The square then called Mehlplatz (Flour square) was renamed Rudolfsplatz in 1880 after Archduke Rudolf, the heir to the Habsburg throne. It always was a market place, even after the fancy Hotel Bristol<br />

was opened here in 1906. Only in 2004 the stands of the then covered market (built in 1937) were pulled down, and the current Philharmonic Square was refurbished with an enormous fountain in its center.<br />

The Philharmonic Building was built by the Verein zur Förderung der Tonkunst in der Bukowina (Assatiation for the Promotion of Music) in 1877. The building was called Musikvereinsgebäude or short: Musiverein. Its architects were Emil von Regius and Alois Burlitz. <br />

After the Stadttheater (City Theatre) was violently taken over by a Romanian administration in 1922, the Musikverein was also used for theatre performances in German language. <br />

Today the building is home to the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Orchestra. <br /><br /><em>Helmut Kusdat</em>