Romanians of Chernivtsi Oblast
Encyclopedia
Chernivtsi Oblast
Chernivtsi Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine, bordering on Romania and Moldova. It has a large variety of landforms: the Carpathian Mountains and picturesque hills at the foot of the mountains gradually change to a broad partly forested plain situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers....
of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
comprises a significant Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
community.
History
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
. Prior to that, the territory had never been part of any Ukrainian entity, although ethnic Ukrainians have lived in parts of the area in increasing numbers since the 19th century. Rather, the region constituted the northern part of the historical region of Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
, the northern part of Hotin County
Hotin County
Hotin County was a county in the Principality of Moldavia , the Governorate of Bessarabia , the Moldavian Democratic Republic , and the Kingdom of Romania ....
of the region of Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, and the north-western corner of Dorohoi County
Dorohoi county
Dorohoi County, with its seat at Dorohoi, was a subdivision of the Kingdom of Romania and located in the region of Moldavia....
of the region of Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
proper.
The Romanian population of Chernivtsi Oblast was persecuted by Soviet authorities on ethnic grounds, especially in the years following the annexation until 1956. In neighboring Bessarabia the same persecution did not have a predominantly ethnic orientation, being based mostly on social, educational, and political grounds.
Current situation
Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, the official statements referring to this issue from the representatives of the Romanian community in Chernivtsi Oblast and from the Romanian government, have stated that there is no intent to revise the present internationally recognized border. However, the Romanian community has constantly addressed the following seven demands to the Ukrainian government:
- to be officially recognized with the status of "native population" (as in Article 11 of the Constitution of UkraineConstitution of UkraineThe Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
). - to be officially recognized as a "population that was subject to deportations on ethnic grounds", as the Crimean TatarsCrimean TatarsCrimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
, GermansGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, ArmeniansArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, PolesPolesthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, and Jews are recognized, and to have official condemnation of the consequences of the Molotov-Ribbentrop PactMolotov-Ribbentrop PactThe Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
, such as the massive deportations of civilian populations, the massacres at LuncaLuncaLunca may refer to several places in Romania:* Lunca, a commune in Bihor County* Lunca, a commune in Botoşani County* Lunca, a commune in Mureş County* Lunca, a commune in Teleorman County* Lunca, a village in Lupşa Commune, Alba County...
and Fântâna-Albă, the annihilation of entire villages, such as FrunzăFrunzăFrunză is a town in Ocniţa district, Moldova....
, Albovăţ, etc. that occurred during the Stalin's regime (the HolodomorHolodomorThe Holodomor was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian SSR between 1932 and 1933. During the famine, which is also known as the "terror-famine in Ukraine" and "famine-genocide in Ukraine", millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of...
). - to return to Romanian language the historic toponyms and geographic names; cf. the decision of the Congress of Deputies (Parliament) of the USSR] on the 24 December 1989, believe to be still legally binding.
- to have ensured representation in the Ukrainian Parliament.
- to re-open the Romanian University in ChernivtsiChernivtsiChernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
. - to re-open the MetropolitanateMetropolitan bishopIn Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of BukovinaBukovinaBukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
. - to return the confiscated during the Soviet occupation property and real estate of the Romanian cultural organizations.
Geographic distribution
The bulk or 88% of ethnic Romanian population is concentrated in four of the eleven districts (raionRaion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
s) of the Chernivtsi Oblast situated closer to the border with Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
. In the Hertsaivskyi Raion
Hertsaivskyi Raion
Hertsa Raion is an administrative raion in the southern part of Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine, on the Romanian border. The region has an area of 308.7 km² and 32,000 inhabitants, and centers on the city of Hertsa...
(Romanian: Herţa), Romanians comprise about 95% of population. In Novoselytskyi Raion
Novoselytskyi Raion
Novoselytsia Raion is a raion in Chernivtsi Oblast, in the west of Ukraine. The center of the raion is the town of Novoselytsia....
(Romanian: Nouǎ Suliţi), Moldovans
Moldovans
Moldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova...
represent about 60% of the population. In Hlybotskyi Raion
Hlybotskyi Raion
Hlyboka Raion is an administrative district of Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine. The population of the raion as of 2001 is 72,682 inhabitants , its area covers 686 km2. The administrative center is the town of Hlyboka. There are 37 villages in the raion.In Hlybotskyi Raion there are 46...
(Romanian: Adâncata), Romanians and Moldovans sum up to 50%. Storozhynetskyi Raion
Storozhynetskyi Raion
Storozhynets Raion is a raion in Chernivtsi Oblast, in the southwest of Ukraine, administrative center is Storozhynets. It borders with Romania from south, Vyzhnytsia Raion from west, Kitsman Raion from north, municipality of Chernivtsi and Hlyboka Raion from east.According to the 2001 Ukrainian...
