The settlement of Kolomyia was first mentioned by the
Hypatian Chronicle in 1240 and the
Galician–Volhynian Chronicle in 1241 a time of the
Mongol invasion of Rus'. Initially part of
Kievan Rus', it later belonged to one of its
successor states, the principality of
Halych-Volhynia. On the order of
Boroldai, the town fortress was burnt down in 1259. Since the mid-13th century it was known for its salt mining industry.
Under Poland (1340–1498) In 1340 it was annexed to Poland by King
Casimir III following the
Galicia–Volhynia Wars, along with the rest of the
Kingdom of Rus'. Sometime in the 1340s, another fortress was erected there. This move made the development of the area faster and Kołomyja, as it was called then, attracted many settlers from many parts of Europe. Apart from the local
Ukrainians and
Poles, many
Armenians,
Jews, and
Hungarians settled there. In 1411 the fortress-town was given away for 25 years to the
Vlach Hospodar Olexander as a gift for his support in the war against Hungary.
Decline With the death of Stephen the Great of Moldavia, the neighbouring state started to experience both internal and external pressure from the Turks. As a consequence of border skirmishes, as well as natural disasters, the town was struck by fires in 1502, 1505, 1513, and 1520.
Under Moldavia (1498–1531) Władysław II Jagiełło, needing financial support in his battles against the
Teutonic Knights, used the region as a guarantee in a loan which he obtained from
Petru II of Moldavia, who thus gained control of
Pokuttia in 1388. Therefore, it became the feudal property of the princes of
Moldavia, but remained within the
Kingdom of Poland. After the
Battle of the Cosmin Forest, in 1498, Pokuttia was conquered by
Stephen the Great, annexed and retained by
Moldavia until the
Battle of Obertyn in 1531, when it was recaptured by Poland's
hetman Jan Tarnowski, who defeated Stephen's son
Petru Rareș. Minor Polish-Moldavian clashes for Pokuttia continued for the next 15 years, until Petru Rareș's death.
Polish–Ottoman wars The following year,
hetman Jan Tarnowski recaptured the town and defeated the Moldavians in the
Battle of Obertyn. This victory secured the city's existence for the following years, but the Ottoman power grew and Poland's southern border remained insecure. In 1589, the Turks crossed the border and seized Kolomyia almost immediately. All the burghers who had taken part in the defence were slaughtered, while the rest were forced to pay high indemnities. The town was returned to Poland soon afterwards, but the city's growth lost its momentum. In 1620, another Polono-Turkish war broke out. After the
Polish defeat at Țuțora, Kolomyia was yet again seized by the Turks. In 1626 The rebels' centre was a town of
Otynia. was attributed to the
Habsburg monarchy. More details about the history of Galicia can be read in the article
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. However, as it provided very little profit, Kolomyia was sold to the
castellan of
Bełz,
Ewaryst Kuropatnicki, who became the town's owner. The magnate financed a new Our Lady's Church, but he lacked the financial means to accelerate the town`s growth. ) Prosperity returned to the town in the mid-19th century, when it was linked to the world through the
Lemberg-
Czernowitz railroad. In 1848 in Kolomyia was built a public library which was one of the first in eastern Galicia.
Under independent Ukraine (1991–present) It is now a part of
Ukraine, independent since 1991. By the time of independence the vast majority of industrial enterprises of Kolomyia had closed or had been eliminated: Plant "Kolomyiasilmash", "Zahotzerno", plant "Elektroosnastka", factory "17 September", a shoe factory, a woodworking factory, plant KRP (complete switchgears), the printing house on Valova St., a brush manufacturer, a weaving factory and many others. Also shut down were movie theatres; there had been four:
Irchan movie theatre,
Kirov movie theatre, movie theatre "Yunist" (Youth), and a summer theatre in the present Trylovskoho park (formerly named Kirov park). A film store of regional importance also closed down. As a result, many people found themselves unemployed, and many town residents felt forced to move abroad to find work. Those companies that have remained from the Soviet era barely function. These include a curtain factory, a paper mill,
Metalozavod, Plant
PRUT (programmable electronic educational terminals), a cheese factory, "Kolomyiasilmash", Kolomyia Plant management of building materials, Kolomyia Motor Company, a paper mill, a clothes factory on Valova St, a printing house on Mazepa St., and a canned fruit plant. Most of these companies were widely known in the former Soviet Union and abroad, as they were highly advanced in terms of equipment, skilled workers, and engineering staff. These enterprises produced many products, with people working in several shifts, and providing the village with received significant tax revenues. It is a
sister village of
Nysa in Poland, to which many of its former inhabitants had to move after the war. Since late 2015, Kolomyia has been the headquarters of the Ukrainian
10th Mountain Brigade. Until 18 July 2020, Kolomyia was incorporated as a
town of oblast significance and served as the administrative center of Kolomyia Raion though it did not belong to the raion. In July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast to six, the town of Kolomyia was merged into Kolomyia Raion. ==Population==