Author Archives: Christian Herrmann

A Church and a Synagogue come to Life again

Posted on by under Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina

Our penultimate day in Chernivtsi (Czernowitz). I show my friends Ingo and Sabine the upper part of the city, which they do not know yet. We make interesting discoveries at the Sacred Heart Church (Herz Jesu Kirche). In the afternoon we meet with the volunteers who work at the Jewish cemetery for a trip to Sadhora (Sadagora). There are good news from Sadagora.

Czernowitz – Herz Jesu Kiche
Czernowitz – Herz Jesu Kiche
Sadagora – Jewish cemetery – Ohel of the Friedman family
Sadagora – Jewish cemetery – Ohel of the Friedman family
Sadagora – Jewish cemetery
Sadagora – Hasidic court

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Recently discovered Wall Paintings in the “Groisse Shil” of Czernowitz

Posted on by under Northern Bukovina, Synagogues

With my friends Sabine and Ingo I am walking through the old Jewish quarter of Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) today. One of the most important cultural monuments there is the “Groisse Shil”, a synagogue dating from the mid 19th Century. The building is now used as a carpenter’s workshop. Although the original purpose of the building is hardly to imagine from inside, fragments of the original ceiling paintings are still visible. I want to show them to my friends. What we discover is incredible: Recently uncovered wall paintings with motifs from the bible.

Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings
Czernowitz – Groisse Shil – wall paintings

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A trip through Bucovina

Posted on by under Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina

Sunday is a free day for the volunteers who clear the Jewish cemetery of Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) of shrubs and vines. Today, an excursion is on the agenda. Vashkivtsi, Vyzhnytsia, Kosiv, Storozhynets and the local Jewish cemeteries.

Kosiv – Jewish cemetery
Vashkivtsi Jewish cemetery
Vyzhnytsia Jewish cemetery
Vyzhnytsia Jewish cemetery
Vashkivtsi Jewish cemetery
Storozhynets – Jewish cemetery
Storozhynets – Jewish cemetery
Kosiv – Jewish cemetery
Vashkivtsi Jewish cemetery
Storozhynets – Jewish cemetery
Storozhynets – Jewish cemetery
Vyzhnytsia Jewish cemetery
Kosiv – volunteers having a break
Kosiv – Jewish cemetery
Vyzhnytsia Jewish cemetery

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A walk through Czernowitz

Posted on by under Northern Bukovina

A morning without obligations. This gives me the chance to take a walk through the city. It’s hot, the sky is bright blue. The city is beautiful.

Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former Synagogengasse
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Golovna Street
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Golovna Street
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former Synagogengasse – Groisse Shil (Great Synagogue)
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – market
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former Synagogengasse
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Golovna Street
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former Judengasse
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former Synagogengasse – Groisse Shil (Great Synagogue)
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – townhall
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Golovna Street
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Golovna Street
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – administration building from Austro-Hungarian periode
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former Landhausgasse
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Golovna Street
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – former Synagogengasse
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – market
Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) – Golovna Street

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Two Cemeteries and an Adventure

Posted on by under Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina

Today, the work camp of SVIT Ukraine has begun at the Jewish cemetery of Chernivtsi (Czernowitz). 14 young people will clean the cemetery of shrubs and vines for the next three weeks. I met the volunteers this morning. In the early afternoon I was searching of traces of the old Jewish cemetery together with Sylvia de Swaan. A little adventure!

volunteers at the cemetery
volunteers at the ceme
volunteers at the ceme
volunteers at the ceme
Czernowitz – old Jewish cemetery
Czernowitz – old Jewish cemetery
Czernowitz – old Jewish cemetery
Czernowitz – old Jewish cemetery

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Back in Ukraine

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia

Cologne – Vienna – Lviv (Lwow, Lemberg), Austrian Airlines brought me and my friends Ingo and Sabine safely to Ukraine today. It’s nice to be back, good to know that you will stay at the wonderful Hotel George, nice to know that you are welcome there. The first thing we tried to do: buy train tickets. Tomorrow afternoon we hopefully continue to Chernivtsi (Czernowitz). There are unforeseen problems with the train reservations, which we hope to solve tomorrow.

Galicia under our wings
Arrival in Lviv
on the roofs of Lviv
Rynok – market square
Golden Rose Synagogue
Golden Rose Synagogue
a wedding in preparation
Armenian church
sleeping cat
Boim chapel

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The Forgotten Cemetery of Czernowitz

Posted on by under Jewish Cemeteries, Northern Bukovina

The Jewish cemetery of Czernowitz (Chernivtsi) is famous – it attracts many people who are looking for the graves of relatives. Even greater is the number of cultural tourists who visit the cemetery. But there was a second – much older – cemetery, of which was said that it had been destroyed in the Soviet period. However, the remains of this cemetery still exist. They need to be examined and protected.

Czernowitz old Jewish cemetery, wall made from grave stones, © Mykola Kushnir
Czernowitz old Jewish cemetery, grave stones, © Mykola Kushnir
Czernowitz old Jewish cemetery, fragment of a grave stone, © Mykola Kushnir
Czernowitz old Jewish cemetery, textile factory, © Mykola Kushnir

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It’s all gone, it’s still there

Posted on by under Eastern Galicia, Jewish Cemeteries, Synagogues

Galicia and Bukovina are covered with partially or totally destroyed Jewish cemeteries. The grave stones were abused as building material during the German occupation and the years of Soviet rule. However, history does not just disappear. During construction works fragments of Jewish grave stones come to light. These stones raise questions – first of all the question of how we want to deal with the past.

Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, October 2012
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, October 2012
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, misused as cobblestones, October 2012
Lviv – fragments of Jewish grave stones, misused as cobblestones, October 2012
Ivano-Frankivsk – fragments of Jewish grave stones, May 2013
Ivano-Frankivsk – fragments of Jewish grave stones, May 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Ivano-Frankivsk – fragments of Jewish grave stones, May 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013
Rohatyn – fragments of Jewish grave stones, April 2013

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