Chernivtsi: About the city and its history

At the end of the X-th century territory within modern Chernivtsi region, which was then inhabited by tribal communities of Tyvertsi and Croats, joined the Kyivan Rus, and after the foundation of the Galician principality in the XI century it joined the latter and had been a part of it till the mid-XIV-th century. At this time, probably in the middle of the XII century (1153) a fortress was founded on the left bank of the Prut to protect Barlad trade way that led from the lower Danube to Halych. The fortress was built of wood and ground. In the course of time a handcrafted settlement with log houses appeared around it. This settlement is mentioned among others as the town of Chern on the Prut River in the "List of Russ Close and Far-away Towns". Maybe this name descends from black oak, interleaved with black-earth fortress walls. Apparently, the city name Chernivtsi derives from the word Chern. According to other assumptions, the name Chernivtsi comes from "black sheep"; there were a lot of sheep around.

In the middle of the XIII-th century (1259), this fortress was blasted off the map at the order of Mongolian governor Burundai; the inhabitants moved to the right bank of the Prut River, where they established a new settlement on the territory where Sahaidachny and Barbusse Streets are situated today. A stone fortress-tower (donjon) was erected on the right bank of the river, on the Tsetsino Mountain.

Since the middle XIV-th century the land joined the newly formed Moldovan Principality. Chernivtsi was for the first time referred to as the customs point in the charter of the Moldavian master Alexander the Good “Guidelines on Duties” of October 8, 1408. And this date was adopted by the city community as their temple holiday – Chernivtsi City Day. Chernivtsi celebrated the 600^th anniversary of the first written memory in October of 2008.

But let’s go back to the past.

At that time the trade way that connected Lviv with Northern and Western Black Sea regions crossed the city. For the first time Chernivtsi was mentioned as a city in the charter of Stephen the Great of March 15, 1490. In 1538 the city came under the domination of the Ottoman Empire as a part of the Moldovan principality.

Cossack and Tatar troops rode over Chernivtsi during the rule of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

Chernivtsi was mainly under the authority of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the reign of King Jan III Sobieski. At the beginning of the XVIII-th century Swedish and Polish Confederates ruled around the city, later Turkish garrison was located in Chernivtsi. Since that time there is a Turkish well – the oldest city utility – in the old part of the city. According to historical records the city population was made ​​up of Orthodox people and Jews who lived in 200 huts.

The city and all Bukovyna joined the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Russo-Turkish War in 1774. Chernivtsi, actually, got its image of the European city with distinctive architecture and urban infrastructure during the "Habsburg" period of its history (before 1918). Cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic population was formed in Chernivtsi. The climate of that-time Chernivtsi was made up of various religious and cultural traditions of Germans, Jews, Ukrainians, Romanians, Poles and Armenians.

Chernivtsi began to flourish in 1778, when Duke Karl von Enzenberg was appointed the second head of the City Military Administration. He invited many merchants, craftsmen and industrialists in order to help develop trade and production.

After proclamation of Bukovyna an autonomous crown-land (Duchy) in 1861 Chernivtsi becomes its capital. On March 8, 1864 the city was granted the right of full self-government, first city council members were elected; Jacob von Petrovych became the first Mayor.

The second Mayor Anton Kochanowski von Stavchan (1866-1874) has left especially remarkable mark in the history of Chernivtsi. His very name is associated with formation of Chernivtsi as a city of European type. In 1866 the city was connected with Europe (through Lviv) by rail. Since the mid-nineteenth century, when the rail-way was prolonged to the Romanian city of Iasi, Chernivtsi has become a border junction that worked for the economy of the city and land. Trains transported wood, sugar, livestock, wool, and salt to the North and South, East and West. A Commodity Exchange, Chamber of Commerce and Crafts, post office, telegraph, Bukovynian Savings Bank and branches of foreign banks were opened in the city. European capital came to Chernivtsi, construction boom started. New streets were laid and paved; water supply and sewerage networks were constructed. Chernivtsi became a scientific and educational center on October 4, 1875, when a university was opened by the decree of emperor of Austro-Hungarian Empire Franz Joseph. Launching of the first tram in 1897 became a real holiday for all Chernivtsi citizens. Construction of buildings was going full blast, buildings for administrative and public needs appeared: hospitals, schools, hotels, clubs with ball-rooms, and national houses. In 1908 a new elegant building of railway station was erected to show to the city guests that they came not to a province, but to the “little Vienna on the Prut”.

During World War I Chernivtsi got in the centre of battle actions, that resulted in three changes of power during the war years and only on December 30, 1918 King Ferdinand I signed the decree on union of Bukovyna with Romania.

"Romanian period" in Chernivtsi made ​​some changes to the architectural image of the city, buildings in the style of constructivism and neo-romanesque appeared in the city centre.

On June 28, 1940 Northern Bukovyna with Chernivtsi was alienated from Romania to the Soviet Ukraine under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Nearly all the ethnic German population was repatriated from Chernivtsi, what damaged the local multi-ethnic flavor. Chernivtsi region as a part of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was established on August 2, 1940.

During World War II Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany and Romanian authorities returned to Chernivtsi. Fortunately, the war did not bring considerable damages to the city, only several buildings on Central Square and Poshtova Street were destroyed, Temple was set aflame. The city was liberated on March 29, 1944 and Soviet authorities returned to the city.

During Soviet times the city was developing and nearly doubled its population. Many industrial enterprises appeared in Chernivtsi, new neighborhoods were constructed. The old part of the city was not affected by new buildings and therefore has kept its untouchable beauty and integrity.

After Ukraine gained independence in 1991, the city gradually recovered its old urban flavor and came back to historical roots.

