#bukovina

[sonyaheaneyauthor]

Old Austrian photochrom postcard of a couple from western Ukraine.

[bobemajses]

Tombstone in the Jewish cemetery of Suceava, Romania, 1970s

[witekspicsoldpostcards]

Bukowina - now = land between Ukraine & Romania.

[renegade-hierophant]

Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University (Чернівецький національний університет імені Юрія Федьковича) in the city of Chernivtsi in western Ukraine founded in 1875. Today the university is based at the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans building complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.

[parafrazerofhistory]

Witches in Bukovina & Galicia

“The Ruthenians of Bukowina and Galicia believe that at midnight before St. George's Day (the twenty-third of April) the witches come in bands of twelve to the hills at the boundaries of the villages and there dance and play with fire. Moreover, they cull on the mountains the herbs they need for their infernal enchantments. Like the Esthonians and the Russians, the Ruthenians drive their cattle out to pasture for the first time on St. George's Day; hence during the preceding night the witches are very busy casting their spells on the cows; and the farmer is at great pains to defeat their fell purpose. With this intent many people catch a snake, skin it, and fumigate the cows with the skin on the eve of the saint's day. To rub the udders and horns of the cows with serpent's fat is equally effective. Others strew meal about the animals, saying, 'Not till thou hast gathered up this meal, shalt thou take the milk from my cow So-and-so.' Further, sods of turf, with thorn-branches stuck in them, are laid on the gate-posts; and crosses are painted with tar on the doors. These precautions keep the witches from the cows. If, however, a beast should after all be bewitched, the farmer's wife drags a rope about in the dew on the morning of St. George's Day. Then she chops it up small, mixes salt with it, and scatters the bits among the cow's fodder. No sooner has the afflicted animal partaken of this compound than the spell is broken."

—J. G. Frazer, The Magic Art & the Evolution of Kings, part 2 (The Golden Bough, vol. II, 1911, p. 335).

Witches' Sabbath, by Claude Gillot (early 18th cent.).

(Source: Claude Gillot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

[fallauween]

in the autumn forest by Ivan Nikolaichuk

[everydayescapist]

[tonreihe]

[europapa123]

So real!

[wordarttmn]

07/02/2023

copied a list of placenames in Bukovina from an old austrian census. the "german" ones are romanian in a germano-polish (with ż!) orthography. with some interesting conventions (like the endings -outz and -estie for rom. -ăuți -ești, ukr. -івці)

[endlosestrassen]

Ein Land, das es nicht gibt – Trip nach Transnistrien

29.07.2024

Tag 4

Wieder weckt mich der Hahn. Das ist typisch für Zeltplätze auf dem Dorf. Nach dem Frühstück breche ich auf und besuche als erstes das Kloster im Ort, direkt an der ukrainischen Grenze. Auf dem Gelände des Peri-Klosters befindet sich angeblich die höchste Stabkirche Europas, mit einer Höhe von 75 Metern.

Ob dieser Superlativ stimmt, weiß ich nicht, aber Holzkunst wird hier im Kreis Maramureș definitiv groß geschrieben.

Überall stehen kunstvoll verzierte Torbögen, Holzhäuser und geschnitzte Kruzifixe.

Ich fahre die Straße 18 entlang, immer Richtung Südosten. Rechts erheben sich die Gipfel der Karpaten, über allen thront der 2303 Meter hohe Pietros.

Von Borsa aus überquere ich den Prisloppass, der eine wunderschöne Aussicht bietet.

Es ist den ganzen Tag recht kühl, maximal 24°C, was im Vergleich zu den letzten Tagen wenig ist. Besonders in den dichten Nadelwäldern ist es angenehm und alles riecht intensiv nach Bäumen.

Holz wird in großem Maße exportiert, was diverse Umweltschützer sehr kritisch sehen. Einiges läuft nicht wirklich gut nachvollziehbar: In fast jedem größeren Ort gibt es mittlerweile die „Krebsgeschwüre“ Lidl, Tacco, Kik – große Handelsketten verdrängen , nicht erst seit gestern, die lokalen Märkte. Gemüse gibt es dort aus Spanien und Italien, während die rumänische Landwirtschaft darbt. Aus verschiedenen Gründen. Eine seltsame Entwicklung.

