The city of Lviv in Soviet times. Lviv

Lviv is the most famous city in Western Ukraine. For many centuries it was the national, cultural and scientific center of the region. Today Lviv is considered one of the main tourist cities in Ukraine and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. A huge number of tourists from all over the world come here to walk along the ancient streets, drink fragrant coffee, get acquainted with the real Ukrainian flavor and communicate with the friendly local population. Today we will look at the history of Lvov, which left an indelible imprint on his character. In addition, we will find out what tourists need to pay attention to when visiting this amazing city.

History of the creation of Lviv

Lviv is located near western border Ukraine in the foothills of the Carpathians. Settlements have existed on this site since the 5th century AD. Later they belonged to the Great Moravian State. By the 10th century, Poland and Kievan Rus began to lay claim to the territory. In the 13th century, the history of the emergence of Lviv as a full-fledged city began.

The settlement was founded by Prince Danila Galitsky, whose son was named Leo. This is where the name of the city came from. Somewhat later, Lviv received the status of the capital of the Galician-Volyn state, and then the administrative center of the Russian Voivodeship, the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. The capital of Western Ukrainian people's republic the city became a city in 1918. Then Lviv was annexed to Poland, but not for long.

During the Second World War, it was captured by the army of the USSR, and then by Germany. When the war ended, Lvov passed to the USSR. Since 1991, it has been the administrative center of independent Ukraine. Now let's talk in more detail about the most important periods in the history of Lviv.

Galicia-Volyn Principality

After long conflicts with the Poles and protracted internecine wars between representatives of the Slavic principality, by the middle of the 13th century, Daniil Galitsky, the son of Roman Mstislavovich, later an outstanding politician and diplomat, was strengthened on the throne. This is how the history of the emergence of the city of Lviv began. To provide your state reliable protection, he built several fortresses, one of which was Lvov. Soon, Daniil of Galicia accepted the title of king from the hands of the papal ambassadors, which later passed to his heirs.

The first written mention of the city dates back to 1256. It was discovered in the Galician-Volyn chronicles. Today, the history of the city of Lviv in Russian usually begins from this year. Strengthening the borders of his possessions, Danila Galitsky built it according to all the canons of that time.

Lviv consisted of three parts: a fortified city, outskirts and suburbs. The fortifications took place in the area of ​​​​the present Prince's Mountain. The city was separated from the High Castle by a deep moat and huge ramparts with a palisade.

The trade route passed through the central part of the settlement, past a large number of churches. They were built of wood. Therefore, they could not stand to this day. Later, stone temples were erected in these same places. The city developed very quickly and in 1272 it was given the status of the capital of the Galicia-Volyn principality. From 1340 to 1349, when the Romanovich family died out, Lvov was ruled by Dmitry Detko, a representative of the Lithuanian prince Lubart.

Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The history of Lviv, briefly outlined in this article, had many twists and turns, especially during the period when the city was part of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1349, Lviv was captured by the Polish king Casimir III the Great. After 7 years, he receives Magdeburg Law, which gives him a strong impetus for development.

In 1363, the Armenian community founded its metropolis in Lviv and built a church. Soon the Polish king moved the city center from the old Market Square and began construction further south, around the new Market Square. The majority of the population of Lvov was represented by German colonists. However, some outlying streets were inhabited by non-Catholics. Their residents were deprived of their philistine rights in Lvov. The history of Russian, Armenian and Staroevreiskaya streets began precisely at this time.

Advantageous location of Lviv at the intersection of trade routes coming from Kyiv, the Black Sea, Western and of Eastern Europe, ports of the Baltic Sea and Byzantium, stimulated it fast development. In 1379, Lviv received the right to build warehouses, which sharply increased its attractiveness for traders.

In 1387, the Polish Queen Jadwiga captured the city and its surrounding lands. Being part of Poland and then the Polish-Lithuanian state, it was appointed the capital of the Russian Voivodeship. It included 5 elders, the centers of which were located in cities such as Lviv, Sanok, Kholm, Przemysl and Galich.

Over the next centuries, Lviv developed rapidly, and its population grew. It soon became a cosmopolitan city, as well as a center of science, culture and trade, with a large number of religions. Lviv's defenses were constantly strengthened, and as a result it became one of the main fortresses of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

In the city at the same time there were: Orthodox bishops, 3 archbishops (Armenian, Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic), and 3 Jewish communities (Karaite, local and city). Settlers from different parts of Europe lived in Lviv: Germans, Italians, Greeks, English, Scots, and many others. In the 16th century, Protestants arrived in the city.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the city's population was about 30 thousand inhabitants. Several dozen workshops operated here, in which there were more than a hundred craft professions.