At the end of the X-th century territory within modern Chernivtsi region, which was then inhabited by tribal communities of Tyvertsi and Croats, joined the Kyivan Rus, and after the foundation of the Galician principality in the XI century it joined the latter and had been a part of it till the mid-XIV-th century. At this time, probably in the middle of the XII century (1153) a fortress was founded on the left bank of the Prut to protect Barlad trade way that led from the lower Danube to Halych. The fortress was built of wood and ground. In the course of time a handcrafted settlement with log houses appeared around it. This settlement is mentioned among others as the town of Chern on the Prut River in the "List of Russ Close and Far-away Towns". Maybe this name descends from black oak, interleaved with black-earth fortress walls. Apparently, the city name Chernivtsi derives from the word Chern. According to other assumptions, the name Chernivtsi comes from "black sheep"; there were a lot of sheep around.

In the middle of the XIII-th century (1259), this fortress was blasted off the map at the order of Mongolian governor Burundai; the inhabitants moved to the right bank of the Prut River, where they established a new settlement on the territory where Sahaidachny and Barbusse Streets are situated today. A stone fortress-tower (donjon) was erected on the right bank of the river, on the Tsetsino Mountain.

Since the middle XIV-th century the land joined the newly formed Moldovan Principality. Chernivtsi was for the first time referred to as the customs point in the charter of the Moldavian master Alexander the Good “Guidelines on Duties” of October 8, 1408. And this date was adopted by the city community as their temple holiday – Chernivtsi City Day. Chernivtsi celebrated the 600^th anniversary of the first written memory in October of 2008.

But let’s go back to the past.

At that time the trade way that connected Lviv with Northern and Western Black Sea regions crossed the city. For the first time Chernivtsi was mentioned as a city in the charter of Stephen the Great of March 15, 1490. In 1538 the city came under the domination of the Ottoman Empire as a part of the Moldovan principality.

Cossack and Tatar troops rode over Chernivtsi during the rule of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

Chernivtsi was mainly under the authority of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the reign of King Jan III Sobieski. At the beginning of the XVIII-th century Swedish and Polish Confederates ruled around the city, later Turkish garrison was located in Chernivtsi. Since that time there is a Turkish well – the oldest city utility – in the old part of the city. According to historical records the city population was made ​​up of Orthodox people and Jews who lived in 200 huts.

The city and all Bukovyna joined the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the Russo-Turkish War in 1774. Chernivtsi, actually, got its image of the European city with distinctive architecture and urban infrastructure during the "Habsburg" period of its history (before 1918). Cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic population was formed in Chernivtsi. The climate of that-time Chernivtsi was made up of various religious and cultural traditions of Germans, Jews, Ukrainians, Romanians, Poles and Armenians.

Chernivtsi began to flourish in 1778, when Duke Karl von Enzenberg was appointed the second head of the City Military Administration. He invited many merchants, craftsmen and industrialists in order to help develop trade and production.

After proclamation of Bukovyna an autonomous crown-land (Duchy) in 1861 Chernivtsi becomes its capital. On March 8, 1864 the city was granted the right of full self-government, first city council members were elected; Jacob von Petrovych became the first Mayor.

The second Mayor Anton Kochanowski von Stavchan (1866-1874) has left especially remarkable mark in the history of Chernivtsi. His very name is associated with formation of Chernivtsi as a city of European type. In 1866 the city was connected with Europe (through Lviv) by rail. Since the mid-nineteenth century, when the rail-way was prolonged to the Romanian city of Iasi, Chernivtsi has become a border junction that worked for the economy of the city and land. Trains transported wood, sugar, livestock, wool, and salt to the North and South, East and West. A Commodity Exchange, Chamber of Commerce and Crafts, post office, telegraph, Bukovynian Savings Bank and branches of foreign banks were opened in the city. European capital came to Chernivtsi, construction boom started. New streets were laid and paved; water supply and sewerage networks were constructed. Chernivtsi became a scientific and educational center on October 4, 1875, when a university was opened by the decree of emperor of Austro-Hungarian Empire Franz Joseph. Launching of the first tram in 1897 became a real holiday for all Chernivtsi citizens. Construction of buildings was going full blast, buildings for administrative and public needs appeared: hospitals, schools, hotels, clubs with ball-rooms, and national houses. In 1908 a new elegant building of railway station was erected to show to the city guests that they came not to a province, but to the “little Vienna on the Prut”.

During World War I Chernivtsi got in the centre of battle actions, that resulted in three changes of power during the war years and only on December 30, 1918 King Ferdinand I signed the decree on union of Bukovyna with Romania.

"Romanian period" in Chernivtsi made ​​some changes to the architectural image of the city, buildings in the style of constructivism and neo-romanesque appeared in the city centre.

On June 28, 1940 Northern Bukovyna with Chernivtsi was alienated from Romania to the Soviet Ukraine under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Nearly all the ethnic German population was repatriated from Chernivtsi, what damaged the local multi-ethnic flavor. Chernivtsi region as a part of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was established on August 2, 1940.

During World War II Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany and Romanian authorities returned to Chernivtsi. Fortunately, the war did not bring considerable damages to the city, only several buildings on Central Square and Poshtova Street were destroyed, Temple was set aflame. The city was liberated on March 29, 1944 and Soviet authorities returned to the city.

During Soviet times the city was developing and nearly doubled its population. Many industrial enterprises appeared in Chernivtsi, new neighborhoods were constructed. The old part of the city was not affected by new buildings and therefore has kept its untouchable beauty and integrity.

After Ukraine gained independence in 1991, the city gradually recovered its old urban flavor and came back to historical roots.