Despite the fact that Chernivtsi is rich in beautiful buildings and interesting places, many tourists visit the city for this very attraction. Listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List Chernivtsi National University, the former residence of the Orthodox Metropolitans of Dalmatia and Bukovina — is a visiting card of the city, famous far beyond the borders of the country, a landmark that fascinates all who have a chance to see it with their own eyes.
The construction of the Metropolitan Residence began thanks to the initiative of Bishop Eugene Hakman, who convinced the Austrian monarch that the capital of Bukovina needed a worthy building for the clergy. The foundation stone of the future architectural masterpiece was laid in 1864 by the Bishop himself. The construction of the residence lasted for 18 years — all the works were completed in 1882.
The creator who designed the residence was an outstanding scientist, academician and architect from the Czech Republic Josef Hlavka. This work became the crown of his architectural creativity and was highly appreciated by connoisseurs at many famous architectural competitions and even at the World Exhibition in Paris. Hlavka created a construction unique in its kind, unusual, surprisingly complex and beautiful.
The former residence of metropolitans is a complex of three buildings in the shape of the letter «P» with a marvelous spacious park in the center, surrounded by a high fence with a massive three-bay gate. The three buildings: the Main (Metropolitan), Monastery (House for Visitors) and Seminary, where the Church of the Three Saints is located, are independent, but they are united by a single brilliant idea of a talented architect. The complex belongs to the eclectic style, with Romanesque and Byzantine elements predominating, but Moorish, Gothic, folk Bukovinian and even Jewish motifs are also noticeable.
Rising on a hill above the Prut River, the huge complex is majestic and romantic, at the same time reminiscent of the most famous sights of Europe, such as Westminster Abbey in London, the era of chivalry,
and of the opulent East, and at the same time has a Ukrainian flavor — tiled roofs with patterns in which motifs of Bukovynian folk ornament can be seen. On the one hand, the construction fascinates with its monumentality, heavy weight of strict lines, and on the other hand — with a lot of elegant details that make the whole complex light and even fairy-tale. The dendrological park in the courtyard of the complex and behind the Main Building also strengthens the impression. Here magnolia blossoms, which can be found not in every botanical garden, and the rarest species of trees, shrubs and plants are collected, an artificial water reservoir is laid out and a grotto is created. In front of the rear facade of the Main Building, in addition to the marvelous park, you can see a bronze bust of J. Hlavka.
The architecture of the buildings inside is equally marvelous. The most luxurious are the interiors of the Main Building, where the Marble Hall, the Red Hall, finished with carved wood, and the austere but refined Blue Hall are located.
The Seminary Building is dominated by the Church of the Three Saints, which was decorated by such famous masters as K. Jobst and K. Svoboda. The church has a splendid iconostasis, its interior is also luxurious, and its amazing acoustics, considered to be the best in the country, is another advantage of the church.
Since the 40s of the last century, the former residence has housed the faculties of Chernivtsi University. Today, anyone can come here for a tour and see the architectural masterpiece with their own eyes, feel its atmosphere and grandeur, luxury and beauty.
A story about such a magnificent masterpiece, which can hardly be called just a building — rather, it is a luxurious, unusual palace — can be very long and still will not describe the marvelous beauty it represents. That is why people from many countries come here to see and feel the splendor of this attraction of Chernivtsi.