In 1649, Lviv was besieged by Ukrainian Cossacks, whose leader was Bohdan Khmelnytsky. They managed to capture and destroy the castle. After receiving the ransom, the Cossacks left the city. In 1655, Poland was invaded by the Swedish army and captured it most and besieged Lvov. Forced to retreat, the Swedes never took the city. In 1656, Lviv was surrounded by the Transylvanian army of Prince Gyorgy Rakoczi I. But again in vain.

In 1672 the city was besieged by the army Ottoman Empire led by Mehmed the Sixth. Lvov was lucky again - the war ended before it was captured. Three years later, the Crimean Tatars and Turks began attacking the city. However, King John III Sobieski managed to defeat them in the battle called “Lviv” (August 24, 1675). In 1704, during the Great Northern War, Lviv was captured and plundered for the first time in the history of the city by the Swedish army of King Charles XII.

Austria-Hungary

In 1772, when Poland was first divided between Austria, Prussia and Russia, Lviv became part of the Austrian Empire, which would later become Austria-Hungary. The city was given the status of the administrative and political center of the most backward province of the state - the Kingdom of Galicia and Vladimir.

In 1772-1918. the city was called Lemberg. After it became part of Austria, German became the language of administration, and the majority of management positions were occupied by Germans and Czechs. Nevertheless, Lviv continued to be the center of Rusyn and Polish culture.

The cultural and economic rise in the history of the city of Lviv began in the second half of the 19th century, when oil deposits were developed in the city and a railway was built.

When did the first one start? World War, Lvov was taken by Russian troops (September 1914). Until mid-July 1915, it served as the center of the Galician General Government, until it was again occupied by the Austro-Hungarian army. Soon Nicholas II proclaimed the reunification of Russia with Galicia. National political, cultural and educational organizations were forcibly closed, and many representatives of the local intelligentsia were exiled to Siberia.

In 1915, the Austrian army returned to Galicia again, and the reverse process began - the persecution of people suspected of sympathy for Russia. These were shot, hanged or sent to concentration camps. The most famous of the camps was Thalerhof, located near the Austrian city of Graz. As a result of the war, Austria-Hungary collapsed. A number of independent states were formed: Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and others. Active struggle Ukrainians also began to fight for independence.

Poland

On November 1, 1918, Ukrainians proclaimed Lviv the capital of the WUNR (West Ukrainian People's Republic). Within a few days, a small group of Ukrainian soldiers took control of the city. When Polish and Ukrainian military units approached Lviv, a conflict began, as a result of which the Ukrainians had to leave the city. Then the authorities of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic announced general mobilization, and the UGA (Ukrainian Galician Army) was formed from soldiers of the former Austrian army. The Polish army, formed in France under the command of Haller, also opposed the Ukrainians.

Until mid-summer 1919, the Polish-Ukrainian war continued, during which the UGA carried out several unsuccessful offensives. As a result, the inter-union commission located in Paris made a decision: until the fate of Lvov is finally determined, it should be left under the control of Poland. Later, Poland agreed with Simon Petliura on cooperation. In exchange for the fact that the UPR would not lay claim to Western Ukraine, she promised to assist it in the fight against the advancing Red Army and the Bolsheviks.

1919-1939

In 1920, during the Soviet-Polish confrontation, the Red Army under the command of Alexander Egorov attacked Lviv. In June 1920, Budyonny’s 1st Cavalry Army tried to break through to the city from the northeastern side. Residents of Lvov were well prepared for defense. They formed and fully equipped two cavalry and three infantry regiments. Defensive structures were built everywhere. 3 Polish divisions and 1 Ukrainian regiment also arrived to defend the city.

On August 16, after a month of stubborn fighting, the Red Army crossed the Western Bug River and, reinforced by units of Red Cossacks, began storming the city. Fierce fighting brought a lot of losses to both sides. After 3 days, the attack was finally repulsed, and the Red Army retreated. Lvov received the Polish Order of Courage, which was the main military award of Poland. Later his image appeared on the Polish coat of arms of the city. Upon the signing of the Riga Peace Agreement, Lviv belonged to Poland and was the capital of the Lviv Voivodeship. It quickly restored its position as the most important scientific and cultural center of the country.

