
Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also
other names) is a city in southwestern
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
on the upper course of the
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates on the eas ...
River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of
Bukovina
Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
, which is now divided between
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
and Ukraine, Chernivtsi serves as the administrative center for the
Chernivtsi urban hromada,
the
Chernivtsi Raion, and the
oblast itself. The Chernivtsi population is and the latest
census in 2001 was 240,600.
The first document that refers to this city dates back to 1408, when Chernivtsi was a town in the region of
Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...
, formerly as a defensive fortification, and became the center of Bukovina in 1488. In 1538, Chernivtsi was under the control of the
Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later auto ...
under
Polish suzerainty, later under
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
suzerainty, and the Moldavian control lasted for two centuries until 1774, when
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
took control of Bukovina in the aftermath of the
Russo-Turkish War. Chernivtsi (known at that time as ) became the center of the
Galicia's
Bukovina District until 1848, later becoming the
Duchy of Bukovina
The Duchy of Bukovina (; ; ) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918.
Name
The name ''Bukovina'' came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation ...
until 1918. In the aftermath of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
,
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
united with Bukovina in 1918, which led to the city regaining its Romanian name of ; this lasted until the
Soviets
The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" ().
Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...
occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. Chernivtsi was under the control of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
from 1940 to 1941, after which Romania recovered the city, and then again from 1944 until the
dissolution of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
, after which it became part of
independent 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 "Little
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
"
and "
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
upon the
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates on the eas ...
". The city is a major regional rail and road transportation hub, also housing an
international airport
An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...
.
Names
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 ),
* .
In the times of
Halych-Volyn Principality (1199–1253), the city's name was ''Chern''.
In "Documents of Western Russia" () published in Saint Petersburg in 1846 (Volume 1, page 32, document #21), the city is mentioned as Chernov'tsi ().
History
Prehistory
Archaeological evidence discovered in the area surrounding Chernivtsi indicates that a population inhabited it since the
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
era. Later settlements included those of the
Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, the
Corded Ware culture
The Corded Ware culture comprises a broad archaeological horizon of Europe between – 2350 BC, thus from the Late Neolithic, through the Copper Age, and ending in the early Bronze Age. Corded Ware culture encompassed a vast area, from t ...
; artifacts from the
Bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
and
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
s were also found in the city. In the Middle Ages there lived East Slavic tribes
White Croats and
Tivertsi.
Under Principality of Halych
A fortified settlement located on the left (north-eastern) shore of the Prut in a modern-day Chernivtsi dates back to the time of the
Principality of Halych
The Principality of Galicia (; ), also known as Principality of Halych or Principality of Halychian Rus, was a medieval East Slavs, East Slavic principality, and one of the main regional states within the political scope of Kievan Rus', establi ...
and is thought to have been built by
Grand Prince Yaroslav Osmomysl.
Accounts refer to this fortress-city as ''Chern, or ''Black city''; it is said to owe its name to the black color of the city walls, built from dark
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
layered with
local black-colored soil.
This early stronghold was destroyed during the
Mongol invasion of Europe
From the 1220s to the 1240s, the Mongol Empire, Mongols conquered the Turkic peoples, Turkic states of Volga Bulgaria, Cumania and Iranian peoples, Iranian state of Alania, and various principalities in Eastern Europe. Following this, they began ...
by
Boroldai 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.
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 the
Kingdom of Poland
The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385.
Background
The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...
seized control of
Galicia, and came into contact with the early
Vlach (
Romanian) feudal formations, a fort was mentioned under the name ''Țețina''; it was defending the ford and crossing point on the
Prut River
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates on the eas ...
. It was part of a group of three fortifications; the other two being the fortress of
Hotin on the Dniester to the east, and a fort on the
Kolachin River, an upriver tributary of Prut.
Under the Principality of Moldavia
Between 1359 and 1775, the city and its surroundings were part of the
Principality of Moldavia
Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later auto ...
, one of the historic provinces of
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
; the city being the administrative center of the
homonymous ''ținut'' (county). The name Cernăuți is first attested in a document by
Alexandru cel Bun (Alexander the Good) on 8 October 1408. In
Ottoman sources, the city was mentioned as "Çernovi".
Under Austro-Hungarian rule

In 1775, the northwestern part of the territory of Moldavia was annexed by the
Habsburg Empire; this region became known as
Bukovina
Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
. The city became the region's capital, organized as the
Bukovina District part of the
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, also known as Austrian Galicia or colloquially Austrian Poland, was a constituent possession of the Habsburg monarchy in the historical region of Galicia (Eastern Europe), Galicia in Eastern Europe. The Cr ...
, which in 1849 was raised in status and became known as the
Duchy of Bukovina
The Duchy of Bukovina (; ; ) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918.
Name
The name ''Bukovina'' came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation ...
, a
crownland of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
. The city received
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...
