Petro Rychlo at the Peace Festival in Grundlsee
As part of this year’s Arche am Grundlsee programme, held under the motto “Dialogues, Duets, Conversations,” the cultural and discussion evening “Im Osten geht die Sonne auf” (“The Sun Rises in the East”) brought together perspectives on Ukraine, Bukovina, cultural coexistence and the search for peace.
One of the central participants was Petro Rychlo, a Ukrainian literary scholar from Chernivtsi. Together with Vitali Bodnar, Herbert Riess, Jörg Hoffmann, Hans Fuchs, Adelheid Picha and Hubert Gaisbauer, he reflected on Bukovina — a region whose historical experience has particular relevance today.
At the heart of the discussion was the “250 Years of Bukovina” project and the history of the region as a multicultural space where different ethnic, linguistic and cultural communities lived side by side. Particular attention was given to Chernivtsi as an exceptional cultural centre shaped by the interaction of different traditions, languages and cultures. Its historical experience was explored through the principles of respect, recognition and tolerance — and the idea that people can live together while preserving their differences.
Petro Rychlo’s contributions helped connect this historical perspective with Ukraine’s present. Bukovina emerged not only as part of a shared European history, but also as a region of a country that today directly experiences the consequences of Russia’s war.
The evening was accompanied by the cello music of Anna Lang, adding another dimension to a thoughtful dialogue about historical memory, cultural diversity and what the past can teach us about the future.
For us, it is particularly important to see Ukrainian scholars and intellectuals such as Petro Rychlo contributing to Austrian-Ukrainian dialogue, bringing Ukrainian history and culture directly to Austrian audiences and strengthening mutual understanding between our countries.