Northern Bukovina is a small area in Western Ukraine. It is only 5 times larger than Moscow and occupies 8,100 square kilometers. Unlike other regions, the territory of Northern Bukovina has never been part of the Commonwe alth. For many centuries it has been closely associated with Romania and its predecessors.
General help
This is the reason for the peculiarities of Northern Bukovina in Ukraine. While Galicia is religious, luxurious, and Podolia is famous for constant wars, Bukovina has always been a fairly quiet area. Local residents did not care much about the national issue of the state that ruled the area.
Don't confuse this area with Bukovina in Poland. There is a separate parish with the same name. The area of Bukovina in Poland is 130,000 square km. This area is home to 12,000 people. For Russians, as a rule, the thermal springs of Bukovina are of interest. This is a fairly well-known tourist destination. It must be remembered that the thermal springs of Bukovina are located in Poland. To the one described in the articleBukovina, once annexed to the USSR, this area is practically irrelevant.
Name history
The name of the territory of Bukovina comes from the word "beech". This is the name of a tree that looks like an oak. Forests of these trees are a kind of "calling card" of the Carpathian and Balkan lands. This species is recognized by its gray bark, which is smooth.
It is called Northern Bukovina, which belongs to Ukraine, since this country owns only a third of the region. It is part of Moldova and is a fairly large entity. Chernivtsi region became part of Ukraine, Bukovina was the Chernivtsi district of Galicia until 1849. Before the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, the region belonged to Russia. In the 12th century, Yaroslav Osmomysl founded Choren, which became the predecessor of Chernivtsi. After the invasion, the territory of modern Northern Bukovina became part of the Podolsky ulus. In the middle of the 14th century, the region was taken over by Hungary, and after that by the Moldavian Principality. The capital was the city of Siret, and then Suceava.
Although Northern Bukovina has been a neighbor of the center of statehood of Romanians since ancient times, it has always remained a periphery. Almost all important historical events took place south of these lands. This also applied to internecine clashes and military conflicts with the Turks.
The most ancient architectural monument of Galicia and Bukovina is the Assumption Church in the village of Luzhany. It was founded before the 15th century, most likely during the period of Ancient Russia.
The oldest capital of the Moldavian Principality in the 14th-16th centuries is located in Southern Bukovina. This isthe city of Suceava, in the same area were located the tombs of the rulers of the principality.
At the beginning of the 16th century, Stefan the Great was at the head of Moldova, who was considered a wise and humane ruler by medieval standards. He very successfully cracked down on enemies, kept the boyars on a short leash. Moldavia became an independent and strongest principality in Eastern Europe during his reign. The brightest monument of this era is the "stone belt" passing near the Dniester. These are the numerous fortresses of Khotyn, Soroka, Tigina and so on. Khotyn has become the most powerful and beautiful fortress of Ukraine.
Stefan the Great became a hero of Orthodoxy. It was when he was at the head of his country that Constantinople fell. He wanted Moldova to become the Third Rome. But when the ruler died, his successors did not continue the work they had begun. Moldova began to improve relations with Turkey, fought with Poland, palace intrigues began. The rulers changed, soon Moldova became a vassal of Turkey, and at the end of the same 16th century it became part of the Ottoman Empire.
In Austria-Hungary
At the end of the 18th century, Austria-Hungary invaded Moldavia, informing Russia about it. The latter did not interfere in what was happening, and the Habsburgs declared their rights to Bukovina, since the northern part of the territory was once part of Pokutya, which belonged to Austria. The Turks recognized this without being interested in conflict with the Austrians. This is how Bukovina joined Galicia and Lodomeria, and since 1849 it became a duchy.
Most of the local residents were Rusyns - 42%, 30% hereMoldovans lived. 61% of the total population professed Orthodoxy.
In Romania
In 1919 Northern Bukovina joined the Romanian kingdom. At that time it was an area of 10,500 square kilometers with a population of 812,000. Rusyns lived here 38%, and Romanians - 34%. During the previous war, the Russians occupied this territory three times, the same number of times it retreated to Austria-Hungary.
Due to the fact that the local population was friendly towards the tsarist troops, Austria-Hungary carried out a number of repressive actions here.
When the state collapsed, Bukovina became part of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic. Then Romania in 1918 occupied Chernivtsi. Galicia and Bukovina united with Romania.
In the USSR
In 1940, the Soviet Union sent two ultimatums to Romania. He demanded the return of Bessarabia, once part of Russia, which had ceded to Romania in 1918. In addition, it was required to give Bukovina to the USSR. This territory was not part of the Russian Empire, but the Soviet command explained the claim by saying that it was compensation for the damage caused to the USSR and the inhabitants of Bessarabia by 22 years of Romanian rule here.
Romania began negotiations with the USSR, simultaneously turning to the Third Reich for help. Germany did not help the Romanians, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact already marked the Soviet claims to Bessarabia.
Romanians had nowhere to go, and Soviet troops occupied the designated territories. On June 28, the army of K. G. Zhukova entered here by crossing the Dniester. Romanians centrally retreated. On June 30, the accession of Northern Bukovina to the USSR, together with Bessarabia, was actually completed. Southern Bukovina remained under Romanian citizenship.
