Editing Chernivtsi (section)

== History ==
[[File:Wappen der Stadt Czernowitz 1908.png|thumb|left|100px|The city's coat of arms until 1918]]
[[File:Stema municipiului interbelic Cernăuți.jpg|thumb|left|100px|The city's coat of arms from 1918 to 1940 and from 1941 to 1944]]
{{Quote box |width=25em |align=right |bgcolor=#B0D4DE
|title=Historical affiliations
|fontsize=85% |quote=<poem>
{{Flagicon image|Golden Horde flag 1339.svg}} [[Golden Horde]] 1241–1342
{{flag|Moldavia}} 1346–1775
{{flag|Habsburg Monarchy}} 1775–1804
{{flag|Austrian Empire}} 1804–1867
{{flag|Austria-Hungary}} 1867–1918
{{flag|Kingdom of Romania}} 1918–1940
{{flag|Soviet Union}} ([[Ukrainian SSR]]) 1940–1941
{{flag|Kingdom of Romania}} 1941–1944
{{flag|Soviet Union}} ([[Ukrainian SSR]]) 1944–1991
{{flag|Ukraine}} 1991–''present''</poem>
}}

=== Prehistory ===
Archaeological evidence discovered in the area surrounding Chernivtsi indicates that a population inhabited it since the [[Neolithic]] era. Later settlements included those of the [[Cucuteni-Trypillian culture]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/index2.php?param=pgs20043/34|title=Trypillya&nbsp;– a culture that was contemporaneous with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia|access-date=27 September 2007|work=Welcome to Ukraine}}</ref> the [[Corded Ware culture]]; artifacts from the [[Bronze Age|Bronze]] and [[Iron Age]]s were also found in the city. In the Middle Ages there lived East Slavic tribes [[White Croats]] and [[Tivertsi]].<ref>{{cite book|chapter=ЧЕРНІВЕЦЬКА ОБЛАСТЬ|trans-chapter=Chernivtsi Region|chapter-url=http://www.history.org.ua/?termin=Chernivetska_oblast|author=Верменич Я. В.|title=Encyclopedia of Ukrainian History|year=2013|publisher=[[Naukova Dumka]], [[NASU Institute of History of Ukraine]]|volume=10|language=uk|isbn=978-966-00-1359-9|quote=У 9—11 ст. на території Ч.о. жили племена тиверців і хорватів. Із кінця 10 — в 11 ст. рівнинна частина сучасної області стала периферією Київської Русі, потім — Галицького князівства, а в 2-й пол. 14 ст. відійшла до Молдавського князівства (яке в 16 ст. стало васалом Османської імперії).}}</ref>

=== Under Principality of Halych ===
A fortified settlement located on the left (north-eastern) shore of the Prut dates back to the time of the [[Galicia-Volhynia|Principality of Halych]] and is thought to have been built by [[Knyaz|Grand Prince]] [[Yaroslav Osmomysl]].<ref name="hist">{{cite web|url=http://www.komkon.org/~sher/chern/hist.html |title=City of Chernivtsi&nbsp;– History |access-date=25 September 2007 |work=The Komkon Site |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927041104/http://www.komkon.org/~sher/chern/hist.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref> Legendary 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]] layered with [[chernozem|local black-colored soil]].<ref name="city.cv.ua">{{cite web|url=http://www.city.cv.ua/English/History/|title=History|access-date=25 September 2007|work=Chernivtsi City Official Site}}</ref> This early stronghold was destroyed during the [[Mongol invasion of Europe]] 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.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

[[File:Greater austria ethnic.svg|thumb|right|250px|Map of the ''[[United States of Greater Austria]]'', proposed in 1906, shows the city at the border of the areas inhabited by Romanians and Ukrainians.]]

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 (1025–1385)|Kingdom of Poland]] seized control of [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]], and came into contact with the early [[Vlachs|Vlach]] ([[Romanians|Romanian]]) feudal formations, a fort was mentioned under the name ''Țețina''; it was defending the ford and crossing point on the [[Prut River]]. It was part of a group of three fortifications; the other two being the fortress of [[Khotyn|Hotin]] on the Dniester to the east, and a fort on the [[Kolachin River]], an upriver tributary of Prut.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

=== Under the Principality of Moldavia ===
{{See also|Battle of Cernăuți}}
Between 1359 and 1775, the city and its surroundings were part of the [[Moldavia|Principality of Moldavia]], one of the historic provinces of [[Romania]]; the city being the administrative center of the [[Cernăuți County|homonymous ''ținut'' (county)]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Pahomi |first=Mircea |date=1998 |title=Cetatea Ţeţina – Cernăuţi |url=http://astra.iasi.roedu.net/texte/pahomi.html |magazine=Astra |language=ro |issue=3 #13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009104301/http://astra.iasi.roedu.net/texte/pahomi.html |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> The name Cernăuți is first attested in a document by [[Alexander I of Moldavia|Alexandru cel Bun (Alexander the Good)]] on 8 October 1408.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ghenghea |first=Mircea-Cristian |date=2008 |title=Cernăuţi-600 de ani de atestare documentară internă |url=http://astra.iasi.roedu.net/revistaromana/ |magazine=Astra |language=ro |issue=4 #54 |page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009104345/http://astra.iasi.roedu.net/revistaromana/ |archive-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> In [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sources, the city was mentioned as "Çernovi".{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

