The first document that refers to this city dates back to 1408,[8] when Chernivtsi was a town in the region ofMoldavia, formerly as a defensive fortification, and became the center of Bukovina in 1488. In 1538, Chernivtsi was under the control of thePrincipality of Moldavia underPolish suzerainty, later underOttoman Empire suzerainty, and the Moldavian control lasted for two centuries until 1774, whenAustria took control of Bukovina in the aftermath of theRusso-Turkish War.[9] Chernivtsi (known at that time asCzernowitz) became the center of theGalicia'sBukovina District until 1848, later becoming theDuchy of Bukovina until 1918. In the aftermath ofWorld War I,Romania united with Bukovina in 1918, which led to the city regaining its Romanian name ofCernăuți; this lasted until theSovietsoccupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Chernivtsi was under the control of theSoviet Union from 1940 to 1941, after which Romania recovered the city, and then again from 1944 until thedissolution of the Soviet Union, after which it became part ofindependent Ukraine.
Chernivtsi is viewed as one of Western Ukraine's main cultural centers. The city is also considered one of Ukraine's important educational and architectural sites. Historically a cosmopolitan community, Chernivtsi was once dubbed "LittleVienna"[1][2] and "Jerusalem upon thePrut". The city is a major regional rail and road transportation hub, also housing aninternational airport.
Aside from its Ukrainian name of Chernivtsi, the city is also known by several different names in various languages, which still are used by the respective population groups much as they used to be throughout the city's history, either in connection with the rule by one country or another or independently from it:
In "Documents of Western Russia" (Russian:Акты Западной России) published in Saint Petersburg in 1846 (Volume 1, page 32, document #21), the city is mentioned as Chernov'tsi (Russian:Черновьци).
A fortified settlement located on the left (north-eastern) shore of the Prut in a modern-day Chernivtsi dates back to the time of thePrincipality of Halych and is thought to have been built byGrand PrinceYaroslav Osmomysl.[13] Accounts refer to this fortress-city asChern', orBlack city; it is said to owe its name to the black color of the city walls, built from darkoak layered withlocal black-colored soil.[14] This early stronghold was destroyed during theMongol invasion of Europe byBoroldai in 1259. However, the remaining ramparts of the fortress were still used for defense purposes; in the 17th century they were augmented with several bastions, one of which is still extant.[citation needed]
Following the destruction of the fortress, later settlements in the area centered on the right (south-western) shore of the Prut River, at a more strategically advantageous, elevated location. In 1325, when theKingdom of Poland seized control ofGalicia, and came into contact with the earlyVlach (Romanian) feudal formations, a fort was mentioned under the nameȚețina; it was defending the ford and crossing point on thePrut River. It was part of a group of three fortifications; the other two being the fortress ofHotin on the Dniester to the east, and a fort on theKolachin River, an upriver tributary of Prut.[citation needed]
Saint Nicholaswooden church in Chernivtsi (early 17th century)
Map of theUnited States of Greater Austria, proposed in 1906, shows the city at the border of the areas inhabited by Romanians and Ukrainians.The city's coat of arms until 1918
In 1775, the northwestern part of the territory of Moldavia was annexed by theHabsburg Empire; this region became known asBukovina. The city became the region's capital, organized as theBukovina District part of theKingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, which in 1849 was raised in status and became known as theDuchy of Bukovina, acrownland of theAustrian Empire. The city receivedMagdeburg rights.[17] The city began to flourish in 1778 when KnightKarl von Enzenberg was appointed the chief of the Military Administration. He invited many merchants, craftsmen and entrepreneurs to help develop trade and other businesses.Saint Peter's Fairs (1–15 July) had given a new vibrant impulse to the market development from 1786. In the late 19th century the German language—due to the Habsburg and the very important Jewish influence—became the lingua franca and more and more newspapers were edited in German, also a remarkable literary production in German began in this period, featuring most prominentlyKarl Emil Franzos.[18]
During theMoldavian Revolution of 1848, while meeting in Czernowitz, Moldavian liberals formedComitetul Revoluţionar Moldovean (the Moldavian Revolutionary Committee) and commissionedMihail Kogălniceanu to draw up a new statement of principles,Dorinţele partidei naţionale din Moldova ("The Wishes of the National Party in Moldavia"), published in August. More liberal than the 9 April petition, it called for an elected assembly with extensive powers, including the right to initiate legislation, and expanded the local autonomy ofjudeţe, cities and rural communes. Kogălniceanu also drafted a constitution,Proiectul de Constituţie, which rendered the legislature the dominant branch of government, allowing it to vote taxes, draw up the annual state budget, stimulate agriculture, industry and commerce, reform laws, elect the prince, and choose themetropolitan and bishops of theOrthodox Church. Kogălniceanu, a futurePrime Minister of Romania, proposed that all orders of society be represented in the assembly, without calling for universal suffrage. Instead he proposed the creation of electoral college, giving the upper classes predominant power. Like most of his colleagues, he felt obliged to remain mindful of his era's social and political realities by recognizing theboyars continued leading role and limiting the participation of peasants due to their lack of education and experience. Among the Moldavian exiles in Czernowitz were alsoVasile Alecsandri,Gheorghe Sion andAlexandru Ioan Cuza.[19][20]
During the 19th and early 20th century, Chernivtsi became a center of both Ukrainian and Romanian national movements. In 1908, it was the site of the firstYiddish language conference, theCzernowitz Conference, coordinated byNathan Birnbaum. In 1910, Romanians and Ukrainians were almost in equal numbers with the Romanians concentrated mainly in the south and the Ukrainians mainly in the north.[21] WhenAustria-Hungary dissolved in 1918 after its defeat inWorld War I, two years of political uncertainty followed. During the short period of time,West Ukrainian People's Republic, was proclaimed inLviv on 1 November 1918. Prior to that, on 14/27th Of october, 1918 Ukrainian Bukovina executive committee was created, a constituent assembly to whom the Austrian governor of the province subsequently handed power.[22] In November, committee took power and controlled the Ukrainian part of Bukovina, constituting of Northern Bukovina, and including the city of Chernivtsi,Zastavna,Vashkivtsi,Vyzhnytsia.[23][22]