Außerdem baut die NATO bzw. die USA in Rumänien den größten Stützpunkt der Nato in Europa, der vermutlich sogar Ramstein in den Hintergrund rücken lässt. Säbelrasseln…

Ich fahre eine weitere Strecke durch das Gebirge, entlang der Bistritz nach Holda, und von dort aus nach Gura Humora in der Bukovina, früher Teil des Königreichs Moldau, später auch mal österreichisch, nun rumänisch. Es gab Zeiten, da waren die Bukovinadeutschen und die Bukovinajuden hier prägend, das ist aber seit dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs vorbei.

Hier übernachte ich und überlege, wie es morgen weitergehen soll.

[bobemajses]

Jewish wedding in the Bukovina, 19th century

[barstoolblues]

at multiple times on both sides of my family and even across both sides of my family there were future in laws living within miles of each other in winnipeg kawartha lakes AND regina. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN IN 3 DIFFERENT PLACES IN CANADA!

[dramaticpandabear]

I just noticed something: in Johnathan’s travels up to this point, every mode of transport has been late to receive him (e.g, the train leaving Buda-Pesth, the coach leaving to Bukovina).

It’s almost like a sign from the universe itself: trying to stall him from going to the Count’s castle. Telling him that this is not a good idea. And despite his gut telling him the same thing, he knows he has to go because of his work.

But in today’s entry, the carriage that was supposed to drop Johnathan off at the Burgo Pass, arrived early. The drivers and the passengers made it a point specifically to arrive earlier than the Count.

I think it’s because they know the Count would have been waiting if they arrived later. They tried to save Johnathan by attempting to be one step ahead of the Count, knowing what will happen if they let Johnathan go. Unfortunately, as the Count said himself: “I know too much and my horses are swift.”

Any attempts against the Count are futile, but these people tried anyways in the hope that they could prevent the horrors to come upon a clueless foreigner who doesn’t know what’s about to happen.

They may not have the strength to fight back against the Count. But they continue to attempt preventing the inevitable, not matter how futile it will be. And if all else, they provide protection against the evils that Johnathan will have to face alone.

And I think that is utterly beautiful and shows the compassion of humanity in the face of such horrors.

[sexyleon]

The way the coach driver pushed his horses to the limit, not out of fear for himself or his passengers in passing through the Borgo Pass, but out of fear for Jonathan. The way he believed if only he could arrive faster to Jonathan’s destination, faster than the evil meant to whisk him away, maybe, just maybe, he would be spared. Yes, if he did this, Jonathan would miss his appointment with the Count and travel to Bukovina with the rest of them, away from the horrors lurking in the mountains. How much fear, pity, and sadness the driver must have felt leaving Jonathan in the dark of the pass, alone with his fate.

[vickyvicarious]

"My Friend.--Welcome to the Carpathians. I am anxiously expecting you. Sleep well to-night. At three to-morrow the diligence will start for Bukovina; a place on it is kept for you. At the Borgo Pass my carriage will await you and will bring you to me. I trust that your journey from London has been a happy one, and that you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land. Your friend, DRACULA.

Wow, what a welcoming and friendly letter! This Dracula guy seems like a good host, doesn't he?

...Except, no, of course not. I admit, in any other situation this would be the worst bad-faith reading of a relatively polite and friendly note. But knowing Dracula and the kind of games he likes to play, I feel like I can spot some unpleasant undertones. He's doing a couple things here immediately, in fact, which continue on throughout Jonathan's stay.

He's being overfamiliar, immediately overstepping a professional relationship for a more intimate one. He's being commanding, telling Jonathan what to do, even if under the guise of wishing him well. He's being possessive - maybe not quite the word? Here I don't mean it as in "you can't have him, he's mine" so much as it is arranging things for him and expecting Jonathan to fall in line and do what he wants. Jonathan is his new toy and will play along, will be manipulated into whatever Dracula wants him to do, even without direct instructions. Dracula has control of the situation as a whole, and Jonathan in particular. He is also being sarcastic, making little jokes to himself about how he knows the real situation here and Jonathan doesn't yet.

Also, significantly, he hasn't told Jonathan where he's going. And sure, he's arranged the travel so it's not a big issue. He'll still be able to get there. But he's going to be dependent on Dracula to do so, and he won't know the way out afterwards. More to come on this score when Dracula actually drives Jonathan to the castle.