(This is a re-posting from my article for the Chernivtsi National University Botanical Garden)I was a student of this university in 1980-s.Looking back I realize how privileged I was to spend 5 years of my life within these walls!Anyone with a slitest possibility to go to Chernivtsi must visit this place.It is a former palace-residence of Orthodox Metropolitan bishops of Bukovina, which during Soviet times was transferred to the local university. While a regrettable fact of the infamous period of the Church-bashing campain in the Soviet Union, this ironically also helped to avert much worse destiny, like turning it into a factory, or a cinema club, or warehouse or just lbe eft to ruine and decay.The architecture is magnificent, the old-world kraftsmanship puts the modern construction technologies to shame and the beauty of the place is breathtaking. The last time I visited it in 2011 there was a small (rather symbolic) fee under $1 for an admition to the central building and the botanical garden.A must-see.
It's a beautifull place! You can wonder around alone at the price of 10 UAH or with a Group and a Guide who will take you around.
Chernivtsi is a beautiful city with nice 19th centure architecture, very European looking. And yet when you first take a glimpse at the Chernivtsi University, it takes your breathe away. I felt myself in Oxford or Cambridge as the area is filled with this special scholar atmosphere. The University is a set of 19th century Austro-Hungarian religious architecture made in the red brick with wonderful garden area. The buildings are maintained in wonderful state, and beautiful roof patterns are real killers. Don't miss a walk inside the University buildings - this is unforgettable experience.
It doesn’t take much to avoid negative tourism experience in Ukraine – all you have to do is to make your prior research and do some simple arrangements. Otherwise you have only yourselves to blame for any disappointments. The Residence of Bukovynian Metropolites is an acting Chernivtsi University. Therefore visitors are allowed inside the church (remarkable experience that shouldn’t be missed!) and the University premises with a tour guide. Then the University garden can be then attended by visitors on their own. Tours by the University guides are at the very least available in English, German and French. I never got a response to the e-mail sent to the address in the Uni web page. So upon arrival I called a guide I knew in Chernivtsi and she gave me the phone number of the English-speaking University guide who was on duty that day, so I easily arranged a tour on the same very day. If you need contact details, feel free to send me a message.But even if you don’t pre-arrange a tour, you can join the group scheduled next. The guard keeps the visitors at the gate before the guide arrives. If the tour has just started, you can still join the group. The cost of a group English tour as of Sep 13 was petty UAH 20 (US$ 2.4) per person.
I have graduated this Uni ( ex residence of Bukovinian Metropolytans)This is unique style of a build construction, it is a big complex of buildings very nice decorated outside and inside with spec. kind of cultural ornaments. Has a rich history and very nice conference halls. Nice old garden behind the Uni. Now it is under UNESCO covered. The place wich must be seen first 100%.
Another unfriendly tourism experience in Ukraine. When I arrived, the huard would not let me enter the grounds. I understood I had to wait til 10 am. Then I could only visit the Church and the building on the right with the restaurant, another guard prevents entry into the main building except ofr tours, it seems. The information in the LP guidebook is wrong. They don't speak any English, there is no information whatsoever displayed anywhere. So it's just another frustrating tourism experience in Ukraine. On the other end, Chernvitsi is a very nice town to stroll in the center.
It is a beautiful creation of Austro-Hungarian architects, 100% worth seeing, but getting in is a problem. If you look as a local student you will not have a problem, but if you look as a foreign tourist, then you'll be confronted by a gate keeper who does not speak any language but Ukrainian, who will not let you in, and will be yelling on you in the language that you do not understand. That's pretty frustrating. However, if you still want to see this treasure, you have two options: bribe the guard (5 hrivnas) or join an official tour of the University with an English and Russian speaking guide (30-40 hrivnas). We used the latter and enjoyed a nice and informative walk over the buildings and halls.
This was the residence of the Metropolitans of Bukovina and Dalmatia during the times of the Habsburg monarchy. The building (1882) is by Bohemia born Josef Hlávka, one of the most prominent architects of the Ringstrasse Style in Vienna and combines Romanesque and Byzantine influences. Nowadays it is used buy Chernivtsi National University. It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. To enter you have to join a guided tour. The church on the university grounds is still open for worship and very popular with newly weds.
very beautiful, worth to visit, don't miss it if you will be in Chernivtsi. I had a feeling that I was in Hogwarts))) I think somebody should do Ukrainian Harry Potter there
We went on a guide tour of University ,. We didn't have any problems. Plus we went into several student buildings . The buildings were in great shape.