PRIMARY SOURCES IN DISPLACED PERSONS HISTORY AT DEPARTMENT OF MANUSCRIPTS OF VASYL STEFANYK LVIV NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The goal of the paper is to characterize materials from Department of manuscripts of Vasyl Stefanyk Lviv National Scientific Library of Ukraine dedicated to the history of Ukrainian displaced persons after World War II. Source criticism going to be the main methodological aspects of the presented research. The research on post-war displaced persons is quite popular in both Ukrainian and foreign historiography and that is why the paper will add some new information to this topic. Among domestic researchers of this problem it is worth noting the monograph by O. Podobed, which studies the cultural life of Ukrainians in DP camps. N. Sydorenko is engaged in the study of the camp press. Lviv researcher L. Holovata also pays attention to this issue in her articles. The activities of the Soviet repatriation commission are closely connected with the history of Ukrainians in the camps of postwar Europe. L. Khromeichuk and A. Andreev published papers dedicated to the USSR’s attempts to «bring» its citizens home. About a dozen of Ukrainian archival institutions store primary sources to the history of Ukrainian DP camps. And now the Department of manuscripts of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine can be added to that list. The topics dedicated to the history of Ukrainian DPs are still incomplete in historiography and revealing of a new archives and documents will do much help for future researches. Conclusion. Most of the materials for studying the history of Ukrainian DPs are stored in the personal archive of Mykhaylo Demkovych-Dobryansky (Fond # 298). Documents related to the movement of the fundraiser to the United Kingdom from the DP camp are available for researchers. Also within the fond #298 are collection materials of Stepan Baran who took an active part in a life of Ukrainian DP camps. Other materials could be found in the personal poet Canadian journalist A. Bedriy and 1917‒1921 Ukrainian revolution military activist I. Hnoyovyi.