Chernovtsy is a capital of ancient Carpathian land Bukovina. Bukovina, on the eastern slopes of the Carpathian mountains, was once the heart of the Romanian Principality of Moldavia, with the city of Suceava being made its capital in 1388.

Chernivtsi continues to hold a prominent position among other Ukrainian and Eastern European cities. The city's ancient beginnings and significant history add to its charm and attraction for those interested in the Bukovynian Region.

It's said that in the beginning it was built as a fort at the southern border of the Halych-Volyn Knighthood on the left bank of the Prut River and was called CHERN or "a black town." The use of the name was because of the black color of the fortress walls made of oak and for the dark rich, fertile surrounding soil.

The early fortress was completely destroyed by the Mongol conqueror Burundai and its citizens moved to the right bank of the river in autumn 1259. From 1359 the town became part of the Moldavian State.

The first written record about Chernivtsi was found in manuscripts of the Moldavian master Olexandr Dobryi (the Good), given to merchants from Lviv on October 8, 1408. Each year this date is officially celebrated as Chernivtsi's City Day. The town was situated on the crossroads of Northern-Western Europe, and the Balkans and Turkey. In 1457, it became a great marketplace and administrative center for the whole region. The town was destroyed several times, under the Osman Empire, and from 1774-1918 the Austrian Empire ruled it. From 1918-1940 the region was part of Romania. In 1774 there were about 290 families who lived in the town and suburbs and three wooden churches existed.

From the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century many architectural monuments were built and brought honor to the city: the Ratusha (the City Hall) (1848); the Telegraph (1855); the Armenian Cathedral (1875); the Jewish Synagogue (1877); the Drama Theater (1905); the Palace of Justice (1906); and the Train Station (1908).

Contemporary Chernivtsi is a regional center, which is situated on the picturesque banks of Prut River and occupies an area of about 150 square km (85 square miles). The distance from Kiev is about 650 km (490 miles). The city of Chernivtsi borders on Moldova and Romania, the cities of Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil and the Khmelnytskyi region (oblast) of Ukraine.

The current population of Chernivtsi is approximately 259,000 people (01.01.1998). Among these numbers are Ukrainians, 172,300; Russians, 46,200; Jews, 15,700; Romanians, 12,900; Moldavians, 6,500; Polish 2,400; and others, 3,100.