It is noteworthy that the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact itself did not contain instructions on the accession of Bukovina to the USSR, it was not listed at all as a zone of interest of this power. For this reason, in 1940, the Germans announced that the seizure of this territory by the Soviet command was in violation of the agreements. However, Molotov said that Bukovina within the USSR was the last link to unite the Ukrainians and form an integral state.
Then he launched a counterattack, announcing that the USSR had once limited its interests only in Bessarabia. But in the subsequent situation, the Third Reich had to understand the interest of the Russians. The USSR received no response. The Germans gave the Romanians guarantees of the integrity of Romania, neglecting the interest of the Soviet command in uniting Galicia, Bukovina, Sloboda, all Ukrainian lands together.
Disputes about these historical events are still going on. After the annexation of this region to the Soviet Union, the planting of new authorities began, and socialist reforms were carried out. Private capital was collectivized, many local residents moved to Romania. Relocations were also carried out due to repressions. Former government officials, leaders of public associations were persecuted, they were considered enemies by the Soviet command.
Many local communists were reported by their party comrades. In just six months from the moment these lands were annexed to the USSR, 2,057 local residents were repressed. In 1940, together with the Germans, 4,000 public figures, clergymen, teachers left here. Later, in 1941-1944, the territory again belonged to Romania. And in 1944 it again became part of the Soviet Union.
Religious meaning
Bukovina played a special role in Russian religiosity. This applies to old people. During the time of Nicholas I in the Russian Empire, the stage of religious freedom, the foundations of which were laid by Catherine II, came to an end. In 1827, the Old Believers were forbidden to receive clergy from the New Believers. They had no bishops, and religion was under threat. In 1838, it was in Bukovina that the Old Believers Pavel and Alimpiy gathered. Later they were joined by Ambrose Papa-Georgopolou, who was once a metropolitan, and after that was deposed by the patriarch of Constantinople. They had permission from the Austrians to create an Old Believer metropolis. Ambrose again became a metropolitan, but already an Old Believer. The Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church was created. Of the 2,000,000 Old Believers, 1,500,000 people today identify themselves with this particular denomination.
About the area
It is known that the lands of Galicia, Bukovina, Slobozhanshchina are distinguished by their beauty. At the same time, local buildings do not have special frills. Aesthetics have been sacrificed for secrecy here for centuries. Churches were built in this way because it was clear that they could not be preserved. They were built like thisto make it easy to restore.
A term appeared - "Bukovinian primitivism", which manifested itself even in icons. Despite the fact that the Ottoman Empire did not impose another religion here, the local population was Orthodox, they still lived in such an atmosphere of secrecy, literally underground.
The traces of the First World War were not as serious in this area as in neighboring areas. Bukovina quite simply turned into a county of Romania. The architecture of this period demonstrates the "neobrynkovian style". Its model is the St. Nicholas Church in Chernivtsi. Otherwise, it is called the "drunken church" because of its special shape.
During the Second World War, the battles here were also not as bloody as in Galicia. There was a ghetto in Chernivtsi. Chernivtsi mayor Trajan Popovich made every effort to save more than 20,000 Jews. He convinced the invaders that it was on them that the economy of the settlement rested. In Soviet times, life here was also quite calm, Chernivtsi became an industrial center in the field of precision manufacturing.
Geographic conditions
This region is unique. It is small in size, most of it belongs to Ukraine. Southern Bukovina belongs to Romania. In the USSR, the Chernivtsi region - and this is Northern Bukovina - was the smallest region in terms of area in the state, as well as the smallest in terms of the number of inhabitants.
Natural conditions here are favorable. The Carpathians are located in the south, the plain between the Prut andDniester. The mountains are covered with dense forests. The climate here is temperate continental, quite humid. The region is rich in water resources, the rivers flowing here are part of the Black Sea basin.
According to the results of the 2001 census, the population is represented by Ukrainians (75%), Romanians (12.5%), Moldovans (7%), Russians (4%). However, the results of the Ukrainian census are corrected by Russian researchers. They argue that there are fewer Ukrainians here, and Rusyns prevail, whom statistics record as Ukrainians. Local Russian Rusyns have a number of differences from Galician Rusyns.
For the most part, they concentrated on the western and northern side of this region. Sub-ethnic groups are also widespread here, for example, "Bessarabians". They are distinguished from each other by the peculiarities of the dialect and way of life. Not everyone has Ukrainian self-consciousness.
Romanians and Moldovans differ in this area very conditionally. The Romanesque inhabitants who remained on the lands included in the Moldavian principality until 1774 are considered the second. And Romanians are called Romanians who moved here from Transylvania and other territories of Romania. However, they all represent the same ethnic group, and it is different from the citizens living in Moldova and Romania. About 10% of the Romanians living here admitted during the research that their native language is Ukrainian.
Less than 5% of residents consider themselves Russian. However, there are more Russian-speaking residents here than in all other parts of Western Ukraine. And often this region votes in elections in a completely opposite way thanWestern Ukraine. The reason for such phenomena is hidden in the historical nuances of the region.