. The city began to flourish in 1778 when Knight
Karl 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
Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
'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 prominently
Karl Emil Franzos.
West Ukrainian People's Republic
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 first
Yiddish language
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
conference, the
Czernowitz Conference, coordinated by
Nathan 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.
. When
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
dissolved in 1918, due to loss in
World War 2, two years of political uncertainty followed. During the short period of time,
West Ukrainian People's Republic
The West Ukrainian People's Republic (; West Ukrainian People's Republic#Name, see other names) was a short-lived state that controlled most of Eastern Galicia from November 1918 to July 1919. It included major cities of Lviv, Ternopil, Kolom ...
, was proclaimed in
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
on 1st of 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.. 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.

On November 3rd, 1918, a large
Ukrainian Bukovina Viche was held in Chernivtsi, at which the majority voted for reunification with the
West Ukrainian People's Republic
The West Ukrainian People's Republic (; West Ukrainian People's Republic#Name, see other names) was a short-lived state that controlled most of Eastern Galicia from November 1918 to July 1919. It included major cities of Lviv, Ternopil, Kolom ...
proclaimed in
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
. It has further unanimously expressed a strong protest against the annexation of Bukovina to the Kingdom of Romania, and elected
Omelian Popovych as a chairman of the Ukrainian Regional Committee . On November 6th, 1918,
Ukrainians
Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...
took over power in Chernivtsi,
Yosyp Bezpalko was appointed as a mayor of the city. . At that time, a 2.5 thousand corps of
Ukrainian Sich Riflemen were stationed in the city..
Chernivtsi Under Romanian rule
From 11th November to 19th December, Romanian army takes over Chernivtsi (Cernăuți) and formalizes Bukovina's annexation.. As the aftermath of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Bukovina together with Chernivtsi was
recognised and became a part of the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...
, which gained worldwide diplomatic recognition by the end of 1920 as an aftermath of unsuccessful
Ukrainian War of Independence, as
West Ukrainian People's Republic
The West Ukrainian People's Republic (; West Ukrainian People's Republic#Name, see other names) was a short-lived state that controlled most of Eastern Galicia from November 1918 to July 1919. It included major cities of Lviv, Ternopil, Kolom ...
was
crushed down together with
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...
by its Neighbors.
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. German remained the
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...
of the city and its suburbs for another decade. In 1930, the city reached a population of 112,400. 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.
[UNGUREANU, 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-]
/ref>
Soviet occupation and World War 2
In 1940, the Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
occupied the area; the area around the city became known as Chernivtsi Oblast
Chernivtsi Oblast (), also referred to as Chernivechchyna (), is an oblast (province) in western Ukraine, consisting of the northern parts of the historical regions of Bukovina and Bessarabia. It has an international border with Romania and Moldo ...
, and was allotted to the Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...
by the Soviet Union. The city's large Romanian intelligentsia found refuge in Romania; while the Bukovina Germans were "repatriated" according to a Soviet-Nazi agreement. Under the regime of military dictator Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...
, 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 the Axis attack on the Soviet Union during World War II. Chernivtsi would become the capital of the Romanian Bukovina Governorate.
In August 1941, Antonescu ordered the creation of a ghetto
A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
in the lowland part of the city, where 50,000 Bukovina Jews were crammed, two-thirds of whom would be deported in October 1941 and early 1942 to Transnistria
Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic and locally as Pridnestrovie, is a Landlocked country, landlocked Transnistria conflict#International recognition of Transnistria, breakaway state internationally recogn ...
, where the majority of the deportees died. The Romanian mayor of the city Traian Popovici managed to persuade Antonescu to raise the number of Jews exempted from deportation from 200 to 20,000.
After 29 March 1944, when Axis forces
The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
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 the Berihah network. Bukovina Poles were expelled by the Soviets after World War II. The city became a predominantly Ukrainian one.
Independence
Since 1991, Chernivtsi has been a part of an independent Ukraine. In May 1999, Romania opened a consulate general in the city.
Until 18 July 2020, Chernivtsi was designated as a city 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.
Russian invasion of Ukraine
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, the city has been a host for refugees from the fighting in eastern and central Ukraine and a resting point for refugees on their way to nearby Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. Some Chernivtsi residents have also left the country.
Symbolics
Coat of arms
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.
Flag of Chernivtsi
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.
Honorary chain of the mayor of Chernivtsi
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.
Medal "To the glory of Chernivtsi"
The medal "To the glory of Chernivtsi" is an honorary distinction of the Chernivtsi 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 of silver-gilt, it has a circle shape with a diameter of . 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 Latin ''Viribus Unitis'' ("With United Forces"), the personal motto of Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
, 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 the Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (, in short ''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'', ) was the navy, naval force of Austria-Hungary. Ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were designated ''SMS'', for ''Seiner Majestät Schiff'' (His Majes ...
( SMS ''Viribus Unitis'') was honoured with such honour.
