BUKOVYNA COGNITA - CHERNIVTSI DRAMA THEATER

CHERNIVTSI DRAMA THEATER

Official name: Ukrainian Olha Kobulyanska Music and Drama Theater

Built in 1904-1905

Architects: Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner

Location: Teatralna ("Theater") square

Chernivtsi Ukrainian Olha Kobylyanska Music and Drama Theater (formerly City Theater in Elizabeth square) was built in 1904-1905 by Fellner & Helmer architect bureau. The firm specialized in theater construction and developed 48 theater buildings in Europe. In particular, it was the author of Vienna and Odessa opera theaters, due to which Chernivtsi theater looks quite similar to them.

The building has Vienna modernist features and is a pure baroque example. Initially the city coat of arms was placed above the pediment. The façade is decorated with sculpture compositions (Apollo statue with a lute in his hands surrounded by antique characters) placed above the entrance and side windows. Above the front windows busts of William Shakespeare and Richard Wagner and placed. Other walls show busts of Shevchenko, Pushkin, Goethe, Schiller, Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Haydn.

In 1909 a monument to the famous German playwright Friedrich Schiller was erected in front of the main entrance which was remaining at that place until 1921. On 1^st September 1980 monument to Olha Kobylyanska, a famous Ukrainian writer born in Chernivtsi was erected there (sculptors A.Skyba, M.Miroshnychenko; architect O.Taratuta).

In 1977-1980 the theater was renovated and registered in the list of architecture monuments of Ukraine.

GALLERY (click photos to enlarge)