The Second World War

With the outbreak of World War II, a dark period began in the history of Lviv. In September 1939, Soviet troops crossed the Zbruch River and 5 days later approached the city. On October 26-28, a public meeting was held at the opera house, as a result of which a declaration was adopted on the establishment of Soviet power in Western Ukraine. At the end of 1939, mass terror began in the region. Within a year, the German colonies that had operated here since princely times were expelled to Germany. Later executions and exiles began. Anyone who did not support Stalin's policies was subjected to repression. When the Nazis attacked the USSR, regular troops left Lviv without a fight. Before the retreat, the NKVD bodies destroyed members of the intelligentsia and students serving sentences in local prisons.

In Germany, back in the 1940s, several Ukrainian military units were formed. When the Nazis attacked the USSR, one of these units came to Lviv - the Nachtigal battalion, commanded by R. Shukhevych. This happened on July 30, 1941. On the same day, Ukrainian nationalists organized a National Assembly, at which the restoration of the Ukrainian State was proclaimed. As a result, the Ukrainian government was formed, the head of which was Yaroslav Stetsko.

On June 22, 1941, the OUN (organization of Ukrainian nationalists) attempted to seize the prison. However, the border guards pushed back its representatives. The fighting continued until June 30, when the Germans completely occupied the city. The Nazis opposed the independence of Ukraine, and on June 12, A. Hitler gave the order to arrest all representatives of the Ukrainian government. Later, the Gestapo also detained the main Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera, who refused to revoke the Act of Independence.

Hundreds of nationalists were imprisoned, and many of them were shot. Thus began the bloody Nazi occupation. In the area of ​​the Citadel, the German authorities set up a concentration camp in which more than 140 thousand prisoners of war were killed, as well as the Janowska concentration camp, where Jews were exterminated, and the Lviv ghetto.

In the period from 1942 to 1944. In Lviv, there was a communist underground called the Frank People's Guard. One of its representatives, intelligence officer Nikolai Kuznetsov, managed to eliminate the vice-governor of the district of Galicia Bauer, as well as the head of the office of Schneider.

German terror in Lviv continued until June 27, 1944, when the Red Army entered the city. On July 23, the Home Army operation, commanded by General Władysław Filipowski, began. The goal was to establish Polish power and gain advantageous positions in negotiations on the border between Poland and the Ukrainian SSR. The next day, Soviet troops surrounded the city and took it two days later. After the establishment of Soviet power in Lviv, the leadership of the Home Army was invited to a meeting with the commanders of the Red Army and taken under arrest by the NKVD.

USSR

When the Second World War ended, a turning point began in the history of the city of Lviv. The city became part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (UKSR). The bulk of the Poles living in the city left for Poland, mainly to its western part. The national composition of Lvov was changed, as many traditional ethnic groups (Jews, Poles and Germans) were either transported or destroyed. The Polish language and all its regional variants gradually fell into disuse. Ukrainian language became dominant for the first time in the history of the city of Lviv. They also began to speak Russian here, but not so en masse.

250 million rubles were allocated from the all-Union budget for the restoration and development of the city. Highly qualified specialists and scientists came here from all over the country. Construction materials, transport, equipment, etc. were supplied to Lvov from Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, Moscow and a number of other cities.

Along with positive changes, there were also negative ones, in particular, the suppression of the Ukrainian national movement by the Soviet authorities and the eradication of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church began. The latter's parishes were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. When Stalin died Soviet politics became more tolerant, and Lviv established its status as the most important center of Ukrainian culture.

In the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, Lviv grew significantly both geographically and demographically. Many famous plants and factories from Eastern Ukraine were moved here. By the beginning of the 80s, there were 137 operating in the city large enterprises. Their facilities produced a variety of products: from buses to kitchen utensils.

Science developed no less intensively in the city. By the beginning of the 80s, 3 institutes of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, dozens of research and design institutes, 11 universities, as well as departments and branches of academic institutions operated in Lvov. An important event for the city was the creation in 1971 of the Western Scientific Center of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR.

During Soviet times, Lviv remained the most important cultural center. By the end of the 70s, there were five theaters, about 40 cinemas, 46 palaces of culture, a circus, a philharmonic society, 12 large museums and more than 350 libraries.

Independent Ukraine

In 1991, the USSR collapsed into independent states. For the first time in history, Lvov breathed freely and became the vanguard of nationalist changes of the time. In 1998, the historical city center and St. George's Cathedral were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. On May 14 and 15, 1998, the 6th summit of the heads of Central European states was held in the Lviv Palace of Railway Workers. It examined the topic of the human dimension of pan-European and regional integration, as well as its role in the construction new Europe. In the early summer of 2001, Pope John Paul II visited the city. He celebrated Mass according to the Latin rite and took part in the liturgy of the Byzantine rite.

