— However, did some unforeseen difficulties arise just before the UNESCO session itself?

— Yes. In May 2011, just one month before the official UNESCO session in Paris, a decision to postpone the inclusion of the Residence on the UNESCO List for two years suddenly appeared on their website.

— The draft decision on the postponement upset the team, but the UNESCO session in Paris itself was still ahead. How was the delegation organised for that?

— Everyone was very upset, but we realised we had to keep fighting. An official delegation of six people was formed. Four colleagues — representatives from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — flew to Paris a few days earlier. Rector Stepan Melnychuk and I, however, were unable to travel with them. It was June — the peak period for sessions, thesis defences and master’s graduation ceremonies — so we flew in a little later.

— In France, the language issue is often a matter of principle. Who helped you with the translation?

— That’s a story in itself, one of which I’m extremely proud. We absolutely needed to speak French, because although they understood English there, the French insisted on communicating in their own official language. Our head of department, Taras Ivasyutin, found Oksana Mizerak, a graduate of Chernivtsi National University, in Paris, who heads the Ukrainian Literary Club there. For the entire five days we were there, she unfailingly acted as our interpreter. This is a shining example of the highly capable specialists our university produces.

— A huge number of sites were under consideration in Paris. How did you lay the groundwork to overturn the commission’s previous decision?

— The queue for our case was moving slowly: there were 42 sites in the nomination, and ours was second to last. The Ministry of Education kept a close eye on the matter and asked us to provide detailed arguments refuting all the experts’ comments. We set everything out clearly.

— What exactly happened in the days leading up to the vote in Paris itself?

— The Permanent Delegation of Ukraine to UNESCO, headed by Ukraine’s Ambassador to France, Oleksandr Kupchyshyn, gave us a very warm welcome. The consideration of our case was scheduled for as late as 28 June, but our master’s graduation ceremony in Chernivtsi was due to take place on the very same day. We had booked our tickets home for the 26th. So, on 26 June, we flew back, but not before carrying out a tremendous amount of preparatory work. We met with committee members, handed out information leaflets and made our case. Together with Oleksandra, a representative of our Permanent Delegation, we stayed at UNESCO headquarters until midnight: Stepan Vasylovych and I dictated our arguments, whilst she translated them on the spot and typed up the text in French.

— How did the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting itself go?

— When our nomination was announced, they showed our short one-minute presentation film and read out the draft decision to postpone the decision for two years. But immediately afterwards, representatives from several countries wanted to hear the Ukrainian side’s case. Our Oleksandra gave a brilliant presentation to the committee. As a result, by an overwhelming majority of votes, the former Residence of the Metropolitans of Bukovina and Dalmatia was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List without any postponements.

— What was happening in Chernivtsi at that moment? How did you find out about the victory?

— On 28 June, Constitution Day, we were in Chernivtsi preparing for the master’s degree graduation ceremony. Journalists and television crews were already gathering around us. Suddenly, at around 10.30, I received a text message from Oleksandra in Paris: "Congratulations! The review of our application has begun!" And shortly afterwards, a phone call: "Stepan Vasylovych, Tamara Volodymyrivna, the university has been included on the World Heritage List! This is a victory for Ukraine!" The rector kept repeating: "I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it…" It was a moment of incredible emotional elation.

— When did the university receive official confirmation — the UNESCO certificate itself?

— We held the official ceremony on 15 December of that same year. The Head of the Secretariat of the Ukrainian National Commission for UNESCO brought the certificate and presented it to the Rector in the Marble Hall. Many distinguished guests were present, including representatives from the embassies of Israel, Poland and Romania, and a delegation from the University of Suceava.

It was a victory for our entire team: architects, historians, geographers and biologists. People worked through the nights without a day off.

— Why was this nomination particularly significant for Ukraine compared to other sites?

