We traveled to Chortkiv while in Ukraine because one of our fellow travelers lived there after WWII. The roads are very good within Lviv and between Lviv and the border. Not so as we traveled eastward in Ukraine. It was much like my experience driving in Costa Rica right after Hurricane Mitch many years ago. There were potholes in the road that you could loose your car in. Driving at night was not an option, as a result. Driving speed was limited by visibility as well. Somehow, through dexterous maneuvering on the part of our driver and frequent questioning of local by our guide, we dound everything we were hoping to see in Chortkiv.
The town itself is much changed--while there were two large synagogues in town (both pictured here), they were no longer in use as religious facilities. In 1931, the town had 19,000 inhabitants, 22.8 percent of whom were Ukrainians (Greek Catholics), 46.4 percent of whom were Poles (Roman Catholics), and 30 percent of whom were Jews. Like Lviv, that population has dramatically changed. Unlike Lviv, it is not a charming place to begin with. We did enjoy seeing places from Lisa's youth, even though it wasn't a particularly happy time of life for her.
We traveled to Chortkiv while in Ukraine because one of our fellow travelers lived there after WWII. The roads are very good within Lviv and between Lviv and the border. Not so as we traveled eastward in Ukraine. It was much like my experience driving in Costa Rica right after Hurricane Mitch many years ago. There were potholes in the road that you could loose your car in. Driving at night was not an option, as a result. Driving speed was limited by visibility as well. Somehow, through dexterous maneuvering on the part of our driver and frequent questioning of local by our guide, we dound everything we were hoping to see in Chortkiv.
The town itself is much changed--while there were two large synagogues in town (both pictured here), they were no longer in use as religious facilities. In 1931, the town had 19,000 inhabitants, 22.8 percent of whom were Ukrainians (Greek Catholics), 46.4 percent of whom were Poles (Roman Catholics), and 30 percent of whom were Jews. Like Lviv, that population has dramatically changed. Unlike Lviv, it is not a charming place to begin with. We did enjoy seeing places from Lisa's youth, even though it wasn't a particularly happy time of life for her.
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