Ulian Romanchuk Political leader of Galician Ukrainians, public, cultural and educational figure Date of Birth: 24.02.1842 Country: Ukraine

1. Biography of Yulian Romanchuk
2. Founding Member of "Prolsvita" and Other Organizations
3. Political Career and Advocacy
4. Contributions to Ukrainian National Movements

Biography of Yulian Romanchuk

Yulian Romanchuk was a political leader of the Galician Ukrainians, as well as a public and cultural-educational figure. He was born in the village of Krylos near Halych into a family of teachers. Romanchuk graduated from the University of Lviv, where he later became a teacher at a gymnasium, teaching classical philology, and lived there until his death.

Founding Member of "Prolsvita" and Other Organizations

Romanchuk was a founding member of the maternal society "Prolsvita" in 1868 and served as its chairman from 1896 to 1906. He was also one of the founders of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in 1873, "Rodna Shkola" in 1881, and the Teachers' Society, where he served as the second chairman and later became an honorary member.

As an educator and writer, Romanchuk established and published the newspaper "Ridna" in 1873. He was also a co-founder and contributor to "Dela" in 1880 and the monthly magazine "Ruthenische Revue" ("Ukrainische Rundschau") in Vienna. In 1885, he initiated and led the People's Council, and in 1899, he co-founded the National Democratic Party, serving as its chairman until 1907.

Political Career and Advocacy

From 1883 to 1895, Romanchuk served as a member of the Galician Sejm, and from 1889, he was the chairman of the Ukrainian Sejm Club. In 1890, he was one of the creators of the so-called "new era" movement and later became opposed to it in 1894. He was also a member of the Austrian Parliament from 1891 to 1897 and 1901 to 1918. In 1907 to 1910 and 1916 to 1917, he served as the chairman of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Representation, and from 1910, he was the vice-president of the parliament.

Throughout his political career, both in the Sejm and the Reichsrat, Romanchuk was recognized as the leader of the small Ukrainian group. He fought for the rights of the Ukrainian language, the increase in the number of schools in Galicia, and against administrative abuses. During World War I, he served as the chairman of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Committee and the Ukrainian Cultural Council in Vienna.

Contributions to Ukrainian National Movements

In 1918, Romanchuk became a member of the Ukrainian National Council of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR). On November 10, 1918, he swore allegiance to the members of the ZUNR State Secretariat in Lviv. He had a significant influence among Galician political and public figures and was highly respected among the Ukrainian people. Romanchuk played a crucial role in the development of political, social, and cultural-educational life in Galicia.

As an editor, Romanchuk compiled monthly books and calendars for "Prolsvita" and was the author and compiler of textbooks such as "Reading for Lower Classes of Secondary Schools" and "Russian Reading for the Fourth Class of People's Schools" in 1879. He maintained active connections with Ukrainian writers and public figures in the Central and Eastern regions of Ukraine.

Romanchuk was also the editor of a collection of works by Ukrainian classics called "Russian Literacy." He published and edited the works of Taras Shevchenko in Galicia, including "Poetry" in 1902, "Collected Works" (Volume I and II) in 1907, and "Kobzar" in 1914. He conducted research on Shevchenko's poetry texts, wrote literary-critical articles, and initiated the publication of the library of Ukrainian classics called "Russian Literacy" by "Prolsvita," editing 23 volumes from 1904 to 1920.