Building of Ukrainian Bukovina Regional Committee, former Seat of the state government of the Duchy of Bukovina
On November 3, 1918, a largeUkrainianBukovina Viche was held in Chernivtsi, at which the majority voted for reunification with theWest Ukrainian People's Republic proclaimed inLviv. It has further unanimously expressed a strong protest against the annexation of Bukovina to the Kingdom of Romania, and electedOmelian Popovych as a chairman of the Ukrainian Regional Committee.[24] On November 6, 1918,Ukrainians took over power in Chernivtsi,Yosyp Bezpalko was appointed as a mayor of the city.[25] At that time, a 2.5 thousand corps ofUkrainian Sich Riflemen were stationed in the city.[26]
The city's coat of arms from 1918 to 1940 and from 1941 to 1944
From 11 November to 19 December, Romanian army takes over Chernivtsi (Cernăuți) and formalizes Bukovina's annexation.[27] As the aftermath ofWorld War I, Bukovina together with Chernivtsi wasrecognised and became a part of theKingdom of Romania, which gained worldwide diplomatic recognition by the end of 1920 as an aftermath of unsuccessfulUkrainian War of Independence, asWest Ukrainian People's Republic wascrushed down together withUkrainian People's Republic by its neighbors.[28][29] During those two years, even most city residents did not know of which country they were citizens, with most assuming Czernowitz still belonged to Austria-Hungary.[30] German remained thelingua franca of the city and its suburbs for another decade. In 1930, the city reached a population of 112,400.[31] While Romanians formed the majority of Bukovina's diverse population in 1930, the ethnic composition of Chernivtsi County had a Ukrainian majority. Ukrainians made up 44.5% of the population, followed by Romanians at 25.5%, Jews at 16.7%, Germans at 6.4%, and Poles at 4.9%. The remaining population consisted of Russians, Romani, Hungarians, and other smaller ethnic groups.[21]
Soviet occupation troops entering Chernivtsi in 1940
In 1940, theRed Armyoccupied the area; the area around the city became known asChernivtsi Oblast, and was allotted to theUkrainian SSR by the Soviet Union.[28] The city's large Romanian intelligentsia found refuge in Romania and those that remained faced repression; while the Bukovina Germans were "repatriated" according to a Soviet-Nazi agreement. During a meeting of the Central CommitteeAll-Union Communist Party held on 9 September 1940,Joseph Stalin stated: "I like the city, Chernivtsi. I've been there, I've seen it."[32] Stalin most likely visited the city during the Austro-Hungarian rule.[33]
Under the regime of military dictatorIon Antonescu, Romania had switched from an ally of France and Britain to one of Nazi Germany; subsequently, in July 1941, the Romanian Army retook the city as part of theAxis attack on the Soviet Union during World War II. Chernivtsi would become the capital of the RomanianBukovina Governorate.[34]
Administrative map of the Governorate of Bukovina as of May 1942
In August 1941, Antonescu ordered the creation of aghetto in the lowland part of the city, where 50,000Bukovina Jews were crammed, two-thirds of whom would be deported in October 1941 and early 1942 toTransnistria, where the majority of the deportees died. About 60% of the deportees to Transnistria from the city of Chernivtsi perished.[35] According to the Yad Vashem database, 19,424 Jews who had lived in Chernivtsi before the war whose names are listed died in the Holocaust.[36] According to the Yad Vashem database, the number of Jews who had lived in Chernivtsi before the war and were killed in the city during the Holocaust was 2,478.[37] The number of Jews who were killed in the city of Chernivtsi itself, regardless of the place of prewar residence, was 3,372 according to the Yad Vashem database, with names included.[38]Most of these Jews who died in the city were killed by the German Einsatzgruppe D.[39] The total number of Chernivtsi Jews killed by the SS (Einsatzgruppe D) in July and August 1941 was 3,106 according to the Einsatzgruppe reports, while the Romanians killed 400, though survivor testimonies suggest that perhaps more people were killed.[40] The Romanian mayor of the cityTraian Popovici managed to persuade Antonescu to raise the number of Jews exempted from deportation from 200 to 20,000.[41][42] In October and November 1941, 28,391 Jews from the city were deported to Transnistria.[43] About 1,500 Jews from Chernivtsi converted to Christianity to be saved from deportation to Transnistria.[44] All the Jews deported from Chernivtsi in 1941, and all of those deported in 1942, were deported by train; half of the transports sent out in 1941, and all the ones from 1942, went toOtaci (Atachi at that time), typically middle class people, many of whom were able to take lei and valuables into Transnistria (just like the southern Bukovinian Jews), directly on the border with Transnistria, from where they crossed the border into Transnistria, and were not beaten and forced to buy food at high prices in a transit camp.[45][46] The other half, mostly working class individuals, were sent to the transit camp in Marculesti transit camp, where most gave up much of their jewelry and precious metals in exchange for food, and were often beaten and plundered by Romanian gendarmes, and from where they walked to nearby Atachi to be sent across the river to Transnistria.[47][48] A further 4,290 Chernivtsi Jews were deported to Transnistria in June 1942.[49][50] About 16,794 of the Jews were allowed to stay in Chernivtsi after that.[51][52] One of the Jews who remained in the city was Erich Goldhagen (see the page in German athttps://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Goldhagen), the father ofDaniel Jonah Goldhagen.[53]
After 29 March 1944, whenAxis forces were driven out by the Red Army, the city was reincorporated into the Ukrainian SSR. Over the following years, most of the Jews emigrated to Israel; the city was an important node in theBerihah network. Bukovina Poles were expelled by the Soviets after World War II. The city became a predominantly Ukrainian one.[citation needed]
Since 1991, Chernivtsi has been a part of an independent Ukraine. In May 1999, Romania opened aconsulate general in the city.
