“Ukrainian Palaces” Returns: A New Royal Season Premieres on the “Real History” YouTube Channel
“Ukrainian Palaces: The Royal Season,” a project by Akim Halimov and Ruslan Sharipov, continues the acclaimed Ukrainian series that brings the forgotten stories of ruined and partially destroyed palaces across the country back to life. Each episode is a journey into the past of a specific site — a manor or palace brought back to its original appearance through modern technology
“Ukrainian Palaces: The Royal Season” is the latest instalment in Akim Halimov and Ruslan Sharipov’s project exploring Ukraine’s extraordinary architectural heritage. The new season, available on the Real History YouTube channel, offers viewers fascinating documentary evidence and architectural reconstructions of landmarks that once belonged to rulers and influential figures who shaped the history of Ukrainian lands.
Who were the owners of these magnificent residences — princes, hetmans, and members of the aristocracy? What secrets do their estates hold? Viewers will discover a lesser-known yet remarkably fascinating chapter of Ukraine’s royal history.
In the first episode of the royal season, Akim Halimov travels to Chernivtsi to explore the Residence of the Metropolitans of Bukovina and Dalmatia — one of Ukraine’s palaces that has survived almost entirely in its original form. Since 2011, the residence has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the 19th century, Bukovina was a remote region of the Austrian Empire, referred to in Vienna as the “Bear’s Corner.” Although Ukrainians made up a significant part of the local population, their voices were rarely heard. Yevhen Hakman, Bishop of Bukovina, was born into a poor peasant family and studied in Vienna on a scholarship. In 1864, he initiated one of the most expensive construction projects in the region’s history. The residence was intended to become a symbol of the metropolitan see and demonstrate that Ukrainians were an influential community.
The episode also reveals little-known details, including the residence’s clock tower, whose three clock faces displayed local, London, and Vienna time. Another remarkable discovery lies beneath the tower’s dome, where Stars of David can be seen — a testament to the Jewish community of Chernivtsi, which contributed funds to the construction of the Orthodox residence.
Together with Akim Halimov, viewers will walk through the vestibule and the Synodal, Red, and Blue Halls, seeing them as the metropolitans once did. Contemporary footage is combined with archival photographs to create a striking “then and now” effect. The episode also features a photograph from the Soviet era that has remained unknown to the wider public until now.
The project reminds viewers that the residence became one of the centres around which the Ukrainians of Bukovina transformed from a scattered rural community into an organised political force. With Hakman’s support, Ruska Besida, the region’s first Ukrainian civic organisation, was established. In 1864, theology students also held one of the first public commemorations of Taras Shevchenko.
To discover how the Ukrainians of Bukovina made their voices heard and ensured their presence could no longer be ignored, watch the first episode of “Ukrainian Palaces: The Royal Season” on the Real History YouTube channel.
