Berditchev

Berditchev (Russian Бердичев), or Berditchiv (Бердичів in Ukrainian), is an Ukrainian city located in the Oblast de Jytomyr, with 44 kilometers in the south of Jytomyr. In 2001 the population was estimated at 88.000 people.

History

In 1430, the Large-duke Vytautas of Lithuania took the control of the area of Kalinik. One of its being useful, Berditch, founded a Khutor with the variation.

In 1483, the Tatars of the Crimea destroyed the village. The partition of 1546, between Lithuania and the Poland, made area a property of the Lithuanian lord Tyshkevitch. In agreement with the Treated of Lublin (1569), the Volhynie became a province of the Union sports shirt-Lithuanian.

The monastery Carmelite nun (built in 1627), captured and plundered by Bohdan Khmelnytsky in 1647, was renovated and again operational in 1864. The Jewish community had been extremely important there, and was installed there for several centuries. Berditchev was one of the bastions of the 'Hassidouth being born. The Jewish cemetery covers an enormous surface, and is the subject of great work of restoration currently.

In 1846, the city counted nearly 1893 buildings, 69 of them were built out of bricks. It counted also 11 streets, 80 passages piétions and 4 parks. Honore de Balzac visited the city in 1850 and compared its more or less random development with a Polka, buildings leaning towards the line, others towards the left. This same year, it married there the Mrs Hanska, six months before its death.

Prison of Berditchev

At the first days of September 1917, following " the business Kornilov " , Kérensky made imprison in Berditchev the Russian generals implied in the attempt at Putsh. The prisoners 12 were: the generals Dénikine, Elsner, Erdelly, Markov, Orlov, Pavsky, Sélivatchov, Serguievsky, Vannovsky, the lieutenant Kletsando, the prince Krapotkine and a civil servant of the ministry for the war: Boudilovitch.

The generals Sélivatchov, Pavsky and Serguievsky were soon slackenings. September 6th, the authorities announced to the prince Krapotkine that no fault was reproached to him, it recovered freedom the 23.

September 9th at the evening an enormous and noisy crowd made hear furious cries close to the prison. A little later the president and several Members of the Commission of investigations into the business Kornilov (Chablovsky, Kolokolov, Raoupach and Oukraïntzev), announced to the prisoners that they would be transferred to Bykhov to be judged there with the general Kornilov. The howls of crowd making any interrogation impossible, the Members of the Commission nimbly left the prison, crowd dispersed.

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This account of the general Dénikine is extracted from " Decomposition Of the Army And the Capacity, February-September 1917 ".

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(...) Nevertheless, we impatiently waited the hour to leave the prison of Berditchev. But our delivery was increasingly problematic. The newspaper of the committee of the face, methodically, over-excited passions of the garrison. We knew that all the committees, with each meeting, decided to keep us in Berditchev; one made an unrestrained propaganda among the troops come from the back; one organized meetings and the feelings which appeared there were not débonnaires.

(...) The Committee of the face and the Soviet of the working deputies and soldiers of Kiev refused to authorize our transfer, despite everything the reasoning, all the protests and all the authorities of Chablovsky and the Members of the Commission which attended the meeting. With Mohilev, there was conference on this subject between Kérensky, Chablovsky (which returned to Pétrograd), Jordansky and Batogue. They fell from agreement, all except Chablovsky, to declare, unambiguous, that the face was over-excited, that the crowd of the soldiers was agitated and required victims, and that it was necessary to give an exit to the current, was this at the price of an injustice… Chablovsky started and declared that under no circumstances would it admit an attitude pareillement cynical, right justice.

This history, I remember it, astounded me. Without speaking about the difference of the points of view - of what the culpability of Kornilov consist did, since the minister-president admitted itself that The end justifies the means, when it is about the hello of the State?

September 14th, in last “authority of call”, there was controversy with Pétrograd. The Central committee ends up lining up with the opinion of Chablovsky and sent to Berditchev a resolution in this direction.

Thus our projected “lynching” was avoided. But the local revolutionary institutions still had a means of getting rid of the “group of Berditchev” without anything to risk - an easy means: to let act the anger of the people…

The noise had run that us would be taken along the 23, then one announced that it would be for the 27, at five o'clock in the evening, at the passanger station.

Nothing was easier than to make us leave secretly: either in the car, or in the middle of a group of pupils - officers, or even in coach - a narrow-gauge line ended in the body, of guard: it was going to be grafted on the ordinary way apart from the station and of the city. But this so simple process did not enter the sights of the police station and the committees.

The general Doukhonine requested Large General headquarter from the staff of the face if there were, with Berditchev, of the sure troops; he offered to send, to facilitate our transfer, a special escort. The staff refused. The general Volodtchenko, commander-in-chief, had left for the face the day before, the 26.