Until 18 July 2020, Chernivtsi was designated as acity of oblast significance and did not belong to any raion. As part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Chernivtsi Oblast to three, the city was merged into Chernivtsi Raion.[54][55]
Since the start of theRussian invasion of Ukraine, the city has been a host for refugees from the fighting in eastern and central Ukraine[56] and a resting point for refugees on their way to nearbyRomania.[56] Some Chernivtsi residents have also left the country.
The Chernivtsi coat of arms is framed by a bronze ornamental cartouche, and a red heraldic shield depicting an open stone gate with a figured trident in the middle. Under the gate, there are two crossed laurel branches, tied with ribbons. The crown of the symbol is the stone crown.[57]
The Chernivtsi flag consists of a tree, the top, and a rectangular cloth, the front of which forms framed by a red tooth-like ornament white background with an inscription in Ukrainian in the center, over which there is inscribed in Ukrainian: "Chernivtsi". Under the coat of arms, there is the sign "1408" – the date of the first written mention of the city. On both sides of the coat of arms and all four corners of the field are filled with floral ornaments and with the addition of two beech branches with nuts and leaves. The reverse side is formed by a yellow background with the coat of arms of Ukraine in the center with frames and ornaments similar to the front side.[58]
The mayor's honorary chain is a symbol of Chernivtsi mayor's authority, which is served on behalf of the territorial community. Founded in 1908 and restored in 2008. The symbol is a medallion with the inscription engraved on it: "From Chernivtsi community to freely elected head", on the reverse – "The foundation of a free state is a free community". The medallion is attached to a chain consisting of stylized coats of arms Ukraine, Chernivtsi region and the city of Chernivtsi. The symbol is made of gold colour metal.
The medal "To the glory of Chernivtsi" is an honorary distinction of theChernivtsi City Council, introduced to the 600th Anniversary of Chernivtsi (2008) in order to reward individuals who actively contributed to the prosperity of the city and its promotion in Ukraine and the world. The award is made ofsilver-gilt, it has a circle shape with a diameter of 28 mm (1.1 in). The medal's strip is white with red stripes, which corresponds to the colours of the Chernivtsi flag. At the bottom of the strip, there is a beech branch. The obverse depicts the emblem of Chernivtsi and the inscription – "To the glory of Chernivtsi". On the reverse – the official Chernivtsi logo, designed and approved for the anniversary. The medal is awarded, according to the decision of the executive committee of the City Council, annually during the celebration of the city day.
The official motto of modern Chernivtsi, "Спільними зусиллями!", is a Ukrainian-language version of the LatinViribus Unitis ("With United Forces"), the personal motto ofFranz Joseph, who personally bestowed the right to use it on Chernivtsi. This indicates a special attitude of the emperor to the city. Along with the capital of Bukovina, only the first naval ship of theAustro-Hungarian Navy (SMSViribus Unitis) was honoured with such honour.
The official ''Chernivtsi 600'' logo was developed and approved by the anniversary of the city in 2008. It was recognized so successful that it continues to be used. The main idea of components for emblem is based on the antiquity of the city, its exceptional architectural heritage and the hard work of its inhabitants. The symbol is made in the form of a blacksmith's work of art, which testifies to the soundness, prosperity, and success. The color scheme of the logo, represented by dark blue and yellow, has a higher degree of comfortable contrast and coincides with the colors of theState Flag of Ukraine.[59]
In the early 2010s, a new city logo was developed and approved, and at the same time the official slogan was affixed: "Chernivtsi is unique in diversity". Old and new symbols of Chernivtsi were chosen for its creation. To the left, in the foreground, there is a trumpet player who wins the trumpet tune "Marichka". In the middle of the background, there is the town hall. The formerMetropolitan Residence of Bukovina and Dalmatia which is recognized as the architectural pearl of the city is pictured to the right in the background.
The colour scheme of the logo represented in orange, blue and red, the name is purple. Such a combination is characteristic of tourism, which uses the notion of happiness, well-being, the joy of relaxation, visualizing positive symbols and images in a colourful, warm and vibrant colour scheme. The new logo uses old symbols from the "Chernivtsi 600" logo.
Chernivtsi is located in the historic region ofBukovina, which is currently shared between Romania (south) and Ukraine (north). Chernivtsi is located in the southwest of Ukraine, in the eastern Carpathians, on the border between the Carpathians and the East European Plain, 40 km (25 mi) from the border with Romania. The city lies 248 meters (817')above sea level and is surrounded by forests and fields. The RiverPrut runs through the city's landscape. The city is located in the Eastern European time zone in the region of meridian 26.
