Lviv is an unusual city with a bright and sometimes dramatic history. For centuries, it has been a city of many cultures. Poles, Jews, Armenians and Ukrainians lived next to each other. This is an interesting tourist city, so this article will focus on those places that are definitely worth visiting in Lviv if you happen to visit this city.
If you want to get acquainted with the sights of Lviv, its unique atmosphere and the nature of this city, it is better to use the services of a guide conducting tours of the city. And the first places offered by the guide, which may seem surprising, will be the so-called flea markets. There are two of them in Lviv. Just a guide makes it clear that after a general tour of the city, you can return here and purchase everything you think is necessary, in memory of Lviv.
Secondhand Book Fair and Vernissage
The first flea market is located next to the Corpus Christi Church and the Dominican Monastery on Theater Square. This place is sometimes called the Secondhand Book Fair, because it is here where people who sell old books are located. In addition to books, there are other antiques, such as vinyl records, coins, postage stamps, and memorabilia related to World War II.
The second of Lviv flea markets, commonly known as Vernissage, is located at the intersection of Teatralnaya and Lesya Ukrainka streets. You can buy here, among other goods offered, all kinds of souvenirs, Ukrainian folk costumes, paintings or jewelry. Sellers of both flea markets are in place from 8:00 to 17:00, and here you can buy everything that the soul lies to.
Some historical facts
Before you go on a city tour, you should familiarize yourself with the description of the sights of Lviv. Photos of interesting places are posted in the city guide. There are also some historical data that are interesting for tourists.
The territory of modern Lviv was inhabited in the V century, but its history as a city begins in the XIII century. Lviv was founded by King Daniil of Galich, around 1250, and is named after the king’s son, Leo. The city was part of the Galich-Volyn principality. In 1261, the Tatars invaded the city, which destroyed it; it was restored by 1270.
In the XV-XVI centuries. Lviv has become one of the main shopping centers between the Black Sea region and Central Europe. For more than half a century, the city has been in the European cultural space, as evidenced by the architecture of the buildings. Its narrow streets are very similar to Italian, and the style of the buildings is somewhat reminiscent of Prague, and the notes of Paris are visible in the architecture. Nevertheless, Lviv has its own flavor. It is sometimes surprising for tourists how the sights of Lviv are harmonious, despite the fact that there are still mixed styles: Gothic and Baroque, Rococo and Empire style.
City Hall
The Town Hall is a witness to many events that have taken place in the city since its construction. It was built in 1357, but was destroyed several times and rebuilt several times. The town hall itself is not so much interesting for tourists as the towering highest (65 meters) tower in Ukraine with an observation deck. From it you can perfectly see the city. Currently, it is a monument protected by UNESCO.
Lviv Opera
The promenade begins with the recently restored Adam Mickiewicz Square with its monument and ends with one of the most beautiful buildings in the city - the Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. Solomii Krushelnytska. In winter, the Lviv Christmas Market takes place here, and in the spring - the Easter Fair.
Lviv Opera (as Lviv residents call it) is one of the sights of Lviv (pictured above). The building was built from 1895 to 1900 according to the project of the famous architect Sigmund Gorgolevsky. On the pediment of the theater building is a sculptural composition made by P. Vitovich. These are allegorical figures: Glory with a palm branch (in the center), on the left is the genius of drama and comedy, on the right is the genius of music. The building was built using Renaissance and Baroque styles.
The four-tier hall seats 1,000 spectators; its interiors are richly decorated with stucco and painting. The best sculptors and artists of that time took part in the design of the theater. During the premiere performances, the stage is closed by the festive curtain "Parnas", performed by G. Semiradsky. You can come to the theater not only for a performance, but also admire it yourself as a great work of art.
Cathedral in the Armenian quarter
The Armenians, expelled from their lands in the distant XIII century, found refuge in Lviv. The first merchants and artisans who arrived in the city settled compactly. Currently, it is Armenian Street. All the sights of Lviv concentrated on this street, including the Cathedral of the Armenian Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, located in the very center of the city, were created by the Armenians. The construction of the cathedral was begun in 1356 and completed in 1364. As for architecture, this building is small and imperceptible from the outside, its interior decoration pleases with colorful decorations, sometimes resembling paintings from mosques. The cathedral was burned and rebuilt several times. In the years after World War II, the temple had a warehouse of paintings. In 2003-2013, the temple was reconstructed.
