City The University

The best assemblage of architecture in Chernivtsi was created by the consummate genius of mas¬ters. The residence of Bukovinian metropolitans stands out among them. It was built in 1864-1882. Planning and constructing were done by Joseph Hlavka (1831-1908), a famous Czech scientist, architect, cofounder of the Prague Academy of Arts and Sciences, and person responsible for many buildings in his motherland and abroad.

The residence was erected at the place of episcopate. It attracts with its unusual look, reminiscent of a medieval castle. High brick walls are decorated with ceramic and fretted stone. Straight towers, butt-ends and pointed ledges with high merlons. The steep slopes of the roof are decorated with white, blue, green and brown glazed tiles. All this gives the impression of eternity, sublimity and festivity.

The composition of the complex is extremely plain and efficient. The courtyard is encircled with buildings on three sides. At the centre one can see the metropolitan palace with the main entrance and the domed St. Ivan of Sucheava's Chapel at the left. The most imposing premises are the huge vestibule with heavy columns and over it a 2-meter high Marble Hall with an adjoining gallery. On the right wing of the palace is a building with clock tower, which used to be a chorister school and visitors' premise. On the left is a seminary building with a church.

The huge volume of construction demanded a certain quantity of materials. With that end in view a number of stone quarries were opened, and new brickfields were built. Austrian and Czech specialists were invited to train local stone masons and bricklayers.

The residence of Bukovina metropolitans was distin¬guished at the world industrial exhibition in Paris.

There is also a dendrology park in the complex. It is encircled with a 3-metre high stone wall and covers an area of 5 hectares. Most of the rare specimens of trees are mingled with the native ones: maples, lime trees, oaks and hornbeams. They make up a solid defensive line all around the park. This line is supposed to provide the park with total isolation thus creating the idea of absolute serenity.

The park entrance completes the regular part of the complex with its buildings and the garden. There is a monument to J. Hlavka built in 1937 by sculptor A. Seveiyn. A fir tree, as old as the park, grows near the monument. Next to it are two pools with fountains.
Behind this façade the park unfolds. A path leads to a small pool with weeping willows, Soulange magnolia, and katalpa. It is one of the most picturesque nooks. From there the paths dis¬perse. The park, with asymmetric tree planting and meadows, has preserved some elements of ornamental design: artificial hills, garden benches, a large stone grotto, and sculptures. One of the park wonders is a "three-legged" apple-tree. Its crown was an understock for two grafts from neighbouring trees that formed to¬gether this botanical wonder.

Now the residence is one of the oldest universities in Ukraine, Chernivtsi National University, named after Juri Fedkovitch. The University opened on October 4, 1875, due to the efforts of Konstantin Tomashchuk, a well-known Bukovinian politician, who man¬aged to persuade the Austrian Govern¬ment to choose in favour of Chernivtsi. The city community awarded him with the title of honorary citizen in1876). The University has stimulated the development of culture and education in Bukovina and given rise to a genera¬tion of intellectuals.