Logo of Chernivtsi
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 the State Flag of Ukraine.
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 former Metropolitan 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.
Geography
Chernivtsi is located in the historic region of Bukovina
Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
, 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, from the border with Romania. The city lies 248 meters (817') above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
and is surrounded by forests and fields. The River Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates on the eas ...
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
Climate
The city is located in a temperate climate zone. The climate is continental with mild winters and warm summers. The average annual temperature is +, the lowest in January (), the highest – in July (+). 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 , with the lowest – in October and January–February, the highest – in June–July. Sometimes there are heavy rains during the summer. 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%.
Landscape
The total area of Chernivtsi within the administrative boundaries of 2013 is about . 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%).
The main water source of Chernivtsi is the Prut River
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , ) is a river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube, and is long. Part of its course forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates on the eas ...
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 above sea level in the Prut valleys to in the western outskirts (Mount Tsetzino), which is caused by the location on the Chernivtsi 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 giant Sequoiadendron
''Sequoiadendron'' is a genus of evergreen trees, with three species, only one of which survives to the present:
* ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'', extant species, extant, commonly known as wellingtonia, giant redwood and giant sequoia, growing nat ...
.
Chernivtsi is located in the center of Chernivtsi Regional Park, which borders zakaznik "Thetzino" in the west and Mount Berda in the north.
State of the environment
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-methane volatile organic compound
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are common and exist in a variety of settings and products, not limited to Indoor mold, house mold, Upholstery, upholstered furnitur ...
s, 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 a greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect occurs when greenhouse gases in a planet's atmosphere insulate the planet from losing heat to space, raising its surface temperature. Surface heating can happen from an internal heat source (as in the case of Jupiter) or ...
, is periodically released into the atmosphere of the city. Emissions from stationary sources were 7.9 tonnes per of Chernivtsi territory. Each inhabitant of the regional center accounts for an average of of harmful emissions per year.
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.
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 the bypass 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".
Government
Chernivtsi is the administrative center
An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located.
In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of the Chernivtsi Oblast
Chernivtsi Oblast (), also referred to as Chernivechchyna (), is an oblast (province) in western Ukraine, consisting of the northern parts of the historical regions of Bukovina and Bessarabia. It has an international border with Romania and Moldo ...
(province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
) and the city itself has own government within the oblast under subordination to Chernivtsi Raion.
Until 1 January 2016, the territory of Chernivtsi was divided into three administrative urban districts:
The current mayor of Chernivtsi is Roman Klichuk, who has been elected in 2020 Ukrainian local elections.
File:Czernowitz dom polski.jpg, Polish House, 1910
File:Chern old.jpg, Central Square of Czernowitz in the early 1900s
File:Czernowitz, residenz des erzbischofs.jpg, The Residence (photograph of c. 1899)
File:Chernivtsi Synagogue.jpg, An early 20th-century postcard depicting the Czernowitz Synagogue
File:Armenische Kirche in Czernowitz.jpg, Armenian church in the early 1900s
Demographics
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 as Russians
Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
(11.29%), 10,553 as Romanians
Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
(4.36%), 3,829 as Moldovans
Moldovans, sometimes referred to as Moldavians (, , ), are an ethnic group native to Moldova, who mostly speak the Romanian language, also referred to locally as Moldovan language, Moldovan. Moldovans form significant communities in Romania, It ...
(1.62%), 1,408 as Poles; (0.59%), 1,308 as Jews (0.55%) and 971 as members of other groups (0.41%).[The Ukrainian census of 2001, ethnicity/nationality data by localities, at http://pop-stat.mashke.org/ukraine-ethnic2001.htm] 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%).[The Ukrainian census of 2001, language data by localities, at https://socialdata.org.ua/projects/mova-2001/]
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%), 6,361 Moldovans
Moldovans, sometimes referred to as Moldavians (, , ), are an ethnic group native to Moldova, who mostly speak the Romanian language, also referred to locally as Moldovan language, Moldovan. Moldovans form significant communities in Romania, It ...
(2.5%), 2,205 Poles (0.9%), 1,725 Belarussians (0.7%) and 15,671 Jews (6.1%). 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).
The Romanian population in Chernivtsi started decreasing rapidly after 1950. Many Romanians fled to Romania or were deported to Siberia
Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
(where most of them died), and the remaining Romanian population quickly became a minority and assimilated with the majority. According to minority organizations, the Romanian minority in Chernivtsi is still decreasing nowadays as a result of cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a society's Dominant culture, majority group or fully adopts the values, behaviors, and beliefs of another group. The melting pot model is based on this ...
and emigration to Romania.
