# Borshchiv Raion

**Borshchiv Raion** (Борщівський район) was a district (raion) in the southeastern part of [Ternopil Oblast](https://www.edgepedia.org/ternopil-oblast) in western Ukraine, with the city of Borshchiv as its administrative center. It existed from 1940 until 18 July 2020, when it was merged into [Chortkiv Raion](https://www.edgepedia.org/chortkiv-raion) as part of the nationwide administrative reform that reduced the number of raions in Ternopil Oblast to three.<sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.mindat.org/loc-285125.html)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Area | 1,000 km<sup>2</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup> |
| Population | 75,340 (2001 census, 95.2% of the 1989 figure)<sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup> |
| Composition | The city of Borshchiv (the only city and raion center), the towns of Skala-Podilska and Melnytsia-Podilska, and 67 rural settlements<sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup> |
| Established | 1940; in 1962 it absorbed the territories of the former Skala-Podilska and Melnytsia-Podilska raions<sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup> |
| Abolished | 18 July 2020, merged into Chortkiv Raion<sup>[2](https://www.mindat.org/loc-285125.html)</sup> |

## Geography

The raion occupied the southern slope of the Podolian Upland, cut by canyon-like river valleys with rocky, often forested slopes.<sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup>

The Optymistychna Cave, a gypsum cave locality, lies within the former raion's territory.<sup>[2](https://www.mindat.org/loc-285125.html)</sup>

## History

The raion itself was created in 1940, and in 1962 it absorbed the territories of the neighboring Skala-Podilska and Melnytsia-Podilska raions.<sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup>

The 1931 census recorded 9,353 Jews in the town of Borshchiv, one of the Jewish communities of the Ternopil region destroyed during the Holocaust.<sup>[3](https://archiveobjects.s3.amazonaws.com/1/A.Kruglov-Holocaust_Ternopil_Reg.pdf)</sup>

**Abolition in 2020.** On 17 July 2020 the [Verkhovna Rada](https://www.edgepedia.org/verkhovna-rada) adopted the resolution "On the Formation and Liquidation of Districts," which liquidated all 490 existing raions and created 136 new ones.<sup>[4](https://decentralization.gov.ua/newrayons)</sup> Borshchiv Raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 and its area merged into Chortkiv Raion, one of five abolished raions (with Buchach, Husiatyn, Monastyryska, and Zalishchyky) absorbed there; the reform reduced the number of raions of Ternopil Oblast to three.<sup>[2](https://www.mindat.org/loc-285125.html)</sup>

## Economy and society

The raion was mainly agricultural, and its warmer climate supported a variety of crops including wheat, sugar beets, tobacco, barley, and hemp; orchards, animal husbandry, and beekeeping were also part of the rural economy.<sup>[5](https://www.umcontario.com/legends-and-legacies)</sup> Farming was the most common occupation, with generations of families working the same land.<sup>[5](https://www.umcontario.com/legends-and-legacies)</sup>

The raion had 405 km of automobile roads and railway stations at Borshchiv, Ozeriany, Ivane-Puste, and Skala-Podilska.<sup>[1](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)</sup> The town of Borshchiv, first mentioned in writing in 1456, received [Magdeburg](https://www.edgepedia.org/magdeburg) law in 1629, was occupied by Turkish forces from 1672 to 1699, and from 1892 hosted its first large enterprise, a tobacco factory.<sup>[6](https://esu.com.ua/article-37399)</sup>

## References

1. [Борщівський район / М. І. Пасічник // Енциклопедія Сучасної України](https://esu.com.ua/article-37401)
2. [Borschiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine, Mindat](https://www.mindat.org/loc-285125.html)
3. [The Holocaust in Ternopil Region (A. Kruglov)](https://archiveobjects.s3.amazonaws.com/1/A.Kruglov-Holocaust_Ternopil_Reg.pdf)
4. [Децентралізація в Україні: Райони](https://decentralization.gov.ua/newrayons)
5. [Borshchiv Legends and Legacies, Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch](https://www.umcontario.com/legends-and-legacies)
6. [Борщів // Енциклопедія Сучасної України](https://esu.com.ua/article-37399)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Administrative and cadastral territories › Intermediate territorial subdivisions › Intermediate subdivisions of Russia and the post-Soviet states › Raions of Galicia and Bukovina*

*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license