Modern Lviv

Having briefly examined the history of the city of Lviv, let’s get acquainted with its modern appearance. Today Lviv is a compact, quite convenient city for living. A little less than 800 thousand people live on an area of ​​171 km2. In terms of ethnicity, the city can safely be called multinational. 70% of the population is Ukrainian, and the remaining 30 is divided between Russians, Poles, Jews, Armenians, Germans, Czechs and representatives of 83 other nationalities.

In terms of tourism, Lviv is the most popular city in Ukraine and is included in the ranking of must-see cities in the world. Thanks to its favorable location and eventful history, it has literally become a museum under open air. The city has more than 2 thousand attractions, half of which are architectural monuments of Ukraine. This illustrates the different periods of Lviv's history. The city's attractions are mainly concentrated in its compact center. But it will take more than one week to fully get to know them.

If the time and budget of the trip are limited, then the emphasis should be placed on the main highlights of Lviv:

1. Travel by tram. The trams, masterfully scurrying along the narrow streets of Lviv, are considered one of its symbols. Most routes pass through the historical center of the city. Thus, for a couple of hryvnias you can quickly explore the main architectural monuments of the city.
2. Cathedrals. In Lviv there are many churches, temples, cathedrals and churches, a visit to which, if desired, can be squeezed into one walk.
3. View of the city from Castle Hill or the Town Hall tower. From a bird's eye view, Lviv is especially beautiful.
4. The courtyards, many of which have retained their ancient appearance, allow you to feel the soul of the city.
5. Restaurants. One of the main modern highlights of Lviv is the rich assortment of themed cafes and restaurants. Almost every establishment in the city is a separate attraction and attraction for tourists.
6. Coffee and chocolate. These two products are considered another symbol of Lviv.
7. Lychakiv cemetery. A completely unique place is the majestic Lviv necropolis, many of whose burials date back to the Polish and Austro-Hungarian periods in the history of Lviv.
8. City tours. For a small fee they offer great amount exciting excursions that allow you not only to admire the sights, but also to listen to interesting stories about Lviv.
9. Even in a city as spoiled by stunning architecture as Lviv, the building of the opera house, not to mention its luxurious interior, seems something special. It’s not for nothing that the Lviv Opera is considered the adornment of the whole of Europe.
10. Museums. Lviv is not only a city-museum, but also a city of museums. There are quite a lot of them here. Therefore, everyone can choose the most suitable topic for themselves and get acquainted with the history of Lviv in more detail. Photos, ancient things and documents will contribute to this.

Finally

The rich history of Lviv, summarized above, illustrates how diverse and interesting this city is. It’s not for nothing that many tourists say that a trip to Lviv is equivalent to a trip to Europe, only it does not require a visa. Lviv is an open-air history museum and a storehouse of Western Ukrainian flavor.

Large coat of arms of Lviv. The shield with the city's coat of arms is topped with a silver city crown with three turrets, as a symbol of the administrative center of the region. The shield is held by a lion and a Ukrainian warrior.

Year of foundation: 1256 Lviv celebrates City Day on the 1st Saturday of May.
In 2013, this date is May 4.

757th anniversary.

Western Capital of Ukraine.

Lviv is the pearl of Western Ukraine. A city that for centuries stood on the border between the cultures of East and West, a rich city historical events, a city of unique architectural monuments and ensembles.

Lviv (Ukrainian Lviv, pronounced [lviv]) is the first city in Ukraine in terms of the number of attractions and cultural heritage monuments. The city is located on the Poltva River, at a distance of about 80 km from the border with Poland. Administrative center of the Lviv region. The historic city center is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The city is built on hills. The highest point of the city is the High Castle mound. Historically, Lviv was built near the Poltva River, but in the 19th century it was allowed through the main city drainage, which now passes under Shevchenko, Svoboda and Chernovol avenues.

The first written mention of the city dates back to 1256. The founder of the city is considered to be the Russian king Daniil Romanovich Galitsky. It was he who gave this settlement to his son, Prince Lev, after whom the city was named in the future - Lviv. The main part of the city of Lviv was located on a mountain, which was called Gorai, and from the 17th century began to be called Lysa and was separated from the High Castle by a deep ravine. Prince Leo left this area due to strong winds and moved his castle to another place.

Throughout its history, Lviv has never been renamed. In the languages ​​of the peoples who left a noticeable cultural mark in the city, Lviv sounds like this: in Ukrainian - Lviv (Lviv), in Polish - Lwów (Lviv), in Russian - Lviv, German - Lemberg (Lemberg), in Armenian - Լվով (Lviv) , in Crimean Tatar - İlbav (Іlbav).



