Kozeletsky Uyezd (Kozelets)
 * Konotopsky Uyezd (Konotop)
 * Krolevetsky Uyezd (Krolevets)
 * Mglinsky Uyezd (Mglin)
 * Nezhinsky Uyezd (Nezhin/Nizhyn)
 * Novgorod-Seversky Uyezd (Novgorod-Seversky/Novhorod-Siverskyi)
 * Novozybkovsky Uyezd (Novozybkov)
 * Ostyorsky Uyezd (Ostyor/Oster)
 * Sosnitsky Uyezd (Sosnitsa/Sosnytsia)
 * Starodubsky Uyezd (Starodub)
 * Surazhsky Uyezd (Surazh)
 * Chernigovsky Uyezd (Chernigov/Chernihiv)

Of these, 11 were in territory inhabited by Ukrainians: Borzna, Hlukhiv, Horodnia, Kozelets, Konotop, Krolovets, Nizhyn, Novhorod-Siverksyi, Oster, Sosnytsia, and Chernihiv.

Chernigov Governorate covered a total area of 52,396 km², and had a population of 2,298,000, according to the 1897 Russian Empire census. In 1914, the population was 2,340,000. In 1918 it became part of Ukraine and transformed into Chernihiv Governorate.

As part of the Ukrainian State and the Ukrainian SSR, the governorate consisted of 18 counties (povits): In 1919, the northern Mhlyn, Novozybkiv, Starodub, and Surazh counties, with their mixed Ukrainian–Belarusian–Russian population, were transferred from Ukraine to the newly established Gomel Governorate of the Russian republic.
 * Borzna County
 * Hlukhiv County
 * Horodnya County
 * Homel County (added from the Mogilev Governorate)
 * Kozelets County
 * Konotop County
 * Krolevets County
 * Nizhyn County
 * Novhorod-Siversky County
 * Oster County
 * Putyvl County (added from the Kursk Governorate)
 * Rylsk County (added from the Kursk Governorate)
 * Sosnytsia County
 * Chernihiv County
 * Mhlyn County
 * Novozybkiv County
 * Starodub County
 * Surazh County

In 1925, the governorate’s territory was redistributed among Hlukhiv, Konotop, Nizhyn, and Chernihiv districts (okruhas).

Principal cities
At the times of the Russian Census of 1897:
 * Nezhin – 32,113 (Ukrainian – 21,733, Jewish – 7,578, Russian – 2,366)
 * Chernigov – 27,716 (Ukrainian – 10,085, Jewish – 8,780, Russian – 7,985)
 * Konotop – 18,770 (Ukrainian – 10,290, Jewish – 4,415, Russian – 3,565)
 * Novozybkov – 15,362 (Russian – 11,055, Jewish – 3,787, Belarusian – 303)
 * Hlukhiv – 14,828 (Ukrainian – 8,621, Jewish – 3,837, Russian – 2,217)
 * Borzna – 12,526 (Ukrainian – 10,846, Jewish – 1,515, Russian – 109)
 * Starodub – 12,381 (Russian – 7,255, Jewish – 4,897, Ukrainian – 133)
 * Krolevets – 10,384 (Ukrainian – 8,328, Jewish – 1,815, Russian – 209)
 * Berezna – 9,922 (Ukrainian – 8,349, Jewish – 1,354, Russian – 144)
 * Novgorod-Seversky – 9,182 (Ukrainian – 4,884, Jewish – 2,941, Russian – 1,296)
 * Mglin – 7,640 (Russian – 4,840, Jewish – 2,675, Belarusian – 75)
 * Sosnytsia – 7,087 (Ukrainian – 5,068, Jewish – 1,840, Russian – 158)
 * Korop – 6,262 (Ukrainian – 5,309, Jewish – 865, Russian – 77)
 * Oster – 5,370 (Ukrainian – 3,229, Jewish – 1,596, Russian – 399)
 * Kozelets – 5,141 (Ukrainian – 2,834, Jewish – 1,632, Russian – 468)
 * Pogar – 4,965 (Russian – 3,800, Jewish – 1,159, Germans – 6)
 * Gorodnya – 4,310 (Ukrainian – 2,349, Jewish – 1,248, Russian – 604)
 * Surazh – 4,006 (Jewish – 2,400, Belarusian – 978, Russian – 559)
 * Novoye Mesto – 1,488 (Russian – 1,421, Jewish – 67)

Language
At the time of the Imperial census of 1897. In bold are languages spoken by more people than the state language.

Notable people

 * Elizaveta I. Gnevusheva (1916-1994), historian, orientalist, university lecturer, publicist