Chernivtsi

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{{Infobox Ukrainian City | name = Chernivtsi | coa = Chernivtsi gerb.jpg | map = Cherniwzi-Ukraine-Map.png | oblast = Chernivtsi Oblast | mayor = Mykola Fedoruk | area = 153 | pop = 240,600 | year = 2001 | density = 1,547 | founded = first mentioned in 1408 | N1 = 48 | N2 = 18 | E1 = 25 | E2 = 56 | code = 372 | sisters = | url = http://www.city.cv.ua/Ukrainian/ }} Chernivtsi (Template:Lang-ua; German: Czernowitz or Tschernowitz; Romanian: Cernăuţi; Template:Lang-ru, Chernovtsy) is a city in Northern Bukovina, Ukraine, capital of the Chernivtsi Oblast.

1 History
2 Demographics
3 Personalities
- 3.1 Natives
- 3.2 Residents
4 See also
5 External links

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History

See also Bukovina#History

Image:Chernivtsi Palace of culture1.jpg

Archeological data prove that the Chernivtsi area was populated from neolithic times. Settlements of Trypillian culture and artifacts from Corded Ware culture, later Bronze and Iron ages are numerous in the city and surroundings. Cultural layer belonging to early Slavic tribes in Chernivtsi dates to 2nd - 5th centuries, settlements of Chroatian tribes and Tiverians from 9th - 11th centuries are present.

A fortified settlement at the place of today's Chernivtsi (at the left shore of Prut river) existed already at the times of Principality of Halych and is thought to be built by prince Yaroslav Osmomysl (ruled 1153-1187). Legendary accounts call this fortress-city "Chern'", or "Black city", and is said to owe its name to the black colour of oak wood layered with the chernozem that were used for the city walls. [1]

The stronghold was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Rus' by the hordes of Burundai in 1259, and people moved to higher right side of the Prut river. The remaining ramparts continued to be used for defense. In the seventeenth century they were augmented with several bastions, one of which still exists.

From 1359 the region became a part of the Principality of Moldavia. The first written mention of Chernivtsi is found in business correspondance of the Prince Alexandru cel Bun with merchants from Lviv and is dated at October 8, 1408. The city received the Magdeburg rights.

Image:University of Chernivtsi.jpg

From 1775, Czernowitz was a part of the Duchy of Bukovina crownland of the Austrian Empire. When Austria-Hungary was dissolved in 1918, the city with the surrounding area were occupied by the Kingdom of Romania, which controlled it until 1940, when it was occupied by the Red Army and attached to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the USSR.

In the beginning of the Axis attack on the Soviet Union in the Second World War Romania took control of the city (1941) along with much of the southern Ukraine, but as the Axis armies were driven out by the Soviet Army, the city returned to the Soviet control (1944).

From 1950 the Romanian population in Chernivtsi declined rapidly, quickly becoming a minority. When the Soviets took over Bukovina, many Romanians fled to Romania or were deported to Siberia, where most of them died.

Since 1991, it is has been part of independent Ukraine. The Romanian minority in Chernivtsi continues to decrease through cultural assimilation and immigration to Romania.

Chernivtsi was the site of the first Yiddish language conference coordinated by Nathan Birnbaum.

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Demographics

Image:Chernivtsi Olga Kobylyanska street.jpg

In 1930, according to the Romanian census, the population of the city was 26.8 % Jewish, 23,2% Romanians, 20.8% German 18.6% Ukrainians and 1.5% Russians.

The population of the city, estimated in January 1, 1998, was approximately 295,000 residents. Among these, there are some 172,000 Ukrainians, 46,000 Russians, 16,000 Romanians, 13,000 Moldavians, 7,000 Poles, and others.

According to the data of the All-Ukrainian population census of 2001 the population of Chernivtsi is approximately 236,700 people of 65 nationalities. Among these numbers are Ukrainians, 189,000 (79,8%); Russians, 26,700 (11,3%); Romanians, 10,500 (4.4%); Moldavians, 3,800 (1.6%), Polish 1,400 (0,6%); Jews, 1,300 (0,6%); and others, 2,900 (1,2%).

In Romania, the city is considered to have an illustrious history as one of Romania's greatest cultural and educational centres.

In May 1999, Romania opened its consulate general in the city. Chernivtsi is a major point of railway and highway crossings in the region, has an airport.

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