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Chernivtsi County (Ukraine)

Chernivets'ka Oblast'

Last modified: 2006-03-25 by dov gutterman
Keywords: ukraine | chernivtsi | chernovicy | romania | falcon | beech nut | bukovina | bassarbia | herta | ghertsa | moldova | chernivetska oblast |
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Чернівцiська область - Чернівці

(2:3)
image by Jens Pattke, 16 November 2001



See also:

Districts (Rayon):

  • [1] Vyzhnytsia (Вижниця)
  • [2] Gertsa/Hertsa (Герца)
  • [3] Glyboka/Hlyboka (Глибока)
  • [4] Zastavna (Заставна)
  • Zastavna (Заставна)
  • [5] Kel'nemtsy (Кельменці)
  • Kel'nemtsy (Кельменці)
  • [6] Kitsman' (Кіцмань)
  • Kitsman' (Кіцмань)
  • Kysyliv (Киселів)
  • [7] Novoselytsia (Новоселиця)
  • [8] Putyla (Путила)
  • [9] Sokyriany (Сокиряни)
  • [10] Storozhynets' (Сторожинець)
  • [11] Khotyn (Хотин)
  • [12] Chernivtsi City (Чернівці)

Other municipalities:

Other sites:


The Flag

From site of Ukrainian Heraldry:
"It was confirmed at December, 12th, 2001. There is a rectangular panel with a ratio of the parties 2:3. From the top and bottom edges are blue-yellow stripes (blue strip width equals 1/10 of a flag width, yellow equals 1/30 of a flag width). At the centre of a panel is a white falcon on a green background (its height equals 1/2 width of a flag).
Falcon is symbol of beauty, bravery. The green colour (Green Bukovyna) means well-being and hope. Blue-yellow strips emphasize a state belonging of area, the dark blue also personifies greatest rivers of region. Yellow means grain fields."
Jens Pattke, 16 November 2001


The County

Soviet era name: C^ernovicy.Area seized from Rumania in 7 August 1940
Antуnio Martins , 10 July 1999

Chernivtsi Oblast's got three parts:
1. North Bukovina
2. Northern part of Bessarabia
3. Herta
All the three part was part of the Principality of Moldova until 1775.

North Bukovina:
On 7th of May 1775 the territory of Bukovina was seized by Austria. From 1786 Bukovina was an autonomous district of Galicia Province. From 1849 to 1918 Bukovina was one of the Austrian Provinces. Bukovina was an ethnic mosaic. In 1910 the province had got 794,9 thousand settlers (38,4% Ruthenian, 34,4% Rumanian, 12,0% Jew, 9,2% German, 4,5% Polish, 1,3% Hungarians and others). The Treaty of Saint-Germaine (1919) annexed the territory of Bukovina (without 4 villages) from Austria to Romania. The northern part of Bukovina was annexed to Ukraina by the Soviet Union on 26th June 1940. Between 1941-1944 it was part of Romania. The Treaty of Paris annexed it to the Soviet Union (Ukraina).

Northern part of Bessarabia (or Khotin region):
On 28th of May 1812 the Treaty of Bucharest (Russia-Turkey) annexed the territory of Bessarabia to Russia. It became territory. In January 1918 Romania occupied the territory and after the Treaty of Bucharest (Romania-Austria/Hungary 08. 05. 1918) annexed it . Bessarabia was annexed to the Soviet Union on 26th June 1940. The northern part of Bessarabia became part of Ukraina (the other part (without the seashore) became the Moldavian Republic). 1941-1944 part of Romania. The Treaty of Paris annexed it to the Soviet Union (Ukraina).

Herta (In Rumania Herta, in Ukrainian Ghertsa (Gerca)) and vicinity:
Until 1862 part of Moldova, after the Union of Moldova and Wallachia it became part of Romania. On 26th June 1940 the Soviet Union annexed the town and their vicinity. 1941-1944 part of Romania. The Treaty of Paris annexed it to the Soviet Union (Ukraina).