Chernivtsi is located at the intersection of the transport arteries: E85, H03, and H10
The city is located in a temperate climate zone. The climate is continental with mild winters and warm summers. The average annual temperature is +8.6 °C (47.5 °F), the lowest in January (−2.9 °C; 26.8 °F), the highest – in July (+19.8 °C; 67.6 °F). Winter weather usually comes on 28 November and ends 9 March; summer weather begins on 20 May, and ends on 10 September. The average annual rainfall in Chernivtsi is 621 millimetres (24+1⁄2 in), with the lowest – in October and January–February, the highest – in June–July. Sometimes there are heavy rains during the summer.[60] Snow cover is formed each winter, but its altitude is insignificant. The average wind speed ranges from 3.3 m/s (7 mph) in July to 4.0 m/s (9 mph) in January. The average annual humidity is 76%.
Climate data for Chernivtsi (1991–2020, extremes 1941–present)
The total area of Chernivtsi within the administrative boundaries of 2013 is about 153 km2 (59 sq mi). According to the functional purpose the lands of the city are divided as follows: land of residential and public buildings (64%), lands of agricultural purpose (17%), lands of industry (9%), lands of recreational and environmental purpose (5%), lands of general use (3%), commercial land (2%).[63]
The main water source of Chernivtsi is thePrut River in its upper reaches, which divides the city in half. Besides, there are six small streams and nine lakes within the city.
The relief is characterized by significant relief dip – from 150 metres (490 ft) above sea level in the Prut valleys to 537 metres (1,762 ft) in the western outskirts (MountTsetzino), which is caused by the location on theChernivtsi Upland.
Chernivtsi is considered to be a "green city": the large territory is occupied by parks, squares, gardens, alleys and flower gardens. Nine objects are recognized as monuments of landscape art. The city has a botanical garden at the Yuriy Fedkovych National University with a unique orangery. Among the relict plants growing in the botanical garden, a special place is occupied by a giantSequoiadendron.[64]
At the end of the twentieth century, the main pollutants of the Chernivtsi environment were industrial enterprises, including the MIC. In the 1990s much of them ceased to exist or significantly reduced production capacity and thus reduced industrial emissions. Despite this, 58 enterprises (38.4% of the total amount in the region) are the main pollutants of the environment. Approximately 1.2 tonnes of pollutants are released into the air annually (34.9% of the total area emissions). Non-methanevolatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide and substances in the form of solid suspended solids predominate in the structure of the emitted pollutants. In addition, carbon dioxide, which has agreenhouse effect, is periodically released into the atmosphere of the city. Emissions from stationary sources were 7.9 tonnes per 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) of Chernivtsi territory. Each inhabitant of the regional center accounts for an average of 4.8 kg (11 lb) of harmful emissions per year.[65]
In 2008, Chernivtsi established an Environmental Monitoring System (EMS), an information structure that integrates environmental monitoring organizations and industrial enterprises that pollute the environment or which may adversely affect the environment or its components.[66]
Since the late 1990s, transport is a significant factor in the negative impact on the environment. To some extent, the situation was improved with the construction of the first (2004) and the second (2010) queues of thebypass road, which connected the directions "Kyiv-Chernivtsi" and "Chernivtsi-Suceava". The problem of transit transport in the city will be finally resolved after the construction of the third branch of the bypass road, which will connect the directions "Suceava-Chernivtsi" and "Chernivtsi-Lviv".[67]
The population, according to the data of the 2001 population census in Ukraine, was 236,691 inhabitants. Among them, there 189,021 identified themselves as ethnic Ukrainians (79.86%), 26,733 asRussians (11.29%), 10,553 asRomanians (4.36%), 3,829 asMoldovans (1.62%), 1,408 as Poles; (0.59%), 1,308 as Jews (0.55%) and 971 as members of other groups (0.41%).[72][14] The city of Chernivtsi had 236,691 inhabitants in 2001, of which 187,465 stated that they spoke Ukrainian (79.20%), 10,353 Romanian (4.37%, out of which 7,706 Romanian called it Romanian, or 3.26%, and 2,557 called it Moldovan, or 1.36%), 284 Polish (0.11%), and 36,150 Russian (15.27%).[73]
Based on the last available Soviet data, the population of the city, as of 1 January 1989, was 258,375 residents. Among these, there are some 171,925 Ukrainians (66.5%), 45,865 Russians (17.8%), 13,017 Romanians (5%), 6,361Moldovans (2.5%), 2,205 Poles (0.9%), 1,725 Belarusians (0.7%) and 15,671 Jews (6.1%).[74] At that time, 62.57% of the population was Ukrainian-speaking, 30.18% Russian-speaking, and 5.18% Romanian-speaking (of which 3.02% said that they were Romanian speaking, and 2.16% Moldovan-speaking).[75]
The Romanian population in Chernivtsi started decreasing rapidly after 1950. Many Romanians fled to Romania or were deported toSiberia (where most of them died), and the remaining Romanian population quickly became a minority and assimilated with the majority.[citation needed] According to minority organizations, the Romanian minority in Chernivtsi is still decreasing nowadays as a result ofcultural assimilation and emigration to Romania.[76]
Chernivtsi once had a Jewish community of over 50,000, less than a third of whom survived World War II. Romanian lawyer and reserve officerTheodor Criveanu [he;ro], as well as the then city mayorTraian Popovici, supported by GeneralVasile Ionescu saved 19,689 Jewish people. Initially, Governor of BukovinaCorneliu Calotescu allowed only 190 Jewish people to stay, but Traian Popovici, after an incredible effort, obtained from the then dictator of Romania MarshalIon Antonescu an allowance of 20,000.[77] After World War II, the city was a key node in theBerihah network, which helped Jews to emigrate to the thenMandate Palestine from the difficult conditions after the War. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the majority of the remaining Jewish population emigrated to Israel and the United States. A famous member of this latter emigration is the actressMila Kunis.[78]
Chernivtsi was inhabited by Ukrainians, Romanians, Poles,Ruthenians, Jews,Roma, andGermans. During its affiliation with theAustro-Hungarian monarchy, Chernivtsi enjoyed prosperity and culture as the capital of theBukovinacrown land. Until 1918, the main language of the city was German, which, in addition to the Germans, was also spoken by Jews (together they made up half the population of the city) and even partly by Ukrainians, Romanians and Poles. AfterWorld War II, theShoah andPorajmos, and the resettlement and expulsion of the whole ethnic groups, including Germans and Romanians, this status was diminished. Today, the Ukrainians are the dominant population group.