In relation to Lviv, you can hear a variety of epithets, the most famous of which are: “City of Lion” or “City of Lions”, “ Royal City", "Jewel of the Crown of Europe", "Museum City", "capital of Galicia", "little Paris", "little Vienna", "Ukrainian Piedmont", "Banderstadt", "cultural capital of Ukraine" and others.

In 1990, Lviv became the “Ukrainian Piedmont” - an outpost of nationalist changes associated with the collapse of the USSR. On May 14-15, 1999, the 6th summit of presidents of Central European countries took place in Lviv at the Railway Workers' Palace.

The people gave birth to several nicknames for Lviv - the Lion City (Ukrainian: Misto Leva), Lemberg (historical name), Leopolis, Western Capital.

City attractions - the historical center of Lviv, Armenian Church, Bernardine Church and Monastery, Dominican Church and Monastery, Cathedral (Latin) Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Church and Monastery of St. Onuphrius, Culture and Recreation Park named after. Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Lychakivsky Park, Shevchenkovsky Gai, Iron Water Park and others. The historical center of Lviv is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In 1904, former residents of Lviv - Germans, Poles and Ukrainians - founded the settlement of Lemberg (the German name for Lviv) in Canada, which received city status in 1907.

Story

The history of the founding of Lviv goes back centuries. In the 13th century it became the capital of the Galicia-Volyn principality, it was then Grand Duke Danilo Galitsky gave the city the name of his son Lev. Prince Lvov in those distant times was located at the foot of Castle Hill.

In the second half of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century. The city center moved to the area of ​​the current Market Square. Its territory was enclosed by fortress walls with towers and gates. Due to its location at the crossroads of the main European routes, Lviv quickly became an important economic and commercial center. Such outstanding events as the printing of the first book in Ukraine, the launch of the first hot air balloon, the first electric tram. Another interesting point in the history of the city was that on its territory there were three church metropolises - Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Armenian.

Modern Lviv plays an important political, cultural and economic role in the life of Ukraine. The central attractions of Lviv are a real open-air museum; it is not for nothing that this historical part of the city is included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage sites.

Climate and weather

Lviv is characterized by a moderate continental, humid climate with an average temperature of –3.4 °C in January and +17.5 °C in July. The weather here is characterized by high relative humidity throughout the year, and fog is common in cold weather. Meteorological business card the city can be called “Lviv mzhichka” - light continuous rain with high humidity air, which can be observed at any time of the year.

Nature

Lviv was founded on the Poltva River, a tributary of the Bug. Now it flows under the main city highways - under Svoboda, Shevchenko, and Chernovol avenues. The highest point of the city is the High Castle Mountain (409 m).

Lviv cannot be called a classic concrete jungle. Quite the opposite. More than 20 parks, two of which are monuments of landscape gardening art of national importance, two botanical gardens and 16 natural monuments will dissuade all doubters.

Attractions

Lviv is an ideal place for lovers of educational recreation. In terms of the number of architectural attractions, museums, and monuments, the city will give odds to even the most ancient settlement of civilization.

Over its long history, Lviv belonged to different states: it was part of the Galicia-Volyn principality, Austria-Hungary, Poland, and the USSR. He survived many military turmoil, civil strife and conflicts, but managed to preserve his architectural treasures. Perhaps time has worn down the walls of the houses, but this only makes them more attractive.

In 1998, the historical center of Lviv was included in the UNESCO list of historical heritage, and the city itself was declared the Cultural Capital of Ukraine, so it is a landmark in itself and rightfully bears the nickname City-Museum.

Considering the fact that Lviv is replete with historical values, we will focus only on the most remarkable ones. Among them are the Cathedral of St. George (built in the 18th century) - the main Uniate cathedral of the city, a classic example of Baroque; Market Square with the city hall, palaces of the nobility and merchant houses, a museum of furniture and porcelain, a pharmacy museum; A high castle with an observation deck and a park on the site of an unpreserved castle in close proximity to the historical center of the city; Lviv Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, built in 1900; Lychakivskoye Cemetery, which received the status of a historical and cultural reserve in 1990; Svobody Avenue is the central street of Lviv, the most elegant and sophisticated in the city; Museum of Brewing, the first in Ukraine; Lviv Museum of Contemporary Art "Salo", the only museum of salo in the world. Having visited Lviv, you will understand that this is not a complete list of objects that deserve the attention of tourists.

Nutrition

Gourmets in Lviv will definitely not be disappointed. The owners of local restaurants and cafes show miracles of ingenuity and creativity to attract customers. Sometimes there is even too much creativity, and a catering establishment turns into an art object, an ethnographic museum or something like that.