Historical roots
Some researchers consider Bukovina one of the cradles for the Eastern Slavs. Antes lived here, white Croats. Ancient Slavic culture is rooted in Bukovina. Architectural excavations have discovered here Slavic settlements of the 6th-7th centuries in 40 places. And more than 150 settlements of the 8th-9th centuries were discovered.
Starting from the 9th century, these territories were ruled by Galician princes. The fortress, located here by Yaroslav Osmomysl in the 12th century, was called "Chern", presumably due to the fact that its walls were black. The fortress is mentioned in the chronicle "List of Russian cities, distant and near". Its ruins exist even today - they are located within the city of Chernivtsi. Somewhat different from other Russian lands, the area went in the 14th century, when the devastated Carpathian foothills began to be populated by Romans, Vlachs. There were more and more of them. In 1340, the region inhabited by the Wallachians, after the Principality of Galicia was captured by Poland, wished to come under the Wallachian authority.
The name "Bukovina" is found in an agreement of 1482 between the Hungarian ruler Sigmund and the Polish Vladislav. During the period when the territory was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the Slavic population prevailed here. The lands were actively ruined during the wars between the Austrians and the Turks. By the end of Turkish rule, in the 18th century, only 75,000 people lived here. In the city of Chernivtsi there are no more than 200 houses, 3 churches,there were 1200 inhabitants.
Despite the fact that in 1768-1774 Russia defeated Turkey in the war, she gave Bukovina to Austria as a price for neutrality. At that moment, the historical path of Bukovina also became different from other Russian territories.
The aristocratic strata here were represented by Moldovans. The local population called themselves Rusyns, they were Orthodox. At the same time, they were all under Austrian citizenship. Although there was no serfdom, personal dependence existed until 1918. It was a truly multinational area. There were many Jews who were engaged in trade here. During the Austrian rule, Germans appeared here more and more often, entire German settlements began to appear. The German colonization of the territory unfolded: this language was taught in schools, and then they began to fill out official documentation in it. It soon became the local international language. Rusyns from Galicia also came here.
Representatives of the aristocracy also Germanized, they began to add the prefix "von" to their surnames. There were fewer and fewer Russians left. Describing the Bukovinian Rusyns, the researchers noted that they were mobile, enterprising, which distinguished them from the Pridnestrovian ones.
Peculiarities of culture
These features are reflected in the activities of the Bukovinians. So, they were willingly engaged in handicraft production, seasonal fishing. They were an energetic people who met at seasonal jobs in Russia. At the same time, his character was gentle. The local population was polite, modest, tidy andsomewhat dapper.
The houses were lined up in such a way that the facade turned to the south. Each building had a “splash” - a mound. As a rule, the houses were covered with white lime. They were neat, they were smeared both inside and out.
The language of the local population differed in that it avoided "Ukrainization". Thanks to this, a lot of Old Russian linguistic features have been preserved in the speech, more of them are left than among the Ukrainians. Of all the South Russian dialects, this particular speech is closer to Great Russian.
Since 1849, Bukovina gained de facto autonomy, turned into a crown province of the empire, and later - into a duchy. In fact, there were no Rusyn deputies at the Seimas. For this reason, the local population did not actually understand what democracy was.
During the reign of Austria-Hungary, Bukovina experienced its highest economic and cultural upsurge. The population grew. If in 1790 there were 80,000 inhabitants, in 1835 there were already 230,000 people, and in 1851 - 380,000. And the trend continued. In 1914, there were more than 800,000 local residents here. In just over a hundred years, the number of people has increased 10 times.
Prosperity was reflected in the city of Chernivtsi. In 1816, 5400 people lived in it, and in 1890 - 54170. At the end of the 19th century, a railway to Lvov was built here. For the most part, the locals communicated in German. The city has become a center of German, Jewish and Romanian cultures.
The Russian-speaking population was also subjected to Romanization. Only forFor 10 years in 1900-1910, 32 settlements from Ruthenian turned into Romanian. At the same time, 90% of illiterates in the local population are noted during this period. Illiteracy was caused by the fact that instruction was in German. The Austrians feared the growth of Russian influence, they did not give the go-ahead to the establishment of educational institutions where education would be conducted in Russian. Romanian schools spread.
Russian public life was represented at the end of the 20th century by one student society, several political ones. Their development was associated with rather difficult conditions.
To create a counterbalance to these phenomena, the Austrian authorities supported the Ukrainian movements. A school was opened in which education was carried out in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainization was not on the same scale as in Galicia, but it took place here as well.
In 1910, Russian societies were closed by the governor of Bukovina. Even the Russian society of women, which maintained a school of cutting and sewing, fell under this decree. The authorities confiscated the property of these associations, liquidating the libraries with works in Russian. The Austrian authorities paid special attention to opposing Russification, since the population of this territory was mostly Orthodox. In the 20th century, everyone who graduated from a theological seminary in Bukovina was allowed to sign a document stating that a person “renounces the Russian people, that from now on he will not call himself Russian, only Ukrainian and only Ukrainian.” If the graduate refused, he was denied parish. Textthis commitment was submitted in German.
All these events explain the peculiarities of the culture formed in Bukovina.