— Unlike transboundary nominations, such as the Struve Geodetic Arc or the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians, where the documentation was prepared jointly with many countries, the former Residence of the Metropolitans of Bukovina and Dalmatia became the third Ukrainian site that we managed to secure entirely through our own efforts, from start to finish. Through the joint efforts of the university’s academic community, we succeeded! Our sincere thanks go to the then Rector, Professor Stepan Vasylovych Melnychuk, and the Head of the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and UNESCO Sites, Dr Iryna Korotun, as well as the entire university team, thanks to whom Chernivtsi’s architectural marvel has become a world-class masterpiece!

— Please tell us how the Residence has changed over the last 15 years and what key restoration works have been carried out?

— The process of restoring and maintaining the complex is ongoing. Looking back, as far back as 2010, following a lengthy and complex process, we managed to fully restore the House Church. Subsequently, we carried out a major restoration of the roof of the fourth building. We also planned a large-scale renovation of the service courtyard, but due to the outbreak of full-scale war, this process had to be put on hold. However, there is now visible activity there once again.

Our greatest source of pride today is the restoration of the unique ceiling, arches and vaults of the Marble Hall.

— Does the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site obviously have a significant impact on the prestige of the institution itself?

— Undoubtedly, it has greatly raised the university’s profile and enhanced its image on the international stage. The beauty of our university ensures a steady influx of prospective students. Thousands of school leavers see photographs of these walls online and are immediately inspired by the dream of studying right here. Now, alongside this aesthetic appeal, there are also strict security requirements, but the stream of people eager to experience this history shows no sign of abating.

— You mentioned the restoration of the ceiling in the Marble Hall. How did the university manage to secure funding for this complex project?

— We spent quite a long time looking for funding and came across a grant programme run by the US Embassy’s Cultural Heritage Preservation Fund.

We submitted our first application in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the review of large-scale projects was put on hold at that time. We didn’t give up and applied again the following year, in 2021. The competition was fierce: a total of 80 applications were received from Ukraine. Only 10 sites made it through to the second round, and our university emerged victorious! We were awarded a grant of 363 thousand dollars.

In March 2021, Christina Quinn, the US Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine, travelled to Chernivtsi in person and signed the official agreement in the Red Hall.

— Did the full-scale invasion in 2022 significantly alter the restorers’ plans?

— The project documentation had been fully prepared as early as 2018, and we were due to commence active work on the site in February 2022. But then the full-scale invasion began. We are immensely grateful to the US Embassy in Ukraine for its understanding and support.

— Finally, could you tell us about another recent accolade for the university — its participation in the nationwide urban planning project organised by "LUN Mista"?

— This is also a story that gives us great pleasure. We applied for a special award from the popular "LUN Mista" project. What makes this competition unique is that the winners were not chosen by a closed jury, but through an open public vote.

The support was incredible: our Residence received nearly a thousand votes, taking an honourable second place across the whole of Ukraine, and we officially received this prestigious award.

Behind every such success — be it a major international grant, digital integration into UNESCO databases, or public recognition — lies the tremendous effort of people who often work without days off. My life motto remains unchanged: once you’ve said ‘A’, you must do whatever it takes to see it through to the end and say ‘B’. Only with this approach can we transform our cultural heritage into world-class masterpieces.

Our most important shared task today is not simply to take pride in our UNESCO status or to admire the beauty of the architecture, but to preserve this unique gem for future generations, every day and with every step we take. The University is not merely a collection of academic buildings or a tourist attraction, it is the heart of Chernivtsi and a source of immense prestige for the whole of Ukraine on the world stage.

Every student who studies here, every lecturer, every resident of Chernivtsi and every visitor who passes through these gates must be deeply aware of their responsibility to history. Preserving this heritage as authentic, vibrant and well-maintained is our shared duty to those who created it and to those who will come after us. If we truly value what we have, do not shy away from major challenges, and always see our endeavours through to a successful conclusion, then absolutely every door in the world will open to our culture, science and nation. In the face of a full-scale invasion, cultural heritage is a powerful tool of Ukraine’s cultural diplomacy.

This material was prepared by Viktoria Horobets, a specialist in the Communications and Branding Department.