Chernivtsi's change in demographic diversity is demonstrated by the following population statistics. Once, Romanians and Ukrainians formed the majority of the population. However, after 1870,Yiddish-speaking orGerman-speaking Jews surpassed the Romanians as the largest population group of the town.
Jews in Chernivtsi according to Austrian-Hungarian Census[79]
Native language of the population of the formerdistricts of the city according to the 2001 census.[81]
Ukrainian
Russian
Romanian
Moldovan
Polish
Belarusian
Chernivtsi
79,20
15,27
3,26
1,08
0,12
0,09
Sadhirskyi District
93,43
4,04
0,38
0,51
0,13
0,08
Pershotravnevyi District
77,45
16,22
3,53
1,43
0,12
0,09
Shevchenkivskyi District
77,19
17,08
3,70
1,02
0,12
0,09
According to a survey conducted by theInternational Republican Institute in April–May 2023, 82% of the city's population spoke Ukrainian at home, 15% spoke Russian, and 2% spoke Romanian.[82] This reflects the increasing proportion of Ukrainian-speakers in the city, from 79.2% in 2001 to 82% in 2023, while the proportion of Russian-speakers stayed stationary at 15%, and the percentage of Romanian-speakers decreased from 4.34% in 2001 to around 2% in 2023.[73] Most of the self-identified ethnic Romanians (4.36% of the population in 2001) and Moldovans (1.36% of the population in 2001) seemed to be Ukrainian-speakers by 2023.[72]
The total number of economic entities in the city is 25.4 thousand. On 1 January 2006, there were 6739 legal entities – business entities and almost 19,000 private entrepreneurs – individuals, primarily represented by small enterprises. The volume of sales and services provided to small enterprises is ₴578 million or 22% of the total Chernivtsi volumes. The share of the city's tax revenues is almost 35%. The most attractive for small businesses are trade and services, restaurant and tourist business.
Wholesale and retail trade, industry and construction are successfully developing in Chernivtsi. In 2005, wholesale and retail sales accounted for over 64%, industry – 23%, construction – 6%, real estate operations – 2.3%, transport and communications – more than 2%.
In the industrial sector of the city, there are 10 branches, which have 70 large enterprises with a total number of employees over 20 thousand people or 13% of the working population of the city. The annual volume of industrial production at these enterprises is about ₴775 million. The share of citywide tax revenues to the budgets of all levels of the industry is 21%. Defining industries in the city's industry are food, light, mechanical engineering and woodworking. Food processing companies produce sugar, bakery products, alcohol, oil, meat and milk, fruits, vegetables and other products. In the light industry, the production of garments, knitwear, hosiery, rubber and leather footwear and textiles prevails. Mechanical engineering is represented by the production of oil and gas processing equipment and agricultural machinery. The timber industry is dominated by the production of lumber, furniture, joinery and other wood products.
In 2005, there were 1922 trade enterprises, 609 restaurants, 892 services in the city. There are 22 markets and micro-markets in the city. ₴10 million are invested annually in their construction, reconstruction, improvement of trade conditions and creation of facilities for buyers. Chernivtsi City Shopping Complex, "Kalinivskiy Rynok" Municipal Enterprise is a modern multidisciplinary enterprise with powerful infrastructure. The average daily number of market visitors is 50,000 people, served by 9,100 entrepreneurs. The volume of services in 2005 amounted to almost ₴23 million, more than ₴18 million was paid into the city budget, or nearly 10% of the total revenues.
Almost all health care establishments of the region are concentrated in Chernivtsi. 39 medical establishments (hospitals, clinics, andpolyclinics) provide citizens of Chernivtsi with necessary medical care.[83] Medical services are provided by 4.47 thousand people, of which – 1102 doctors, 1902 – average health workers, 1473 – junior and support staff.
Municipal medical establishments provide the following medical services:
Emergency care (emergency care station);
Dispensary and polyclinic care (5 municipal polyclinics, a municipal children polyclinic, polyclinics of two maternity houses, a polyclinic of preventive examination and Municipal Dentistry Association, which includes two dentist clinics);
Specialized medical care (3 hospitals, 2 maternity houses, a tuberculosis hospital and a municipal children hospital);
Disease-prevention and anti-epidemic services (a municipal sanitary and epidemiological station).
Throughout the centuries Chernivtsi, as the center of Bukovina, was forming as a multicultural city with an atmosphere of tolerance, which contributed to the development of artists and artistic institutions across the ethnic boundaries.
The city has 2 theaters, a philharmonic hall, an organ hall (located in the building of anArmenian Catholic Church),[84] more than 10 museums, 6 cinemas, 31 libraries, a palace of culture, 4 music schools and a fine arts school.[85] The city has more than 100 religious organizations and diocesan authorities. More than a dozen of active non-profit cultural organizations operate in Chernivtsi, including Adam Mickiewicz Polish Culture Society, Mihai Eminescu Romanian Culture Society and the Society of Austrian and German Culture.[86] TheNational Palace of the Romanians of Chernivtsi [ro;uk] is a building of great relevance for the ethnic Romanians of the city and the surrounding area.[87]
Since 1997 Chernivtsi has hosted an international art event under "Days of European Culture Heritage" project. Every year "Bukovinian Meetings" folklore festival is held during the City Day in which art groups from Poland, Hungary, Romania and Germany take part.[86]
Important part of Chernivtsi cultural life is Malanka Fest, Ukraine's main carnival timed to the religious St. Melania ("Malanka") Day and St. Basil Day. The festival is usually held on 14 January, although the date may be moved to match the weekend.[88] During the Festival groups from different towns and settlements of Bukovina compete in the artistic ingenuity.