Enjoy national cuisine In an atmosphere of authentic Ukrainian design, you can visit the Seven Little Pigs restaurant. Despite following folk traditions The service here is European, and so are the prices: dinner will cost no less than $13 per person. But after a meal at “Seven Little Pigs,” you won’t be sorry to part with your hard-earned money, because they serve Ukrainian dishes that you won’t find in other restaurants in Lviv, and maybe in the whole country.

You should definitely visit the oldest coffee shop in Lviv - the Vienna Coffee House, where you will be pampered with Austro-Hungarian dishes and aromatic coffee for $1.5–5. You can taste Jewish cuisine and enjoy communication with the colorful staff here at the Galician Jewish Kneipe. Distinctive feature: There are no prices on the restaurant menu, you need to bargain. You can visit the center of Western Europe by visiting the Lviv restaurant "Europe", which will offer the client classic dishes of Old World cuisine at a price above average. It would be unforgivable not to go to the unique restaurant-brewery “Kumpel”, which in local slang means “friendship”. Here you can try live beer, hot beer and even beer ice cream. Another reason to go to Kumpel is the menu of traditional Galician dishes that every guest of Lviv should try.

Accommodation

Lviv can offer guests three main accommodation options: hotels, hostels and private apartments. Prices for accommodation in Lviv hotels depend on the type of housing and distance from the center. A single room in a cozy, comfortable hotel in the heart of the city will cost $45 per night. At the same time, in areas remote from the center, a double apartment in an establishment with low-level service and furnishings will cost $30.

You can stay in a Lviv hostel for $7 per person in a six-bed room. Almost all establishments similar type can offer you various services: food delivery, laptop rental, 3G modem and others. And in some hostels you can use Wi-Fi for free, household appliances, laundry services, etc. Price sleeping place here, of course, it’s higher - from $12.

The third option gives you the opportunity to spend time in Lviv with maximum comfort for a relatively reasonable fee. Luxury apartments will be available to you for $40–50 per day.

Entertainment and relaxation

Lviv is an excursion city; there is something to see and learn about. There are a great many options for the content and thematic focus of excursions: the Jewish heritage of the city, coffee shops and restaurants, the High Castle, the Lychakiv Cemetery, the Opera and Ballet Theater, Lviv museums and, finally, a sightseeing tour of the city.

Young and fashionable people, thirsty for music and fun, will also not be bored in Lviv. Despite all its historical uniqueness, the city is rich in European nightclubs and pubs with a decent level of service. The Mi1000 entertainment center will offer you several types of exciting pastime: billiards, bowling, karaoke, darts, poker, dancing.

Children, and not only them, will be pleased with their visit to the Beach water park. This is the only one in Western Ukraine a complex combining sports and health recreation.

Purchases

The most popular place for shopping in Lviv is the King Cross Leopolis shopping and entertainment center, which is located a seven-minute drive from the city center. Clothing, shoes, accessories, goods for children, appliances and electronics, souvenirs, Construction Materials And foodstuffs- all this can be found in King Cross Leopolis. There are also 15 cafes and restaurants, a bowling club, beauty salons, an ice skating rink, a Leopark amusement park, a 7-screen cinema... In this country of entertainment and shopping, the whole family can have fun for the whole day.

The city also has many quality clothing stores from European and national designers. Moreover, the price level here is quite acceptable. During the discount season, you can really save a lot of money and buy unique designer items.

In some ways, shopping spots include a huge flea book market, as well as a Chocolate Workshop, where you can buy handmade sweets.

There is no need to worry about souvenirs either: there are plenty of shops and stores with national products in Lviv. First of all, it is worth visiting “Vernissage” - a spontaneous market of local handicrafts, souvenirs and antiques. Also interesting in this regard is the gallery-salon “Mama’s Svetlitsa”, where you can buy embroidered shirts and towels, Hutsul ceramics and jewelry and many other interesting things that will remind you of a pleasant trip to the unique Lviv.

Transport

The transport infrastructure of Lvov is quite developed. 6 kilometers from the city center is international Airport. Passengers also benefit from the main gate of Ukraine to Europe - the Lviv railway, one of the oldest in the country.

City transport is represented by trams, trolleybuses, buses, and minibuses. The metro is currently at the development stage.

You should not rent a car: almost the entire central part of the city is paved with basalt paving stones, which is extremely difficult to move around by car.

In principle, if you want to appreciate the historical uniqueness of Lviv, it is better to travel on foot: local residents will be happy to tell you the way. And it’s very difficult to get lost here, unless, of course, you go deep into residential areas.

