How is Chernivtsi preserving its heritage?

As part of the Development Initiative for Advocating Local Governance in Ukraine (DIALOGUE), which is implemented in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development, Chernivtsi hosted a meeting of the Association of Cities of Ukraine’s culture and arts section. The venue choice was no accident, because Chernivtsi has long been referred to as the creative capital of Ukraine, where cultures of many nations are intertwined. The city can also boast well-known artistic institutions.

Experts and specialists analyzed the club network, libraries, schools of arts, and utilities. They paid particular attention to a monument of world importance, the former residence of the Orthodox metropolitans of Bukovyna and Dalmatia, which is on the World Heritage List. It was UNESCO’s decision to include it in the list that brought increased numbers of tourists to Chernivtsi.

The meeting named the following issues as the most pressing problems facing the historical and cultural heritage of Bukovyna: unauthorized advertising placement, erection of canopies, air conditioners and other alien objects that destroy the facades of architectural landmarks and interfere with the esthetic perception of historical and cultural heritage. They also deliberated on the draft Concept of Culture Development in Ukraine, cultural policy priorities for 2015, issues of preservation of the cultural heritage of city councils and its development as a whole, as well as the art education activities and change in tuition payment procedures in schools of arts, reviewed draft legal acts on the introduction of tour fee and other legal aspects of municipal cultural institutions’ functioning.