=== Under Austro-Hungarian rule and Romanian control ===
In 1775, the northwestern part of the territory of Moldavia was annexed by the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg Empire]]; this region became known as [[Bukovina]]. The city became the region's capital, organized as the [[Bukovina District]] part of the [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria]], which in 1849 was raised in status and became known as the [[Duchy of Bukovina]], a [[Cisleithania#Crown lands|crownland]] of the [[Austrian Empire]]. The city received [[Magdeburg rights]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://heraldry.com.ua/index.php3?lang=E&context=info&id=1155 |title=Chernivtsi|access-date=25 September 2007|work=Ukrainian heraldry}}</ref> 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]]'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]].<ref>Ion Lihaciu, Czernowitz 1848–1948. Das kulturelle Leben einer Provinzmetropole, Parthenon Verlag, Kaiserslautern und Mehlingen 2012, {{ISBN|978-3-942994-00-2}}</ref>

During the 19th and early 20th century, Chernivtsi became a center of both Romanian and Ukrainian national movements. In 1908, it was the site of the first [[Yiddish language]] 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.<ref name=":2" /> When [[Austria-Hungary]] dissolved in 1918, followed by two years of political uncertainty in Europe due to the aftermath of [[World War I]], the city and its surrounding area [[Union of Bukovina with Romania|became part]] of the [[Kingdom of Romania]], which gained worldwide diplomatic recognition by the end of 1920.<ref name="eb">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9017989/Bukovina |title=Bukovina|access-date=26 September 2007|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gr-czernowitz.livejournal.com/2727944.html|title = Карта "Еврейские Черновцы" на немецком языке}}</ref> German remained the [[lingua franca]] of the city and its suburbs for another decade. In 1930, the city reached a population of 112,400.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iancu |first=Mariana |date=29 December 2019 |title=România are aproximativ aceeaşi populaţie ca în 1930, data primului recensământ al ţării reîntregite |url=https://adevarul.ro/stiri-locale/constanta/romania-are-aproximativ-aceeasi-populatie-ca-in-1992282.html |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=Adevarul.ro}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2">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 978-973-595-418-5.[https://ibn.idsi.md/sites/default/files/imag_file/439-458.pdf]</ref>

=== Soviet occupation and rule ===
[[File:Вступ частин Червоної Армії до Чернівців 1940 р.jpg|thumb|Soviet occupation troops entering Chernivtsi in 1940]]
In 1940, the [[Red Army]] [[Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina|occupied the area]]; the area around the city became known as [[Chernivtsi Oblast]], and was allotted to the [[Ukrainian SSR]] by the Soviet Union.<ref name="eb" /> 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]], 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 [[Operation Barbarossa|Axis attack on the Soviet Union]] during World War II. Chernivtsi would become the capital of the Romanian [[Bukovina Governorate]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.rtsa.ro/rtsa/index.php/rtsa/article/view/166|title=Administrarea teritoriului României în timpul celui de-al doilea Război Mondial|first=Viorel|last=Stănică|journal=Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences|volume=9|issue=19|year=2007|pages=107–116|language=ro}}</ref> In August 1941, Antonescu ordered the creation of a [[ghetto]] 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 (World War II)|Transnistria]], 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dt.ua/SOCIETY/bukovinskiy_shindler.html|title=Bukovinian Schindler|website=DT.ua|access-date=2019-12-28|archive-date=28 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228145543/https://dt.ua/SOCIETY/bukovinskiy_shindler.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://versii.cv.ua/news/bukovynskyj-shyndler-kolyshnij-mer-chernivtsiv/14230.html|title=Bukovinian Schindler – former mayor of Chernivtsi|date=2011-09-15|website=Чернівці, Чернівецька область – новини в газеті Версії|language=uk|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref>

After 29 March 1944, when [[Axis forces]] 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.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

=== 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 regional significance (Ukraine)|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.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ.|url=http://www.golos.com.ua/article/333466|access-date=2020-10-03|date=2020-07-18|website=Голос України|language=uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Нові райони: карти + склад |date=17 July 2020 |url=https://www.minregion.gov.ua/press/news/novi-rajony-karty-sklad/ |publisher=Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України |language=Ukrainian}}</ref>

===Russian invasion of Ukraine===

{{see also|Ukrainian refugee crisis}}

Since the start of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the city has been a host for refugees from the fighting in eastern and central Ukraine<ref name="Aljazeera">{{cite web |last1=Moldovan |first1=Ioana |title=Lives in a suitcase: The refugees fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/3/1/photos-lives-in-a-suitcase-the-refugees-fleeing-the-russia-ukraine-war |website=Aljazeera |access-date=24 March 2022 |location=Romania |date=1 March 2022}}</ref> and a resting point for refugees on their way to nearby [[2022 Ukrainian refugee crisis#Romania|Romania]].<ref name="Aljazeera"/> Some Chernivtsi residents have also left the country.