Connection

More than 70 post offices in the city are available from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, and until 16:00 on weekends. Everywhere on the streets, in underground passages and restaurants there are Ukrtelecom telephone booths. Some of them accept coins, others accept telephone cards, which, by the way, can be purchased at any post office or newsstand.

Mobile communications in Lviv are provided by MTS and Kyivstar.

Almost all hotels and many hostels provide the opportunity to use the Internet: free of charge or for a fee. There are also options when the cost of the service is already included in the room fee. Many cafes and restaurants provide Wi-Fi access. You should not lose sight of Internet cafes, of which Lviv has a sufficient number.

Safety

The crime rate is not off the charts, but at the same time, you shouldn’t behave carelessly on the street. Lviv has a very peculiar attitude towards traffic rules: pedestrians appear on the roadway out of nowhere, and drivers are extremely focused on the safety of their own cars due to bad city roads, so they care little about everything else.

Business climate

An economic forum has been held in Lviv for 12 years now. Its goal is to attract investors' attention to the city and region. However, the business climate is not getting any softer, and forum guests talk about this every year. The main reasons for this are pressure from power structures, the cumbersomeness of the tax system, the corruption of officials. Nevertheless, the state assigns a key role to Lviv in increasing the investment attractiveness of all of Ukraine, since the city is the country’s gateway to Europe.

Currently, there is $1,200 per resident of the Lviv region. foreign investment, most of whom are of Polish, Cypriot, Austrian origin. Businessmen invest mainly in financial activities real estate transactions, production and distribution of electricity, gas, food, beverage and tobacco production and more.

Real estate

The situation on the Lviv real estate market in Lately has improved significantly. It is becoming fashionable to purchase an island of Europe in the form of square meters. The price per square meter depends on the type of building and its distance from the center: on the outskirts of the city - $800–900, in prestigious new buildings, as well as in old Austrian houses located in the area of ​​the historical center of the city - $2000–2500. At the same time, in the very heart of the city you can find an apartment at an incredibly low price. The fact is that behind the beautiful ancient facade you can see wooden floors, shared balconies and bathrooms.

There is an opinion that in Lvov there are only nationalists and Banderaites, and they have an extremely unfriendly attitude towards Russians. However, every action gives rise to reaction, so if you show sympathy and positivity towards local residents, you can count on the same response.

The rules of behavior in public places are no different from the general European ones.

Lviv is certainly worthy of attention in its own right. But the city is also famous for various kinds of original holidays and festivals: Pampukha in January, Chocolate Festival in February, Batyar Day in May, Beer Festival in June, Ethnovyr in August, Coffee Festival in September, Christmas Market in December and many others. If you are lucky enough to visit at least one of them, consider that you have seen the real Lviv.

The city of Lviv is located on the territory of the state (country) Ukraine, which in turn is located on the territory of the continent Europe.

In what region (region) is the city of Lviv located?

The city of Lviv is part of the region (region) Lviv region.

A characteristic of a region (region) or a subject of a country is its integrity and interconnection constituent elements, including cities and other settlements that are part of the region (region).

Region (oblast) Lviv region is an administrative unit of the state of Ukraine.

Population of the city of Lviv.

The population of the city of Lviv is 725,202 people.

Year of foundation of Lviv.

Year of foundation of the city of Lviv: 1256.

In what time zone is the city of Lviv located?

The city of Lviv is located in the administrative time zone: UTC+2, in summer UTC+3. Thus, you can determine the time difference in the city of Lviv, relative to the time zone in your city.

Telephone code of the city of Lviv

Telephone code of the city of Lviv: +380 32. In order to call the city of Lviv from mobile phone, you need to dial the code: +380 32 and then the subscriber’s number directly.

Official website of the city of Lviv.

Website of the city of Lviv, official website of the city of Lviv, or as it is also called “Official website of the administration of the city of Lviv”: http://www.city-adm.lviv.ua/.

Flag of the city of Lviv.

The flag of the city of Lviv is the official symbol of the city and is presented on the page as an image.

Coat of arms of the city of Lviv.

The description of the city of Lviv presents the coat of arms of the city of Lviv, which is a distinctive sign of the city.

After the end of the First World War, the Polish-Ukrainian and Soviet-Polish war, the city's population quickly recovered primarily due to the influx of Polish elements from the indigenous Polish territories in the person of civil servants, students, workers and employees railway and state defense, printing, and railway repair enterprises.