In spiritual and artistic terms, after visiting the temple, vivid impressions remain. In the Armenian rite, so different from the Roman Catholic, they do not use organs or other instruments. All songs are performed by a professional choir of more than a dozen singers, with such clear, impeccable voices and perfectly synchronized that they cause goosebumps. The voice of the deacon, in turn, is extremely loud, low, deep and bright.
Potocki Palace
One of the most beautiful sights of the city of Lviv (pictured below) is certainly the Potocki Palace. This is a monument of architecture, built in the style of classicism in 1880. The initiator of the construction of the palace was one of the richest and most famous families in Ukraine and Poland - the Potocki family. On the site of a hunting lodge in the Lviv estate of Alfred II Potocki, a palace was erected to receive guests.
In 1975, the city registry office worked in the palace, but later the Lviv Art Gallery was located in its building. Currently, there are several exhibits. Sometimes the halls of the palace are used for celebrations, as well as wedding photo shoots.
High castle
Sights and photos of all the beautiful places of Lviv can not be compared with the beauty that opens from the hill to the city. The highest elevation of Lviv is located in the north-eastern part of the city. In 1362-1704 there was a brick Gothic castle built by King Casimir the Great. The castle was conquered and destroyed by the Swedish army in 1704. After the destruction of the castle no one was engaged, and the stones were gradually carried away into the city and the streets were paved with them. A visit to Castle Hill is included in all excursions in Lviv. But it is better to come to a favorite place of Lviv residents and city guests in the morning or shortly before sunset. The view of the city is amazing.
Shevchenko Guy
One of the largest museums in Lviv is a landmark of the city under the open sky, located in the north-eastern part of Lviv on wooded hills, not far from the High Castle park. On a territory of 60 hectares, you can see reconstructed villages from the Hutsul region, the Lemko, Boykovschiny, War, Polesie, Bukovina, Transcarpathia regions and, finally, the surroundings of Lviv. Shevchenkovsky guy invites visitors who are interested in different cultures and spheres of life of people living in regions of Ukraine.
The museum has a unique collection of wooden cottages and churches, inside which are ancient (antique) household items of those distant times. Here time stops and returns us several centuries ago, to a world without city bustle and noise. The atmosphere in the museum is special, in it you feel very comfortable and calm.
In the middle of the route there is a Cossack smithy and a field kitchen where you can taste real Cossack dishes based on cereals, meat, bacon and vegetables. Here you can hold a photo session against the backdrop of beautiful old houses made of wood, straw and clay. This museum is located about 25 minutes walk from the city center.
Greek Catholic Cathedral
St. George Cathedral, built in 1744-1761, is noted in the Lviv guidebook as a landmark. This beautiful monument of baroque-rococo architecture is located at the height of St. George's Mountain. In the cathedral itself there is a crypt in which the famous figures of the Ukrainian church are buried. The bell tower with the most famous old bell in Ukraine is located in the park behind the cathedral. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the cathedral served as the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC). After the death of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky in March 1946, Soviet authorities forced church leaders to condemn Rome and join the Russian Orthodox Church. Justice triumphed in 1989 when the Greek Catholic Church recovered and resumed the work of the cathedral.
Lviv brewery
After visiting the city and getting acquainted with the sights of Lviv, you should go to the brewery museum at Lwów Brewery, which opened in 2005. A stay at the museum includes sightseeing and tasting. Therefore, you should not drink beer in Lviv in a pub, it is better to do it at a brewery - the cost is the same. Interestingly, the brewery was founded by the Jesuits.
Initially, they drank a drunken drink at home, after some time they began to treat them to guests and, seeing that they liked the beer, they began to produce it on an industrial scale. After the first partition of Poland and the occupation of Lviv by the Austrians at the end of the 18th century, the brewery fell into private hands. The brewery is currently owned by Carlsberg. He produces, among other things, the beer known in Europe, 1715. Holding a mug of cold Lviv beer, one might think where else to go in Lviv. And there are many more places like this ...