Golynka Shtetl, Poland (now Belarus)

The Jewish shtetl was just northwest on the outskirts of the village of Hołynka. Also known as Голынка (Golynka) in Russian, Hołynka in Polish, Галынка (Galynka) in Belarusian, האלינקע (Halinka) in Yiddish, and הולינקה (Holinkah) in Hebrew.

On old maps the shtetl's location is marked by six points on a circle.Today, the site is located in the area of the Hołynka reservoir and the Belarus-Poland border.

The Hołynka reservoir is just north of the old road to Kopczany, Poland which is now closed to any traffic following the WWII border changes that separate the two villages.

According to the 1897 census of Hołynka, the community population consisted of 687 persons, of which 500 were Jews. Seventy-two percent (72%) of the population was Jewish.

Hołynka is mentioned in the Pinkas Hakehillot, Encyclopedia of Jewish Communities, Poland - vol. 8 published by Yad Vashem. In 1869, Russian became the official language in all provinces of the Russian Empire. Polish and Lithuanian languages were replaced by Russian until after WWI.

The geography of the area is almost flat with an elevation of 425-435 ft (129-133 m) above sea level. The countryside around Hołynka is slightly higher in elevation.

After WWII, the national borders were moved so that Golynka is now located within a few hundred yards of Polish-Belarus border on the Belarusian side.

For more information click on: http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/golynka/history.htm