(Romanian: Storjineţ) has a compact Romanian community in the south, especially around the village of Crasna. Romanians comprise 37% of that district's total population.
There are also other villages with a Romanian majority and important historical heritage, such as for example Boian (home of Ion Neculce
Ion Neculce
Ion Neculce was a Moldavian chronicler. His main work, Letopiseţul Ţărâi Moldovei [de la Dabija Vodă până la a doua domnie a lui Constantin Mavrocordat] was meant to extend Ion Neculce's narrative, covering events from 1661 to 1743.-Life:Ion Neculce...
) and Cernăuca
Chornivka
Chornivka is a village in the Chernivtsi Oblast of western Ukraine. It is located in the Novoselytsky Raion in the historic region of Bukovina , approximately 22 km from the oblast capital, Chernivtsi....
(home of the Hurmuzachi brothers
Hurmuzachi brothers
The Hurmuzachi brothers, Alexandru , Constantin , Eudoxiu , Gheorghe , and Nicolae , were members of an old Hurmuzachi family of Romanian nobles in Austrian Bukovina of Greek origin, with an estate in Cernăuca...
). Other than the 4 raions have smaller Romanian populations, usually never exceeding several hundred people. Exceptions are the Khotynskyi Raion
Khotynskyi Raion
Khotyn Raion is an administrative raion in the southern part of Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine, on the Romanian border. The region has an area of 716 km² and 72,000 inhabitants, and centers on the city of Khotyn.-External links:*...
(Romanian: Hotin) with 5,000 Romanians and Moldovans (7% of the raion's population) and Sokyrianskyi Raion
Sokyrianskyi Raion
Sokyriany Raion is an administrative raion in the southern part of Chernivtsi Oblast in western Ukraine, on the Romanian border. The region has an area of 661 km² and 48,000 inhabitants, and centers on the city of Sokyriany.-External links:...
(Romanian: Secureni) with 1,500 Romanians and Moldovans (3% of the total raion population).
Demographic evolution
| census | Ukrainians Ukrainians Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens... |
Romanians Romanians The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania.... |
Moldovans Moldovans Moldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova... |
Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
Jews Jews The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation... |
Germans Germans The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages.... , Poles Poles thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe... , etc. |
total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 (last Romanian census) | 383,028 | 227,187 | - | 46,946 | 88,772 | 59,709 | 805,642 |
| 47.6% | 28.2% | - | 5.8% | 11.0% | 7.4% | ||
| 1959 (first Soviet census) | 518,189 | 79,790 | 71,645 | 51,268 | 42,140 | 11,089 | 774,121 |
| 66.94% | 10.31% | 9.26% | 6.62% | 5.44% | 1.43% | ||
| 1989 (last Soviet census) | 666,095 | 100,317 | 84,519 | 63,066 | 16,469 | 10,334 | 940,801 |
| 70.8% | 10.66% | 8.98% | 6.7% | 1.8% | 1.1% | ||
| 2001 (first Ukrainian census) | 689,056 | 114,555 | 67,225 | 37,881 | 1,443 | 8,868 | 919,028 |
| 75.0% | 12.4% | 7.3% | 4.1% | 0.2% | 0.965% | ||
| 1959 - 1989 difference | +147,906 | +20,527 | +12,874 | -25.671 | -755 | +166,680 | |
| +28.54% | +25.72% | +17.96% | -60.92% | -6.8% | +21.53% | ||
| 1989 - 2001 difference | +22,961 | +14,238 | -17,294 | ||||
| -15,026 | -1,466 | -21,773 | |||||
| +3.45% | +14.19% | -20.46% | |||||
| -91.24% | -14.2% | -2.3% | |||||
- Note: The data in this table is based on the official census data in Romania (1930), the Soviet Union (1959-1989), and Ukraine (2002), and reflect the composition of the population according to the present boundaries, including were administrative divisions before 1940 were different. In such cases, the figures in the table were obtained by adding them settlement by settlement according to today's configuration of the region. In the 1930 census no one was reported as Moldovan. In the 1959, 1989 and 2001 censuses, there were two "ethnicities"—Romanian and Moldovan to choose.
See also
- History of the Romanians in UkraineHistory of the Romanians in UkraineThis article is about the history of Romanians in what is now southwestern Ukraine, roughly between the Dniester River and the Southern Bug River, who traditionally have not belonged to any Romanian statal entity , but have been an integral part of the history of modern Ukraine, and are considered...
- Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina
- Fântâna Albă massacre
External links
Gabriel Gherasim, "Românii bucovineni sub cizma străină", ZiuaZiua
Ziua was a major Romanian daily newspaper published in Bucharest. It was published in Romanian with a fairly sizeable and often informative English section. Ziua was founded in 1994 by Sorin Roşca Stănescu, eventually becoming foreign-owned...
, August 16, 2005