One of the biggestliterary festival in Ukraine is theMeridian Czernowitz International Poetic Festival. The purpose of the festival is to return Chernivtsi to the cultural map of Europe and to develop a dialogue between contemporary Ukrainian poets and their foreign colleagues.[89] The festival saw the participants from more than 13 different countries.[90]
Several of the publications ofUkraine's Romanian minority are published in Chernivtsi, includingZorile Bucovinei,Concordia,Libertatea Cuvântului,Curierul de Cernăuți,Arcașul andSeptentrion literar. Cernăuți TV, a private Romanian-language TV channel is also headquartered in Chernivtsi.[91]
Chernivtsi Museum of Local LoreVolodymyr Ivasyuk Memorial MuseumMuseum of the Diaspora of Bukovina
Chernivtsi Museum of Local Lore has the largest collection of materials and artifacts of the nature, history, and culture ofNorthern Bukovina: a collection of old printed books with a uniqueOstroh Bible, printed byIvan Fedorov in 1581; numismatic collection with more than 3 thousand coins; a collection of weapons; an archaeological collection of more than 12,000 objects. The museum hosts a collection of works of fine and decorative arts, the basis of which consists of icons of the 16th to 18th centuries and works of prominent Bukovinian artists. The natural collection includes nearly 10,000 specimens, including taxidermy, herbarium and entomological collections.
Chernivtsi Regional Art Museum. The museum is located in an Art Nouveau monument of architecture of national significance. The total number of exhibits in the museum exceeds 10,000, including a collection of unique Bukovinian folk and religious images, rugs and glass icons of the 19th and 20th centuries, Bukovina andHutsulpysankas, old printed books, isuch as the 1632 printing of "The Apostle" and a number of academic and modernist paintings.[92]
History and Culture Museum of Bukovinian Jews, located in the former Jewish People's House (now the Central Palace of Culture).[93] The museum hosts a collection of exhibits on the religious and secular lives of Bukovina Jewish community from 18th to the middle of the 20th century, including books, documents, photographs, costumes and decorative arts.
Chernivtsi Museum of Folk Architecture and Folkways, an architectural and landscape complex consisting of monuments of folk architecture of the late 18th to the first half of the 20th centuries.[94] The exposition of the museum includes about 35 structures, transported from different parts of the region and rebuilt in their original forms with appropriate natural surroundings.
There are many places which attract residents and visitors of Chernivtsi: Drama Theatre, Regional Philharmonic Society, Organ and Chamber Music Hall, puppet theatre, Museum of Local Lore, History and Economy, Museum of Fine Arts, Bukovinian Diaspora Museum, Museum of Folk Architecture and Way of Life, memorial museums of writers, the Central Palace of Culture, the Star Alley in Teatralna Square.
Teatralna Square
The city of Chernivtsi has a lot of architecturally important buildings. Many historic buildings have been preserved, especially within the city's center.
As Chernivtsi was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was closely related to the empire's culture, including architecture.[citation needed] Main architectural styles present within the city includeVienna Secession andNeoclassicism,Baroque, lateGothic architecture, and fragments of traditional Ukrainian and Moldavian architecture,Byzantine architecture as well asCubism.[95] During the Interwar Romanian administration, a great number of buildings in the Neo-Romanian and Art Deco architectural styles were also built. The city is sometimes dubbedLittle Vienna, because its architecture is reminiscent of the Austro-Hungarian capitalVienna.[1][2]
TheCzech architectJosef Hlávka designed, in 1864–1882, the buildings that currently house theChernivtsi State University. They were originally the residence of the Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans. The Romanesque and Byzantine architecture is embellished with Ukrainian traditional architecture andmotifs of Ukrainian folk art; for example, the tile roof patterns duplicate the geometric designs of traditionalUkrainian embroidery.
The history of the Polish community in Chernivtsi dates back to the late 18th century, when authorities of theHabsburg Empire encouraged Poles to move toBucovina. By the mid-19th century, several Polish organizations existed in the city, including Bratnia Pomoc (Brotherly Aid) and Czytelnia Polska (Polish Reading Room). On the initiative of publishers of the Gazeta Polska daily newspaper, collection of money for the construction of Polish House was initiated.[97] In the early 20th century, two Polish activists, doctor Tadeusz Mischke and judge Jakub Simonowicz purchased a house. In 1904, its expansion was initiated. It was carried out by architect Franciszek Skowron, interior decorator Konrad Górecki and sculptors fromZakopane, Skwarnicki and Gerasimowicz. The expansion was completed in 1905, and Polish House operated untilWorld War II.[citation needed]
In 1945, Soviet authorities opened here a cinema, later a music school. Currently, the complex houses Adam Mickiewicz Association of Polish Culture.[citation needed]
Apart from the Polish House, Chernivtsi also has German, Romanian and Jewish Houses.[citation needed]
It was built in the early 20th century by the union of the German community in Chernivtsi, which became the center of German cultural and social life in Chernivtsi and Bukovina.[98] The German House was built in 1908–1910 according to plans developed by architect Gustav Fric.[99] The building measures 1700 square metres, 25,000 cubic metres. built as a profitable house and a partnership house for 700,000 kroons on the site of the old German school building. The German House also had its own bank, and its own printing house, where various books, brochures, newspapers, and magazines were published, including the newspaper "German diary", which was popular at the time.
