Restoration and improvements to city streets and buildings
in preparation for the 600 year anniversary
Photographs and text by Mimi Taylor
 
The repair and painting of buildings in the center of town is almost completed. The plastering of walls, repair to architectural decorations and such, is being done very professionally and carefully. The paints used in repainting the buildings are more colorful than I would have liked, but are generally not garish and the general look is similar to what is being done in Hungary and Austria. The Herrengasse is being completely repaved, with the small square stones set in a lozenge pattern. Trees are being planted in the center of the street, which will be closed to automobile traffic.

To separate the street from the sidewalk, they are setting long narrow strips of polished granite, on which at regular intervals, are incised the various languages names of the city. I saw: Czernowitz, Cernauti, Czernowitz in Yiddish, Polish, Russian and of course Ukrainian. It looks beautiful.

All together, Czernowitz is a beautiful city and the city plan laid out by Ober-Rabiner Igel and the metropolitan of the time, is a very sensible and pleasant one.

I compared it with Baia Mare and Cluj in Romania, Gyor in Hungary and Czernowitz is definitely the winner.
 
Changes, alterations and building of new buildings in the old part of town are not allowed. The Volksgarten is being maintained, the Turken-Brunnen is being rebuilt, even the Tempel has been beautifully repainted.

[See also the photo collection by Christian Herman, 'Czernowitz Renewed' at: http://www.cyberorange.net/galleries/czernowitz03/index.html ]
Newly repainted buildings on the Universitatsgasse


The above photo is of the Math Dept. building
The above plaque is on the math dept. building

Newly painted buildings on the Ringplatz


Above:  West side of Ringplatz, south of the Schwartze Adler

Right:  The East side of the Ringplatz

Jewish community building newly painted exterior and one interior picture




Interior of Jewish community building, with Natalia Shevchenko (left),
Mimi Taylor (center), Milton Taylor (right)

Herrengasse edging stones