The historical evolution of the urban centres of the historical provinces of Moldova and Bucovina

Abstract

Throughout history, under various political, economic and military conditions, these cities had the role of capital of the historical provinces of Moldova and Bucovina (Province of the Habsburg Empire Moldavia and Bukowina), Siret between 1340 and 1388; Suceava from late 14th century to 1565; Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) between 1744 and 1918. Regional history did not treat these cities in the same way, so there was no direct relationship of subordination between these cities in terms of development, but only an exchange of political roles broken down over time. For each site, functioning as a capital is a significant period in the history of development. The three cities studied: Suceava, Siret and Chernivtsi today are located on the territory of two countries - Romania and Ukraine, however, they have a very interesting connection. The urban landscape of these cities has always been shaped and defined by geographical, anthropological, ethnological, ethnographic, social, political, economic boundaries, which has led, comparatively, to a different evolution from an urban point of view. The development of these cities has always depended on political factors, combined with military ones, and their development was artificial, based solely on the temporary political-military role. The purpose of this research is an analysis of the urban development of these cities and the highlighting of the preserved features in the current urban structure, represented by a unique architectural heritage.