Has anyone been to Chernivtsi or Kam'yanets'-Podil's'kyi and maybe want to share something, anything? I am considering spending a few days there. Its a tirp I started planning more than 4 years ago and thought this summer might be the time to do it.
And yes, I did search Chernivtsi on the forum. No first hand accounts. The name only come up 20 times in the forum over 16 years. And i did search Kam'yanets'-Podil's'kyi and the name came up once 8 years ago with no first hand account.
You should gone to Chernivtsi prior to the war in the Ukraine and the horrors and damage wreaked upon it by the Russians.
In English (German too), this cultural city prior to 1914 and during the inter-war year period , prior to the horrors perpetrated by the German Nazis and their cohorts, went by the historical name of Czernowitz,
Chernivitsi would have been well worth your time architecturally and culturally prior to the Ukraine war.
Fred, you may have the damage portion of your comments confused with another city. Here is a tourist video posted about a year ago https://youtu.be/oLuEGe8y_t0?si=O8Cxr9oWwZXyVGFA and one about 5 months ago. https://youtu.be/AU1L_DqNqK0?si=DbiaJutHA2S1S73d
As for the historic names, given the situation right now the old names may be great in a classroom, but on the street I think it might be a little offensive to some.
Here is a why I want to see Kam'yanets'-Podil's'kyi (which by the way, Fred, has other historical names): the old town posted a year ago https://youtu.be/ScqPajbRuHQ?si=8Jmpb2WDLxA0ViBo and the castle https://youtu.be/nfN5Tg8tR5E?si=B6Zzhy2IAmth9gN7 and another https://youtu.be/NyrbU5o7eMk?si=P8030rrxlRtBKla_
This is an easy visit, just a short drive from an airport in Romania.
@ Mr E....Re: offensive to some. I have never ever encountered any type of disapproval or offense taken when I mention "classroom" names obtained from anglophone history works and have asked over the years numerous persons of various nationalities, various ages, etc. in central and east-central Europe. Most often, these interlocutors have been inquisitive or delighted.
My husband and I were in Chernivtsi in September, 2019 - so before COVID and the russian war against Ukraine. We didn’t have much time for sightseeing since we were there for a conference at the university. The university is a UNESCO world heritage site - don’t miss it. I did sneak away for a few hours one afternoon to take a walk on Kobylanska St., a pedestrianized street with beautiful architecture, lots of restaurants, shops. Two restaurants that I remember from that street are Koleso (Колесо)(they put on a great spread for the conference attendees one evening) and Panska Huralnya (Панська Гуральня).
We stayed at Hotel Bukovyna. Somewhat dated - definite tinge of a previous era - though it was being renovated bit by bit when we were there. but it has a delicious breakfast buffet every morning. Make sure to try the banosh (corn porridge) topped with bryndza (a cheese similar to feta) - yum. The buffet included excellent local cheeses. There was a steakhouse next door to the hotel, where we had dinner one night.
If you can manage it, go to Kosiv for the Hutsul market on Saturday morning - it’s not to be missed. But it starts really early - 4 or 5 am, I think.
I’ve been to Kamianets-Podilsky, but it was along time ago - 1993 - one of my aunts lived there. So other than confirming that the fortress is definitely worth visiting I can’t suggest much else.
Not far from Kamianets-Podilsky is Khotyn, there’s another fortress there that’s also worth a visit.
I went to Chernivtsi in 2018. I'm afraid it's mostly a blur, but I spent 3 nights there and was able to fill a bit more than 2 days--probably a lot of it spent walking around the historic center. Unfortunately, the restaurant I liked enough to have two main meals there has closed.
I'm sorry I can't really be helpful.
It's a start and it's more than has been on the forum in 10 years.
I was in both cities in 1997; however, I'm sorry I can't be of help regarding tourist activities (I will ask my husband for input). We stayed with my husband's relatives in Boryshkivtsi (near Khotyn--do visit).