Chernivtsi once had a Jewish community of over 50,000, less than a third of whom survived World War II. Romanian lawyer and reserve officer , as well as the then city mayor Traian Popovici, supported by General Vasile Ionescu saved 19,689 Jewish people. Initially, Governor of Bukovina Corneliu Calotescu allowed only 190 Jewish people to stay, but Traian Popovici, after an incredible effort, obtained from the then dictator of Romania Marshal Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu (; ; – 1 June 1946) was a Romanian military officer and Mareșal (Romania), marshal who presided over two successive Romania during World War II, wartime dictatorships as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister and ''Conduc� ...
an allowance of 20,000. After World War II, the city was a key node in the Berihah network, which helped Jews to emigrate to the then Mandate 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 actress Mila Kunis.
Chernivtsi was inhabited by Ukrainians, Romanians, Poles, Ruthenians
A ''Ruthenian'' and ''Ruthene'' are exonyms of Latin language, Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common Ethnonym, ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term ...
, Jews, Roma, and Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
. During its affiliation with the Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
monarchy, Chernivtsi enjoyed prosperity and culture as the capital of the Bukovina
Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...
crown land
Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...
. 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. After World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Shoah and Porajmos, 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
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
-speaking or German-speaking Jews surpassed the Romanians as the largest population group of the town. After 1880, the Ukrainians surpassed the Romanians as the second-largest population group.
Language
Distribution of the population by native language according to the 2001 census:
Native language of the population of the former districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
of the city according to the 2001 census.
According to a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute
The International Republican Institute (IRI) is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1983 and funded and supported by the United States federal government. Most of its board is drawn from the Republican Party. Its public mission is to a ...
in April–May 2023, 82% of the city's population spoke Ukrainian at home, 15% spoke Russian, and 2% spoke Romanian. 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. 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.
Economy
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%.
Industry
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.
Trade and services
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.
Health care
Almost all health care establishments of the region are concentrated in Chernivtsi. 39 medical establishments (hospitals, clinics, and polyclinics) provide citizens of Chernivtsi with necessary medical care. 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).
Culture
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 an Armenian Catholic
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
Church), more than 10 museums, 6 cinemas, 31 libraries, a palace of culture, 4 music schools and a fine arts school. 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. The is a building of great relevance for the ethnic Romanians of the city and the surrounding area.
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.
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. During the Festival groups from different towns and settlements of Bukovina compete in the artistic ingenuity.
One of the biggest literary festival
A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...
in Ukraine is the Meridian 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. The festival saw the participants from more than 13 different countries.
Several of the publications of Ukraine's Romanian minority are published in Chernivtsi, including '' Zorile Bucovinei'', ''Concordia'', ''Libertatea Cuvântului'', ''Curierul de Cernăuți'', ''Arcașul'' and ''Septentrion literar''. Cernăuți TV, a private Romanian-language TV channel is also headquartered in Chernivtsi.
Museums
* Chernivtsi Museum of Local Lore has the largest collection of materials and artifacts of the nature, history, and culture of Northern Bukovina: a collection of old printed books with a unique Ostroh Bible, printed by Ivan 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 and Hutsul
The Hutsuls (Rusyn language, Hutsul/; ; ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and northern Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș).
In Ukraine, they have often been officially and administra ...
pysankas, old printed books, isuch as the 1632 printing of " The Apostle" and a number of academic and modernist paintings.
* History and Culture Museum of Bukovinian Jews, located in the former Jewish People's House (now the Central Palace of Culture). 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. 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.
* Olha Kobylianska Literary Memorial Museum
* Yuriy Fedkovych Literary Memorial Museum
* Volodymyr Ivasiuk Memorial Museum
* Museum of the Bukovinian Diaspora
* Air and Space Museum
Architecture
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.
The city of Chernivtsi has a lot of architecturally important buildings. Many historic buildings have been preserved, especially within the city's center. However, after years of disrepair and neglect, the buildings are in need of major restoration.
As Chernivtsi was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was closely related to the empire's culture, including architecture. Main architectural styles present within the city include Vienna Secession and Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...
, Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
, late Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...
, and fragments of traditional Moldavian and Hungarian architecture, Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the Fall of Cons ...
as well as Cubism
Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture.
Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...
. 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 dubbed ''Little Vienna'', because its architecture is reminiscent of the Austro-Hungarian capital Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
.
The main architectural attractions of the city include: Olha Kobylianska Chernivtsi Drama Theater (1905); Chernivtsi Town Hall (1847); the Residence of Bukovinian and Damatian Metropolitans (the building of Chernivtsi University)—UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
(1882); Chernivtsi University Botanical Garden (1877); the Regional Museum of Fine Arts—the former savings bank (1900); the building of the Regional Council—former Palace of Justice (1906); and the Chernivtsi Palace of Culture—former Jewish National House (1908); among many others. The Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticism, Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mi ...
Czernowitz Synagogue was heavily damaged by fire in 1941, the walls were used to create the "Chernivtsi" movie theater.
The Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
architect Josef Hlávka designed, in 1864–1882, the buildings that currently house the Chernivtsi State University. They were originally the residence of the Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans. The Romanesque and Byzantine architecture is embellished with motifs of Ukrainian folk art; for example, the tile roof patterns duplicate the geometric designs of traditional Ukrainian embroidery.
Polish National House in Chernivtsi
The history of the Polish community in Chernivtsi dates back to the late 18th century, when authorities of the Habsburg Empire encouraged Poles to move to Bucovina. 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. 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 from Zakopane
Zakopane (Gorals#Language, Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has ...
, Skwarnicki and Gerasimowicz. The expansion was completed in 1905, and Polish House operated until World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
In 1945, Soviet authorities opened here a cinema, later a music school. Currently, the complex houses Adam Mickiewicz Association of Polish Culture.
Apart from the Polish House, Chernivtsi also has German, Romanian and Jewish Houses.
German National House in Chernivtsi
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. The German House was built in 1908–1910 according to plans developed by architect Gustav Fric. 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.
Jewish National House in Chernivtsi
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. 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
Religion
* Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (Sviato-Dukhivskyi Cathedral) is a cathedral of the Ukrainian 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 of Josef 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 the St. Isaac's Cathedral, which was presented to Bishop Hakman.
* The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...
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
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
confirmed the decision of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC to establish a separate Chernivtsi eparchy and to appoint Yosafat Moschych as its Bishop.
* The Armenian Catholic
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
Saints Peter and Paul Church was built and consecrated in 1875. 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 a Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
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 of General 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.
The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans is included in the UNESCO list of Architectural Heritage.
Education
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.
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%;
* 2 private schools: Hope and Harmony.
* 3 lyceums and 7 gymnasium.
There are 5 gymnasiums, 3 lyceums, and 3 sport schools, the Municipal Center of Science, "Young Technicians" Club, "GERDAN" Theatre-Studio.
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 Emperor Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
. 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 the Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics (2315 students). 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.
* Bukovinian State Institute for Finance and Economics – 1,268 students.
* Chernivtsi Branch of the Interregional Academy of Personnel Management.
Sports
The most popular kinds of sports in Chernivtsi include archery, judo, field hockey, karate, power-lifting and orienteering. Chernivtsi's baseball, ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
, and football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
clubs (FC Bukovyna Chernivtsi
Football Sports Club Bukovyna Chernivtsi is a Ukraine, Ukrainian professional association football, football club based in Chernivtsi.
History
The club was established in 1958 as Avanhard Chernivtsi (Avangard Chernovtsy) for republican competiti ...
) 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, eleven football fields, five skating rinks, 21 shooting galleries, three swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
s, 69 gym
A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...
s, 62 gyms with special training equipment, and an international motorcycle racing track.
Over 7,950 inhabitants are members of sport clubs within the city, and more than 50,000 people participate in various sport activities. Currently, eight sportsmen from the city are members of national teams and twelve are members of national youth teams. Three athletes from Chernivtsi were prize-winners in various world tournaments, two were winners of European and 42 of national championships in 2002.
Chernivtsi has been host to the Sidecross World Championship a number of times, most recently in June 2010.
Transport
Chernivtsi has two main modes of public transport: buses and trolleybuses. All modes of transport cost approximately $0.20 .
In 2018, Chernivtsi has begun 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. In 2023, the municipal transit operator introduced electronic fare cards for use on its vehicles.
Rail
There are three railway stations in Chernivtsi: Chernivtsi station (38 Vokzalna Street., north from the centre), Chernivtsi-Pivnichna Railway station (Zavods'ka street, 13 (northwest ) and Chernivtsi-Pivdenna Railway station (Malovokzalna street, 21 (south )
Air
Chernivtsi is served by the Chernivtsi International Airport (CWC) located south of the city centre (Kadeniuka street, 30).
Road
Chernivtsi has access to the M19 highway, which is part of the European route E85, which links it to Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
(south) and Ternopil
Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia and Podolia. The populatio ...
and Lutsk
Lutsk (, ; see #Names and etymology, below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a populati ...
(north). Moreover, the H03 and H10 highways link Chernivtsi to other cities in Ukraine, the former connecting it to the capital city of Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, which is located about north-east of Chernivtsi.
Twin towns – sister cities
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 of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
(USA) – Lowell Turner. To commemorate this event, the Cradle of Peace was erected in Chernivtsi.
Chernivtsi is twinned with:
* Bălți
Bălți () is a city in Moldova. It is the second-largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city holds the status of municipiu. Sometimes called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cu ...
, Moldova
* Chișinău
Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...
, Moldova
* Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...
, Romania
* Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
, Germany
* Iași
Iași ( , , ; also known by other #Etymology and names, alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the Cities in Romania, third largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical ...
, Romania
* İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
, Turkey
* Klagenfurt, Austria
* Konin
Konin () is a city in central Poland, on the Warta River. It is the capital of Konin County and is located within the Greater Poland Voivodeship. In 2021 the population of the city was 71,427, making it the fourth-largest city in Greater Poland af ...
