Galicia

Galicia (Polish Halicz), a crown-land belonging to the Austrian monarchy, including the former kingdoms of Galicia and Lodomeria, the duchies of Auschwitz and Zator, and the grand-duchy of Cracow, lies between the Carpathians on the S. and Russian Poland on the N., and between Silesia on the W. and Russia on the E. Area, 30,300 sq. m.; pop. (1890) 6,607,816. With the exception of 230,000 Germans and 770,600 Jews, the inhabitants are of Slavonic race, the western part of Galicia being occupied mainly by Poles, the eastern by Ruthenians. In religion about 2½ millions, mostly Ruthenians, belong to the Greek Church, and nearly 2¾ millions, chiefly Poles, to the Roman Catholic Church. The southern portion of the country is a high terrace, flanking the northern face of the Carpathians. Thence the land slopes away northwards, through a low hilly region, to the deep plains of the Dniester and the Vistula. There are many large rivers—those in the west being feeders of the Vistula, those in the east of the Danube and Dniester. The climate of Galicia is colder than that of any other portion of the Austrian empire, as it is freely exposed to the north and north-east winds. Yearly mean of temperature at Lemberg, 46.4° F.; mean of July, 66.9°; of January, 25.2°; annual rainfall, about 28 inches. The soil is for the most part fertile, and produces oats, rye, and barley in sufficient quantity for export. Wheat, flax, hemp, tobacco, and oil plants are likewise cultivated. Fruit-growing and market-gardening are prosecuted, also bee-keeping. Horses, cattle, and sheep are raised in considerable numbers. Wolves and bears are still found in the mountainous districts. One-fourth of the surface is covered with forests, which yield large quantities of timber for export. Salt is the most important mineral. But coal, iron ore, sulphur, lead, zinc, and petroleum are also extracted. The annual product of the petroleum springs is about 90,000 tons. There are about thirty-five mineral springs, most of them containing sulphur. The industries are few, and, except the manufacture of cloth and the distilling of brandy and of petroleum, not important. Trade, however, chiefly in the hands of the Jews, is pretty active. Lemberg and Cracow, the principal towns, have each a university; the former is the capital of the crown-land. Galicia is ruled by an Austrian governor and an independent diet; to the imperial diet it sends sixty-three members. Galicia takes its name from the old fortress and town of Halicz, on the Dniester. The original Slavonic inhabitants, the Ruthenes, were in the 9th century conquered by the Russians of Kieff. The western portion of the country was dependent on Poland, and afterwards on Hungary. In 1382 it was definitely restored to Poland, and continued to belong to that country till the partition of 1772, when Galicia became one of the crown-lands of Austria. In 1846 Cracow, with the territory belonging to it, was given up to the emperor of Austria, and by him (1849) annexed to the crown-land of Galicia.