Skala-Podilska

Skala-Podilska or Skala on the River Zbrucz is an urban-type settlement in Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. It was, at one time, named simply "Skala." ("Skala" means "cliff" in Russian and Polish.) To distinguish itself from another town with that same name, the town compounded its name, variously, to "Skala on the River Zbrucz" (Ukrainian: Скала-над-Збручем, "Skała Podolska" (in Polish), "Skala Podilska" (in Ukrainian), and "Skala Podolskaya" (in Russian).

History

Geographically, Skala on the River Zbrucz straddles traditionally Ukrainian regions and traditionally Polish regions. Because of this precarious location, it has a history of ethnic diversity and has been, during periods of war or political unrest, particularly susceptible to turmoil.

Prior to World War I, Skala on the River Zbrucz was part of the province of Galicia, on the eastern border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

In 1919 -- after World War I, the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Polish-Ukrainian War -- Skala on the River Zbrucz became part of eastern Poland. It was populated mostly by Ukrainians, Poles, and Jews. The town bordered the Soviet Union, from which it was separated only by the Zbrucz River.