Ilișești is the main village of the commune with the same name in Suceava County, Bucovina, Romania. It is the birthplace of Simeon Florea Marian (1847-1907), a renowned Romanian folklorist and ethnographer.
In 1930, the population of Ilișești village, which was also the seat of the Ilișești Plasa in Suceava County, numbered 4,228 inhabitants. The ethnic structure was diverse, with 48.01% Romanians, 47.32% Germans, and minorities such as Jews, Roma, Armenians, and other groups. From a religious point of view, the inhabitants belonged to several denominations, with majorities among the Orthodox and Evangelical (Lutheran) communities.
During World War II, a significant part of the German community in Bucovina emigrated to Germany according to the “Heim ins Reich” plan. On the occasion of this emigration, the Germans from Ilișești donated their belongings to the commune, including the church, school, parish house, and a cultural center, thus expressing the desire to preserve a beautiful memory of their peaceful coexistence and good neighborliness with the Romanians in the commune, which has lasted for over a century.