One, intentionally, had drawn the attention to our departure. The thing made noise. An unhealthy atmosphere of waiting and curiosity weighed on the city.

Kérensky addressed a dispatch to the police station: “it was ensured of the good sense of the garrison; this one could elect two deputy which would accompany the prisoners”.

As of the morning, the police station made visit all the units of the garrison, in order to obtain they it authorization to transfer us.

The Committee had organized, for two hours of after midday, i.e. three hours before our departure, in a meadow very close to our prison, a general meeting of all the garrison. This immense meeting took place, indeed; representatives of the police station and committee of the face announced there the decision which one had taken to take along us to Bykhov: they had kindness to inform their audience the exact hour of our departure and they invited the garrison with… acting reasonably. The meeting lasted strong a long time. After the fence, crowd, naturally, remained compact. At five hours, feverish, it surrounded the body of guard, from where one perceived, distinctly, one grondement threatening.

Among the officers of the battalion of pupils whom had sent the second school of officers of Jitomir and which was of service this day, was the first mate Betling, large war wounded; he had belonged, before 1914, with the 17th regiment of infantry of Arkhangelsk, which I ordered then. Betling required of its chiefs to replace, with the head of its half-company, the escort which had been indicated to lead the prisoners to the station. We prepared and waited, in the corridor of the prison, one hour, two hours…

The meeting continued. Innumerable speakers asked that we “be immediately lynched…” the soldier whom Kletsando had wounded pushed of the hysterical cries, requiring the head of the culprit… The assistants of the police chief, Kostitsyne and Grigoriev, the top of the perron, tried to calm crowd. The brave man Betling spoke also on several occasions, with vehemence, passion. Remainder, we did not hear its speeches.

Lastly, very pale, very moved, Betling and Kostitsyne found me:

- What do you order? Crowd gave her word not to strike anybody - but it requires that one lead you to foot to the station; impossible nothing to guarantee!

I answered:

- Let us go!

I removed my cap and made the sign of the cross: “God blesses us”

***

Crowd was delirious. We advanced all the seven - surrounded by a handle of pupil-officers ordered by Betling which was held at my side, the naked saber with the hand - by the narrow corridor, in the middle of a great flood of people which pressed us of all shares. Kostitsyne opened walk with about fifteen delegates whom the garrison had given the responsability to escort us. The night fell. From time to time, the ray of a projector placed on an armor-plated car cut darkness where thrown into a panic crowd was agitated. She grew unceasingly and rolled around us in avalanche. The air resounded of deafening howls, frantic cries, swearwords orduriers. Sometimes, the powerful but distressed voice Betling covered the storm:

- Comrades, you gave your word! … Comrades, you gave your word! …

The brave men pupil-officers, crushed on all sides, opposed their chests to the human flood trying to break their thin cord which surrounded us. From the ponds which the rain of the day before had formed, the soldiers drew mud handles that they threw us. We had the face, the eyes, the ears plastered of a nauseous and sticky mud. The stones flew. The general Orlov - a poor disabled person - had the torn face. Erdelly was struck. Me also, in the back and with the head.

While walking, we exchanged short reflections. I say to Markov:

- Isn't My dear professor, it is the end?

- It is probable! …

Crowd did not want that one went directly to the station. Five had to be made verstes by the main streets of the city. The mob was incredible. With all the balconies, the curious ones piled up; the women agitated their handkerchiefs. Up there, of the voices gutturales braillaient joyeusement:

- Freedom Lives!

The station was flooded of light. Another multitude awaited us there, several thousands of men. Two crowd merged in a bubbling sea, mugissante. One made us cross it - painfully. Everywhere heinous glances, a hail of abominable swearwords. Lastly, here the train. An officer - the son of Elsner - sanglote, cut down by an attack of nerves; he shouts with the crowd of vain threats; its ordinance surrounds it by care, the calm one, removes its revolver to him. Two ladies, are frozen there fear: the mother and the woman of Kletsando, who came to tell him good-bye… We wait one hour, another… One does not want to let to us leave thus. For a coach-prison is asked. There is not at the station. Crowd threatens the police chiefs. Kostitsyne is somewhat abused. Here a goods truck, very embrené of droppings - what a trifle! We go up there, without footboard. One to hardly hoist the unhappy Orlov there. The hands, per hundreds, seek to grab us, through the cord in a hurry and resistant of the officer cadets… It is already ten hours of the evening… The engine shakes. Crowd mugit more extremely. Two shots. Our train leaves.

The noises are deafened! The lights grow blurred! Good-bye, Berditchev!

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