By Lesia TRUBENKO, Hennady ONYSHCHENKO
THE ECHO OF CENTURIES
There is the old city of Chernivtsi on the banks of the surging Prut
River. According to historic data, the foundation of Chernivtsi dates back
to approximately the twelfth century. The first evidence of this city occurs
in a trade agreement between the Moldavian voevode (provincial governor)
Alexander and Lviv merchants in 1308. In 1388, the Polish King Wladyslaw
Jagiello left, as collateral to the Moldavian provincial governor Peter,
the land containing Chernivtsi for 3,000 guldens. However, the king failed
to return the money on the due date, and the city remained the Moldavian
governor's property. In 1497, another Polish King Jan Albert tried to conquer
the territory. He failed, however, to do so, and, while retreating, the
Polish troops looted and ruined Chernivtsi. The city was ransacked by the
Tartars in the fifteenth century and besieged by Turkish forces in the
early eighteenth. The prospect of possessing such wealthy land did not
leave many in peace, and its owners changed one after the other. In 1769,
Bukovyna was occupied by Russian troops, only to be returned to Moldavia
in 1774.
We cannot call the Chernivtsi of those times a city proper; rather,
it was a large populated area composed of the small houses of local residents.
It was not until Bukovyna was occupied by Austrian forces and formally
annexed by Austria in 1775 that the streets of Chernivtsi were embellished
with durable buildings, stores, and restaurants.
LITTLE VIENNA
"Little Vienna" is the name applied to Chernivtsi by many historians
and architects. The city's streets are full of buildings in the most diverse
architectural styles and trends. St. Nicholas Church, the oldest monument
still standing, was built in 1617. The church is an example of a characteristic
Bukovynian archaic "hut-type" style. Indeed, the silhouette of this little
three-framed church resembles a village house. The structure is extremely
simple, only three crosses on the roof betraying its true designation.
Each of the city's churches is a small part of a certain culture: an
imperial designed Roman Catholic church with a slight shade of the Gothic
(1814), a Renaissance-style cathedral (1844), an Armenian church in the
Roman Gothic style, and a Moorish synagogue.
The former residence of Bukovynian metropolitans in 1864-1882 (now the
State University) is impressive with bare and strong fortress walls quaintly
combined with the refined lightness and tracery of the wrought-iron fence.
It was designed and built by the Czech architect Josif Hlavka. The tremendous
scope and intensity of the construction and decorations, the use of natural
stone and ceramics, made it necessary to open quarries in the Dnister basin
villages.
Chernivtsi saw the establishment of a special brickwork and a ceramics
factory, as well as a vocational school. The palace was finished in the
style of neo-romantism with traces of Roman and Byzantine architectural
motifs and forms. It consists of three blocks forming a front entrance,
the court d'honeur. This wonderfully beautiful structure mixes the
patterns of Ukrainian embroidery, Bukovynian carpets, and Hutsul decorated
eggs. Beyond the residency buildings is a botanical garden with valuable
breeds of trees and beautiful flower-beds.
Chernivtsi saw a lot of well-known people. A sizable contribution to
the improvement of the city was made by Viennese architects F. Felner and
M. Helscher. They drew up the plans for a music and drama theater, the
Vienna and Odesa theaters also being their brainchildren.
The Ukrainian writer Olha Kobylianska spent a substantial part of her
life here. Before her, the city was visited by the poetess Lesia Ukrainka.
In a letter to her relatives she wrote, "The city is lovely, the outskirts
are extremely beautiful and rather idyllic: the mountains are not yet very
high. The Prut next to Chernivtsi flows by the green banks, meandering
among the groves."
In May 1847, the Hungarian-born composer and pianist Franz Liszt gave
a recital at the Moldavia Hotel. Solomiya Krushelnytska and the great Italian
Enrico Caruso also sang in Chernivtsi. Polish-born composer Arthur Rubinstein
and the French violinist Jacques Thibault performed in this city as well.
Ukrainian culture features the Chernivtsi musical school that won glory
by the names of many of its graduates. D. Hnatiuk, N. Isakova, I. Mykolaichuk,
and S. Sabadash began their careers here as variety singers, as did Nazariy
Yaremchuk and Liliya Sandulesa. Sofia Rotaru was also educated in this
school.








