# Chernivtsi | Czernowitz | Cernăuţi (Ukraine)



## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

*Chernivtsi* (252,000 inhabitants) is the main city of North Bukovyna, a historical region in the south-western part of Ukraine. In 1849 it became the capital of a duchy (Austro-Hungarian Empire) and that favored a lot its quick development. _Czernowitz_ (that was its Austrian name) was known as a multiethnic city, its multiethnicity is still perceptible in its architecture.

*Part 1*

The railway station (designed by Otto Wagner):

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From the station up to the city center:

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St. Paraskeva’s Church (1844-1862), the first stone orthodox church in the city (the earlier churches were all wooden):

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

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The first Roman Catholic church (1787-1814 + later reconstructions):

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A sun clock (still showing CET, the actual time is CET+1):

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The ‘Shifa’ house (it resembles a ship, _Schiff _in German):

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

Still on the way to the old town:

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...and here is Central Square:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

Town hall (1844-1847), the city motto 'Viribus unitis' (_by joint efforts_; _with united forces_) comes from the Austrian times (as you can easily guess):

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The opposite site of the square invites you to recall the first historical record of the city (1408):

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One of the side streets is Ruska (Ruthenian, that is Ukrainian), the name comes from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church:

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It was constructed in 1820-22, but, unfortunately, in the 1930’s its classical forms were transformed into what you can see now:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

And this one is a Romanian church (constructed in the same 1930’s), its lateral dome drums are twisted (like in one of the medieval Romanian churches):

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An old sewer manhole cover (made in Vienna, as far as I can see):

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

Two old Škodas trying to pass each other on a narrow street:

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Back to Central square, this is its eastern side:

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To be continued…


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## aster4000 (Jan 28, 2010)

great shots....
will check for more.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Amazing photos from this town  ...looking very nice


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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

^^ Thanks!

*Part 2*

Emblems of Chernivtsi’s twin cities:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

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Town hall:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

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Museum of Arts:

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It has a very beautiful majolica panel in the Secession style that represents allegorically the provinces of Austro-Hungary:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

Western side of the square. The building with a Romanian flag is the Romanian cultural center, one of the National Houses built by the main ethnic communities of the city as far back as the Austrian times:

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Ivan Franko Street:

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A beautiful Secession detail:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

The former ‘Golden Lion’ hotel (1910):

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Another hotel, ‘Under the Black Eagle’ (mid 19th century):

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If you know Old Ukrainian, you can read that 15-th-century chronicle that first mentions the city:

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## Kevlargeist (Jun 11, 2008)

Nice, looks rather extensively renovated.


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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

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The main pedestrian street of Chernivtsi begins with the elegant building of the former Habsburg café, also known as the building of the Three Crowns (1898). Under the Austrians, the name of the street was Herrengasse, now it bears the name of Olha Kobylianska (the most well-known Ukrainian writer of Bukovyna).

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One hundred years ago the city was a melting pot of different cultures. The official language was German. Officially, it also was the main spoken language in the city… but the real situation was a bit more complicated, since most of the German-speaking residents actually spoke not exactly German, but:

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Yes, Yiddish. According to the census of 1900, it was spoken by 33% of the inhabitants of the city and by 16% of the population of North Bukovyna (Bukovyna means ‘Land of beech forests’ in Ukrainian, its northern part was populated mainly by Ukrainians, while Romanians were the most numerous ethnic group in the south).


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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

The name of the city is written in all of its main languages.

German (20% in the city, 5% in North Bukovyna; 1900):

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Ukrainian (20% and 59%):

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Romanian (14% and 15%):

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Polish (about 12% and 4%):

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One hundred years later, the situation is quite different: the city is bilingual, the second language (after Ukrainian) being Russian:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

This the former Europa restaurant (now its name is Dnister), the statue in a niche is Alexander the Good, Moldovan ruler that first mentioned the city in one of his documents:

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## Arcovia (Jan 4, 2008)

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