, Poland
* Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
, Germany
* Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
, France
* Netanya
Netanya () () or Natanya (), is a city in the "Planet Bekasi" Central District (Israel), Setanyahu of Israel, Israel BAB ih, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the Poleg stre ...
, Israel
* Nof HaGalil, Israel
* Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison () or simply Rueil is a Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department, Île-de-France Regions of France, region. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is ...
, France
* Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
, United States
* Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
, Canada
* Suceava
Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...
, Romania
* Timișoara
Timișoara (, , ; , also or ; ; ; see #Etymology, other names) is the capital city of Timiș County, Banat, and the main economic, social and cultural center in Western Romania. Located on the Bega (Tisza), Bega River, Timișoara is consider ...
, Romania
* Wolfsberg, Austria
Former twin cities
In February 2016 the Chernivtsi city council terminated its twinned relations with the Russian cities Bryansk
Bryansk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Desna (river), Desna River, southwest of Moscow. It has a population of 379,152 at the 2021 census.
Bryans ...
and Podolsk due to the Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...
.
Notable people
Natives
* Sophia Agranovich, American classical concert pianist, Centaur Records recording artist and music educator
* Aharon Appelfeld (1932–2018), Jewish writer
* Zamfir Arbore (1848–1933), Romanian politician
* Ninon Ausländer (1895–1966), art historian
Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history.
Traditionally, the ...
and wife of Hermann Hesse
Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss poet and novelist, and the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His interest in Eastern philosophy, Eastern religious, spiritual, and philosophic ...
* Rose Ausländer (1901–1988), Jewish German-language writer
* Elyakim Badian (1925–2000), Israeli politician
* Leon Birnbaum (1918–2010), Romanian mathematician and philosopher
* Charles K. Bliss (1897–1985), inventor of Blissymbolics
* Klara Blum (1904–1971), Jewish German-language writer in Austria, the Soviet Union, and China
* Aurica Bojescu, Ukrainian Romanian lawyer, minority rights activist and politician
* Dmitry Borisov, Russian journalist
* Ion Bostan (1914–1992), Romanian film director
* Octav Botnar (1913–1998), Romanian businessman, philanthropist, billionaire
* Josef Burg (1912–2009), last Yiddish poet in Chernivtsi
* Paul Celan (1920–1970), German-language poet and translator
* Erwin Chargaff
Erwin Chargaff (11 August 1905 – 20 June 2002) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American biochemist, writer, and professor of biochemistry at Columbia University medical school. A Bucovinian Jew who immigrated to the United States during the Nazi ...
(1905–2002), Jewish biochemist
* Eugen Ehrlich (1862–1922), Jewish jurist, pioneer of the field of sociology of law
* Natalia Fedner (born 1983), Ukrainian-American fashion designer
* Moysey Fishbeyn (1947–2020), a Ukrainian poet
* Maria Forescu (1875–1943/1947), Romanian opera singer and film actress
* Rudolf Gerlach-Rusnak (1895–1960), German operatic and concert lyrical tenor
* Max Glücksmann (1875–1946), Argentine Jewish pioneer of the music and film industries
* George Grigorovici (1871–1950), Romanian politician
* Radu Grigorovici (1911–2008), Romanian physicist
* Dmytro Hnatyuk (1925–2016), a Ukrainian baritone opera singer
* Alexandru N. Hurmuzachi (1869–1946), Romanian politician
* Constantin N. Hurmuzachi (1863–1937), Romanian biologist
* Doxuță Hurmuzachi (1845–1931), Romanian jurist and politician
* Frederick John Kiesler (1890–1965), a theater designer, artist, theoretician and architect
* Ruth Klieger Aliav (1914–1979), Romanian-Israeli Jewish activist
* Sam Kogan (1946–2004), stage director, actor and founding principal of the Academy of the Science of Acting and Directing in London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
* Renata Kallosh (born 1943), theoretical physicist
* Mila Kunis (born 1983), American actress
* Elena Leușteanu (1935–2008), Romanian Olympic gymnast
* Ani Lorak (born 1978), Ukrainian singer, songwriter, actress
* Eusebius Mandyczewski (1857–1929), Ukrainian-Romanian musicologist and composer
* Itzik Manger
Itzik Manger (30 May 1901, Czernowitz, then Austrian-Hungarian Empire – 21 February 1969, Gedera, Israel; ) was a prominent Yiddish language, Yiddish poet and playwright, a self-proclaimed folk bard, visionary, and 'master tailor' of the writ ...
