The first mention of Bolekhiv, originally called Bolech�w (Polish variant), dates back to 1371 soon after the conquest of the Kingdom of Galicia�Volhynia by the Polish Crown. During the 14th century the area was place of the Galicia�Volhynia Wars and its possession switched hands between the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Hungary, and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Hungarian Queen Izabela (possibly Queen Elisabeth) gave this property to one Danylo Dazhbohovych for meritorious service. But not too long after that the Polish King Jogaila defeated his former allies the Hungarians and the area became part of the Kingdom of Poland.
In 1546 Emilia Hrosovska established the local salt refinery in the town. The building of the refinery survived until the 21st Century. In 1603 Sigismund III Vasa gave the town the Magdeburg rights. In the 17th Century the region around the town was known for the famous Opryshky movement led by Oleksa Dovbush. Simultaneously the region started to be colonized by German population. In 1890, half the population was Jewish. By the start of the 20th century half of the town's population were Jewish, but of about 5000 Jews including children only 48 survived World War II. After the war the city became the Raion seat, but in 1964 its Raion was merged with the neighboring Dolyna Raion. Since 1993 the city has been under the direct Oblast subordination.
Bolekhiv Jews in World War II
On the 28th of October 1941, the Germans rounded up 800 of the richer Jews, doctors, and others from their homes, including the Rabbis, and marched them to Dom Katolitzi, a public building in the north of the town, were they were tortured for two days without food and finally taken to a nearby forest and murdered by shooting in what the Germans euphemistically called an Aktion. During these two days, the people were forced to stand in a pyramid, with the Rabbis naked on top, singing German praise songs. They were then thrown to the ground several