Chernivtsi Oblast - Regiunea Cernauti (in Romanian) has got 844,9 thousand inhabitants (19,6% Rumanian; 1970 census).
Istvan Molnar, 6 July 2000

I believe it is actually "Chernowitz" in German. By the way, the German name for the region (Buchenland) means "land of beeches", as far as I know.
Santiago Dotor, 17 July 2000

It was Czernowitz until 1918. (see Stielers Handatlas 1877 & 1912; Brockhaus' Kleines Konversations-Lexikon, 1914, &c. In Fischers Weltalmanach 2000 it is called Chernivtsi; Duden Lexikon (1965) has Tschernowitz.
CoA with a big cattle-head on blue-red field; between the horns and to the left and right of the head 3 or mullets of 6. Landesfarben: Blue - Red (according to Brockhaus).
Jarig Bakker, 17 July 2000


Coat of Arms


image from site of Ukrainian Heraldry, located by Jarig Bakker

In 1994 the regional council of Chernivtsi confirmed a regional Coat of Arms. A shield is cut with gules and vert. In the right half there is the town Coat of Arms of Chernivtsi, in the left half there are three ,one on the other, beech nuts. The shield is crowned with an argent old Slavonic falcon and is framed with a wreath of the beech branches which are connected with a azure-and-yellow ribbon.
Jarig Bakker


The City of Chernivtsi

The city (in German Czernowitz) was the capital of Bukowina or Buchenland province of the Austrian Empire to 1849-1918, (in Romanian Cernauti) the capital of Bucovina Region of the Kingdom of Romania 1918-1940 and 1941-1944, (in Russian Cernovci) the seat of Chernovickaja Oblast' of the Soviet Union 1940-1941 and 1944-1992, now (Cherivtsi) the seat of Chernivtsi Oblast of Ukraine.

I found the Coat of Arms of the city on the site of Ukrainian Heraldry:

The modern Coat of Arms:
"The modern Coat of Arms of the town practically copies the historical symbol. In the gate there can be seen a Trident - the Coat of Arms of Ukraine. The laurel branches are banded with a azure-and-yellow ribbon. The Coat of Arms is situated on a decorative or crossbow and is crowned with an argent mauerkrone with five embattlements."

The Coat of Arms of the Austrian period  1775-1918:
"The Austrian historian Vickenhauzer asserted that an CoA was given to Chernivtsi in 1784. On the CoA there was a picture of open argent gate in the opening of which is an imperial eagle (the CoA of the ruling house of the Gabsburgers). On the eagle there was a Gotic gules shield per fess in the middle by an argent beam. In 1784 there was also made the first seal of the town. It was oval, the size 40x45 mm and round the seal there was an inscription in German "Chernivtsi, town. A seal 1784". In the center there was an open gate with seven embattlements. Over them eight (four in a row) stones. In the center of the opening of the gate there was an imperial eagle. Under the gate two laurel branches in cross.On the 30th of April 1908 before celebrating the 500 anniversary of the first written mention about Chernivtsi the magistrate of the town appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Austro-Hungary with a request to give the first town Coat of Arms of 1784. The town was given a patent for the Coat of Arms - in a gules shield an open town stone gate crowned with seven embattlements. Over the embattlements there are eight stones in two rows (four stones in each). The stones of the upper row were somewhat smaller than the stones of the lower row. In the open gate a or double-headed eagle with an or crown on each head. In its dexter foot the eagle hold a sword, in its sinister foot there was a ball (a symbol of power). On the eagle's chest there was an escutcheon per fess with an argent line and entwined with the Order of the Golden Fleece. Over the eagle an imperial crown. The two laurel branches in cross - under the town gate and entwined with a gules-and-white ribbon. Vickenhauzer doesn't explain any reason of using the mentioned symbols in creating the Coat of Arms. Maybe they were characteristic of the town since the days of Galyts'ka (Chervona) Rus'."

The Coat of Arms of the Romanian period (1918-1940, 1941-1944):
"In 1918-1940 Chernivtsi were under the Romanian jurisdiction and the Coat of Arms didn't change much. In a gules field there was a fortress with embattlements and with two rectangular towers. The fortress had an open gate with an Coat of Arms of Moldova. In chief between the towers there was an or rose. The shield is crowned with an argent mauerkrone with seven embattlements."

The soviet Coat of Arms:
"In an azure shield is a gules arc with or sickle and hammer. There is argent mountains in arc. In the bottom of shield is vert branches of beech and two argent wave barrulets."

The first mention of the city is from 1408.

Some of the names of the city: Chernivtsi in Ukrainian, Czernowitz or Tschernowitz in German, Cerna~uti in Romanian, Chernovcy or Chernovicy in Russian, Czerniowce in Polish, Csernovic in Hungarian, Tshernevits or Tshernovits in jiddis.
Istvan Molnar, 6 July 2000