(1901–1969), Yiddish
Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
writer
* Georg Marco (1863–1923), Austrian chess player and author
* Meinhard E. Mayer (1929–2011), Romanian-American mathematician and physicist, professor emeritus of Physics and Mathematics at the University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
* Volodymyr Melnykov (born 1951), Ukrainian poet, writer and composer
* Karol Mikuli (1821–1897), Polish-Romanian musician of Armenian descent
* Jan Mikulicz-Radecki (1850–1905), Polish surgeon
* Ingrid Nargang (1929–2019), Austrian lawyer and contemporary historian
* Dan Pagis (1930–1986), Israeli writer
* Emil Paur (1855–1932), conductor
* Traian Popovici (1892–1946), Romanian lawyer, mayor of Chernivtsi, and a Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...
for saving 20,000 Jews during the Holocaust
* Iacob Pistiner, lawyer and Member of the Romanian Parliament in the interwar years
* Aron Pumnul (1818–1866), Romanian philologist and teacher, national and revolutionary activist
* Bernard Reder, sculptor
* Markus Reiner
Markus Reiner (; born 5 January 1886, died 25 April 1976) was an Israeli scientist and a major figure in rheology.
Biography
Reiner was born 5 January 1886 in Czernowitz, Bukovina, then part of Austria-Hungary, and obtained the degrees of ...
(1886–1976), one of the founders of rheology
Rheology (; ) is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a fluid (liquid or gas) state but also as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applie ...
* Gregor von Rezzori (1914–1998), German-language writer of Sicilian-Austrian origin
* Ludwig Rottenberg (1864–1932), conductor and composer
* Maximilien Rubel (1905–1996), Marxist historian
* Lev Shekhtman (born 1951), Russian-American theater director and actor
* Ze'ev Sherf (1904–1984), Israeli Minister of Finance
* Jan Tabachnyk (born 1945), singer and composer
* Sidi Tal (1912–1983), singer and actress
* Inna Tsymbalyuk (born 1985), Ukrainian model and actress; semifinalist at Miss Universe 2006.
* Viorica Ursuleac (1894–1985), Romanian opera singer (dramatic soprano)
* Inna Vernikov (Born 1984) New York City councilwoman
* Sofia Vicoveanca (born 1941), Romanian singer of popular music from the Bukovina region
* Roman Vlad (1919–2013) Romanian-Italian composer, pianist, and musicologist
* Sydir Vorobkevych (1836–1903) Ukrainian composer and writer
* Ruth Wisse, professor of literature
* Mariya Yaremchuk (born 1993), Ukrainian singer, represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014
* Arseniy Yatsenyuk (born 1974), Ukrainian politician
* Constantin Zablovschi (1882–1967), Romanian engineer
* Frederic Zelnik
Frederic Zelnik (born Friedrich Zelnik; 17 May 1885 – 29 November 1950) was an Austrian producer, director, and actor. He was one of the most important producers-directors of the German silent cinema. Zelnik achieved success through period oper ...
(1885–1950), an important German silent movie director-producer
Residents
* Moyshe Altman (1890–1981), Yiddish writer
* Hermann Bahr
* Nicolae Bălan (1882–1955), Romanian cleric, a metropolitan bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Church
* Grigore Vasiliu Birlic (1905–1970), Romanian actor
* Nathan Birnbaum
* Charles K. Bliss
* Kassian Bogatyrets
* Nikolay Bogolyubov
* Traian Brăileanu (1882–1947), Romanian sociologist and politician
* Romulus Cândea (1886–1973), Romanian ecclesiastical historian
* Erwin Chargaff
Erwin Chargaff (11 August 1905 – 20 June 2002) was an Austro-Hungarian-born American biochemist, writer, and professor of biochemistry at Columbia University medical school. A Bucovinian Jew who immigrated to the United States during the Nazi ...
* Nicolae Cotos (1883–1959), Romanian theologian
* Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...
(1850–1889), Romanian poet, novelist and journalist
* Iancu Flondor (1865–1924), Romanian activist who advocated Bukovina's unification with the Kingdom of Romania
* Jacob Frank (1726–1791), Polish rabbi and founder of Frankism
* Ivan Franko
* 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''
* Constantin Isopescu-Grecul (1871–1938), Romanian jurist, politician and journalist
* Gala Galaction (1879–1961), Romanian writer
* Abraham Goldfaden, active here
* Zygmunt Gorgolewski
* Ion Grămadă (1886–1917) Romanian writer, historian and journalist
* Marian Hadenko
Marian Illich Hadenko (15 September 19553 December 2021) was a Ukrainian composer, singer and television presenter. He was a recipient of the Merited Artist of Ukraine (1997) and the People's Artist of Ukraine (1999).
Biography
He was born on ...
(1955–2021), Ukrainian singer, songwriter and composer
* Maximilian Hacman (1877–1961), Romanian jurist
* Hans Hahn
* Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi (1812–1874), Romanian historian, politician ( Landeshauptmann of Bukovina) and patriot
* Volodymyr Ivasyuk (1949–1979), Ukrainian singer, songwriter and poet
* Joseph Kalmer (1898–1959), Austrian writer, poet and translator
* Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (, ; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician and the first president of Ukraine, serving from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. In 1992, he signed the Lisbon Protocol, undertaking to give up Ukrai ...