The house was built in 1908 by the Jewish community and until the Second World War, it was the centre of Jewish life in Chernivtsi and home to various Jewish associations and organisations. At least 45,000 Jews from the Bukovina region fell victim to mass shootings, forced labour and deportations beginning in 1941.[100] With the advent of the Soviet government (1944), the building was transferred to the City House of Culture. Today it is the Central Palace of Culture of Chernivtsi
Other religions and non-religious individuals 1.25 (1.23%)
Difficult to say 3 (2.96%)
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Sviato-Dukhivskyi Cathedral) is a cathedral of theUkrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Chernivtsi. The first stone in its foundation was laid in July 1844. The construction was carried out under the supervision of local engineer Adolf Marin and Viennese architect Anton Röll. In 1860 the facade of the church was rebuilt under the design ofJosef Hlavka. Twenty years after the work began in July 1864, Bishop Yevhenii Hakman consecrated the cathedral. However, interior decoration work continued until the end of the century. In 1892–1896, a group of artists from Vienna painted the walls. It was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance, based on one of the projects of theSt. Isaac's Cathedral, which was presented to Bishop Hakman.
TheUkrainian Greek Catholic Church has an increasingly large number of believers in Chernivtsi. UGCC has several churches in the city. The main temple representing the church in Bukovina is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, completed in 1821. On 12 September 2017,Pope Francis confirmed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC to establish a separate Chernivtsi eparchy and to appointYosafat Moschych as its Bishop.
TheArmenian Catholic Saints Peter and Paul Church was built and consecrated in1875. In 1979, it was included on the list of architectural monuments of national significance. Since 1987, it houses the organ hall of Chernivtsi Philarmonic.
Basilica of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is aRoman Catholic church with the status of a minor basilica, the first stone building of the city. At the time of Bukovina's annexation to Austria in 1774, there were no Roman Catholic churches in the province. The first holy mass was held at the wooden house ofGeneral Gabriel von Spleny, the first Austrian governor of Bukovina, attended by only a small number of Roman Catholics. In 1778, the building of the first Catholic church in Chernivtsi was completed. The architectural structure of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is characterized by classic features.
Chernivtsi is a known scientific and educational center in Western Ukraine. Research Institutes of Thermoelectricity, the Institute of Medical and Ecological Problems of the Ministry of Health Care of Ukraine, Chernivtsi National University, Bukovinian State Medical University, Trade and Economics Institute, Institute of Economics and Law, Bukovinian State Institute for Finance and Economics.[101][102]
Secondary education in Chernivtsi is provided by:
46 high schools with the Ukrainian language of study – 97.3% of students;
4 high schools with the Romanian language of study – 2.7%;[101]
There are 5 gymnasiums, 3 lyceums, and 3 sport schools, the Municipal Center of Science, "Young Technicians" Club, "GERDAN" Theatre-Studio.[104][105]
There are 15 higher educational institutions (universities, institutes, colleges). Among them:
Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University (19,227 students) – one of the few classic universities in the country. It was opened on 4 October 1875, according to the decree of the Austrian EmperorFranz Joseph. At that time the university consisted of three faculties: philosophical, theological and law. Today, 16 faculties and the Chernivtsi Pedagogical College within the ChNU are functioning at the university. Almost 13,000 students study in 61 specialities; the main areas of preparation are the natural sciences, and the humanities. This is the only university in the country where civilian theologians are trained.
Bukovinian State Medical University (4321 students). The teaching process at the 42 departments is provided by 75 doctors and 321 candidates of sciences. The teaching staff provides training for 4,474 students, including 675 students from 35 countries. Foreign students are taught in English. The Faculty of Postgraduate Education trains about 800 interns and over 2000 attending physicians; the university provides continuity and continuity of higher medical education: junior specialist, bachelor, doctor-specialist, master, graduate student. BSMU prepares specialists in the specialties "Medical Affairs", "Pediatrics", "Dentistry", "Medical Psychology", "Clinical Pharmacy", "Pharmacy", "Nursing", "Laboratory diagnostics".
Chernivtsi Trade-Economics Institute of theKyiv National University of Trade and Economics (2315 students).[106] The university trains specialists in the field of internal and foreign trade, restaurant business, state financial system and law, customs service, antitrust activity, business economics, banking and insurance, tax and accounting and control, audit, tourism, hospitality, household and other links in the infrastructure.
Bukovinian University (the first private higher educational institution in the region) – 1,273 students.[107]
Bukovinian State Institute for Finance and Economics – 1,268 students.[108]
Chernivtsi Branch of the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management.
The most popular kinds of sports in Chernivtsi include archery, judo, field hockey, karate, power-lifting and orienteering.[109] Chernivtsi's baseball,ice hockey, andfootball clubs (FC Bukovyna Chernivtsi) are participants in the Ukrainian national championships.