, first President of Ukraine from 1991 to 1994
* Olha Kobylyanska
* Zvi Laron
* Vasile Luca (1898–1963), Soviet and Romanian communist politician
* Anastasiya Markovich (born 1979), painter
* George Mihalcheon
* Karol Mikuli (1821–1892), Romanian pianist and composer, student of Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
* Ivan Mykolaychuk (1941–1987)
* Grigore Nandriș (1895–1968), Romanian linguist, philologist and memoirist
* Miron Nicolescu (1903–1975), Romanian mathematician
* Ion Nistor (1876–1962), Romanian historian and politician
* Aurel Onciul
* Dimitrie Onciul (1856–1923), Romanian historian
* Dimitrie Petrino
* Israel Polack
* George Popovici (1863–1905), Romanian agrarian politician, jurist and poet
* Ciprian Porumbescu (1853–1883), Romanian composer
* Aron Pumnul (1818–1866), Romanian philologist and teacher, national and revolutionary activist
* Sextil Pușcariu
* Florin Piersic (born 1936), Romanian actor and TV personality
* Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich ( ; ; 24 March 1897 – 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author of several in ...
(1897–1957), Jewish psychoanalyst and sexologist, born in Dobrzanica, went to school in Chernivtsi
* Eric Roll, Baron Roll of Ipsden
Eric Roll, Baron Roll of Ipsden (born Erich Roll; 1 December 1907 – 30 March 2005) was a British academic economist, public servant and banker. He was made a life peer in 1977.
Biography
Roll was born in Nowosielitza, Austro-Hungarian E ...
(1907–2005),
* Sofia Rotaru (born 1947), Romanian-Ukrainian pop singer
* Wojciech Rubinowicz
* Ion G. Sbiera (1836–1916), Romanian folklorist and historian
* Joseph Schmidt (1904–1942) singer, actor and cantor
* Fritz von Scholz (1896–1944), SS officer
* Joseph Schumpeter
Joseph Alois Schumpeter (; February 8, 1883 – January 8, 1950) was an Austrian political economist. He served briefly as Finance Minister of Austria in 1919. In 1932, he emigrated to the United States to become a professor at Harvard Unive ...
(1883–1950), economist and Minister of Finance, 1909–1911, professor in Chernivtsi
* Georg Wassilko von Serecki
* Nissan Spivak
* Wilhelm Stekel (1868–1940), Jewish psychoanalyst and sexologist, born in Boiany, grew up in Chernivtsi and attended the Gymnasium (grammar school)
* Benno Straucher
* Vasile Tărâțeanu (1945–2022), Romanian journalist and writer
* Emilian Voiutschi
* Salo Weisselberger
* Nazariy Yaremchuk (1951–1995), Hutsul
The Hutsuls (Rusyn language, Hutsul/; ; ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and northern Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș).
In Ukraine, they have often been officially and administra ...
singer
* Léon d'Ymbault (–1781), mayor
Gallery
File:Chern ratusha.jpg
File:Chern teatr.jpg
File:Реззиденція.jpg
File:Житловий будинок "Корабель" Чернівці.jpg
File:Kościół Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa w Czerniowcach (Panorama1).jpg
File:Кафедральний собор православної церкви Московського патріархату.jpg
File:2018 - Вірменська церква у Чернівцях.jpg
File:WLM - 2020 - Миколаївський кафедральний собор (Чернівці).jpg
File:Житловий будинок на Федьковича 27 А.JPG
File:Kobylyanska Street-2018-3.jpg
File:Kobylyanska Street2018-2.jpg
File:St. Michael's Church (Czernowitz).Jpg
File:Поштамт (арх. Ю.Захаревич), м. Чернівці, вул. Поштова, 6.jpg
File:HerrenGasse 150.jpg
File:Героїв Майдану,26 та 28.JPG
References
Further reading
* Weiner, Miriam; Ukrainian State Archives (in cooperation with); Moldovan State Archives (in cooperation with) (1999)
"Town Clips: Chernevtsy."
'' Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova: Pages from the Past and Archival Inventories''. Secaucus, NJ: Miriam Weiner Routes to Roots Foundation. p. 409. ISBY 978-0-96-565081-6. OCLC 607423469.
External links
Information Portal Chernivtsi
*
*
Аn English-language city guide to Chernivsi
{{Authority control
Oblast centers in Ukraine
Cities of regional significance in Ukraine
Magdeburg rights
Bukovina
Duchy of Bukovina
Capitals of former Romanian counties
Ținutul Suceava
Holocaust locations in Ukraine
Cities in Chernivtsi Oblast
Populated places on the Prut
Historic Jewish communities in Ukraine
Market towns in Moldavia