Chernivtsi has a large number of sports establishments and facilities, including five stadiums, 186 sports grounds, two tennis courts, elevenfootball fields, fiveskating rinks, 21 shooting galleries, threeswimming pools, 69gyms, 62 gyms with special training equipment, and an international motorcycle racing track.[109]
Over 7,950 inhabitants are members of sport clubs within the city, and more than 50,000 people participate in various sport activities.[109] Currently, eight sportsmen from the city are members of national teams and twelve are members of national youth teams.[109] Three athletes from Chernivtsi were prize-winners in various world tournaments, two were winners of European and 42 of national championships in 2002.[109]
Chernivtsi has two main modes of public transport: buses and trolleybuses. All modes of transport cost approximately $0.20.In 2018, Chernivtsi began testing hybrid trolleybuses. The new trolleybuses are designed to improve the public transport system of Chernivtsi by making it more energy-efficient, as well as covering the part of the town which currently has no trolleybus lines.[112] In 2023, the municipal transit operator introduced electronic fare cards for use on its vehicles.[113]
There are three railway stations in Chernivtsi:Chernivtsi station (38 Vokzalna Street., 1.5 km (0.93 mi) north from the centre), Chernivtsi-Pivnichna Railway station (Zavods'ka street, 13 (northwest 3 km [1.9 mi]) and Chernivtsi-Pivdenna Railway station (Malovokzalna street, 21 (south 5 km [3.1 mi])
Chernivtsi has access to theM19 highway, which is part of theEuropean route E85, which links it toBucharest (south) andTernopil andLutsk (north). Moreover, theH03 andH10 highways link Chernivtsi to other cities in Ukraine, the former connecting it to the capital city ofKyiv, which is located about 500 kilometres (310 mi) north-east of Chernivtsi.
The first international contacts with the city were established on 20 July 1989, when then-Mayor of Chernivtsi City Council Pavel Kaspruk, signed a twinning agreement with the Mayor ofSalt Lake City (USA) – Lowell Turner. To commemorate this event, the Cradle of Peace was erected in Chernivtsi.
In February 2016 the Chernivtsi city council terminated its twinned relations with the Russian citiesBryansk andPodolsk due to theRusso-Ukrainian War.[120]
Karl Emil Franzos (1848–1904), Jewish writer and publicist, grew up in Chernivtsi and wrote a literary memorial of the Jewish ghetto,The Jews of Barnow
^Верменич Я. В. (2013)."ЧЕРНІВЕЦЬКА ОБЛАСТЬ" [Chernivtsi Region].Encyclopedia of Ukrainian History (in Ukrainian). Vol. 10.Naukova Dumka,NASU Institute of History of Ukraine.ISBN978-966-00-1359-9.У 9—11 ст. на території Ч.о. жили племена тиверців і хорватів. Із кінця 10 — в 11 ст. рівнинна частина сучасної області стала периферією Київської Русі, потім — Галицького князівства, а в 2-й пол. 14 ст. відійшла до Молдавського князівства (яке в 16 ст. стало васалом Османської імперії).
^"Chernivtsi".Ukrainian heraldry. Retrieved25 September 2007.
^Ion Lihaciu, Czernowitz 1848–1948. Das kulturelle Leben einer Provinzmetropole, Parthenon Verlag, Kaiserslautern und Mehlingen 2012,ISBN978-3-942994-00-2
^abUNGUREANU, Constantin. Populaţia Bucovinei în 1910 şi 1930. Evoluţii etno-demografice. In:In honorem Alexandru Moşanu: Studii de istorie medievală, modernă şi contemporană a românilor, 22 septembrie 2012, Cluj-Napoca. Cluj -Napoca, România: Academia Română. Centrul de Studii Transilvane: P resa Universitară Clujeană, 2012, pp. 449. ISBN 978-973-595-418-5.[1]
^ab"Bukovyna". Entry Display Web Page. Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine. Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
^Katchanovski, Ivan; Kohut, Zenon E.; Nebesio, Bohdan Y.; Yurkevich, Myroslav (2013). Historical Dictionary of Ukraine. Scarecrow Press. pp. 64–66. ISBN 9780810878471.
^Zhukovsky, Arkadii. "Struggle for Independence (1917–20)". Internet Encyclopaedia of Ukraine. Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
^See Jean Ancel, "Chernovtsy", in Israel Gutman (editor in Chief),Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990), vol. 1, p. 287.
^Gerald Reitlinger,The Final Solution: The Attempt to Exterminate the Jews of Europe 1939-1945 (New York: A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc., 1961), p. 398.
^See Jean Ancel, "Chernovtsy", in Israel Gutman (editor in Chief),Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990), vol. 1, p. 287.
^See Jean Ancel, "Chernovtsy", in Israel Gutman (editor in Chief),Encyclopedia of the Holocaust (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1990), vol. 1, p. 287-288.
^Radu Ioanid,The Holocaust in Romania: The Destruction of the Jews and Gypsies Under the Antonescu Regime (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2000), p. 137-138, 158, 163-165.
^Jean Ancel,The History of the Holocaust in Romania (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press and Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 2011), p. 279-280.
^Radu Ioanid,The Holocaust in Romania: The Destruction of the Jews and Gypsies Under the Antonescu Regime (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2000), p. 137-138, 158, 163-165.
^Jean Ancel,The History of the Holocaust in Romania (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press and Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 2011), p. 279-280.
^See Jean Ancel,The History of the Holocaust in Romania (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press and Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 2011), p. 541.
^For the same data in English, see Jean Ancel,The History of the Holocaust in Romania (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press and Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, 2011), p. 541, 543.
^Ergebnisse der Volkszählungen der K. K. Statistischen Central-Kommission u.a., in: Anson Rabinbach:The Migration of Galician Jews to Vienna. Austrian History Yearbook, Volume XI, Berghahn Books/Rice University Press, Houston 1975, S. 46/47 (Table III)
^"Malanka Fest".www.malankafest.com.ua. Archived fromthe original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved24 January 2020.
^"Über das Festival".Internationale Literarische Korporation Meridian Czernowitz (in German). Retrieved24 January 2020.
^"TeilnehmerInnen (2010–2019)".Internationale Literarische Korporation Meridian Czernowitz (in German). Archived fromthe original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved24 January 2020.
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