Given the influx of Jewish refugees from the Galician periphery, the number of Jews in the city also increased. The 1921 census recorded a general restoration of its pre-war numbers. 219,388 people lived in the city, in particular 111,860 Roman Catholics (50.99%), 76,854 Jews (35.03%), 27,269 Greek Catholics (12.43%). The remaining 3,405 individuals (1.55%) belonged to other faiths. Compared with the 1910 census data, the number of Poles increased by 6.06%, Jews - by 33.92%, instead, the number of Ukrainians during the difficult war times decreased by 30.89%. The employed population was 103,598 persons. Including 64,278 men (62.05%) and 39,320 women (37.95%). Among 21,942 employees, men accounted for 68.29%; among 43,736 workers -57.62%. Substantial part employed - 21,053, including 11,859 workers in the “mining and crafts” column. There were 25,470 unemployed people with dependents, but without families - 11.6% of the city's total population. Another 13,459 individuals were classified as household servants with dependents (6.1% of the total population). The share of dependents in the columns “unemployed” and “domestic service” was low, 37.7% and 12.5%, respectively. The bulk of the domestic service was represented by hired women (10,286 women). There were 677 men among domestic workers. Among all 15,859 so-called employed unemployed men, there were 8,099 men, and 7,765 women.

After the revival of the Polish state, many specialists, mainly managers, economists, scientific workers who received positions in Warsaw and others Polish cities. In those parts of Poland that before 1918 belonged to Germany and Russia, unlike Galicia, there were no higher Polish educational institutions, so there was an acute shortage of enlightened people and experienced managers. Lviv became a source qualified personnel for the whole of Poland, but at the cost of impoverishment of its own human resources.

IN next years The dynamics of population growth in Lviv, according to Andrzej Bonusiak’s calculations, looked like this: 1925 - 237 thousand 1930 - 242 thousand 1931 - 312 thousand 1935 - 317 thousand 1939 - 319 thousand.

As we can see, population growth was quite slow (the 70,000-person jump between 1930 and 1931 was due to an increase in the city's territory). However, if the data for 1931, recorded by the population census, do not cause any special warnings, then the figures for the following years are only approximate. Researchers give significantly higher figures for 1939 (for example, Grzegorz Gritsyuk - 333.5 thousand, the authors of “The History of Lvov” (Lvov, 1984) - close to 340 thousand). In any case, in the 1930s. Lviv was the third most populous city in the Polish Republic, behind Warsaw and Lodz, but ahead of Poznan and Krakow.

Despite the fact that in the interwar years the economy of Lvov was in a state of stagnation and did not even reach the level of 1913, the population increased due to the bureaucratic-philistine element, household servants, military personnel and their families, student and student youth, who were also recruited from the region , abandoned by landless seekers of income in the big city. The Ukrainian element actively invaded the sphere of industry and construction. According to the 1931 census, the urban population was strongly marked by the annexation in the 20s. to the Lviv city commune of the suburban villages of Zamarstynova, Kleparova, Goloska Maly, Znesenia, Signivka, Kulparkova, the village of Levandovka from Belogorscha, part of the commune of Kryvchitsy. For these reasons, until 1931, the city's population grew by 42.32% and reached 312,231 people. At the same time, the number of Roman Catholics increased by 42.32% and reached 157,490 people (50.44%), the number of residents of the Jewish faith increased by 29.56% and reached 99,595 people (31.89%). Greek Catholics had the highest increase - 82.43%, although part of the total population remained smaller than the other two groups - 15.93%. The number of others reached 5399 persons (1.73%).

The employed population represented almost half. Also, half (77,424 people) were male and female employees. By area of ​​economy and social activities they were distributed as follows: in urban and forestry - 198 persons (0.25%); in mining and industry - 29,459 (31.6%); in trade and supply - 11,486 (14.8%); in communications and transport - 6625 (8.6%); in public and church service— 2533 (3.3%); in educational and cultural services - 1235 (1.6%); in health care and care - 3405 (4.4%); V home service— 21015 (27.1%); in other regions - 1468 (1.9%). Apparently, the most dynamic was the growth of manual workers who were employed in domestic service and served the bourgeoisie, bureaucrats, and other petty-bourgeois strata.

The problem of unemployment has become more acute than during Austria. The real state of unemployment in Lviv is not easy to assess, since different sources provide different statistics. According to the 1931 census, there were over 32 thousand unemployed in Lviv, which represented over 10% of the city's population (three times more than in 1921). In January 1932, the city magistrate registered 332 unemployed workers in the metalworking industry, 1,297 construction workers, 1,674 from other areas, a total of 3,303 persons. Even more unemployed were then registered by the district episcopal committee for assistance to the unemployed: 5,323 people, of which 3,529 were in physical work and 1,794 in mental work. Together with family members, the unemployed population was 10,789 people.

According to official police data, in March 1936, 7,970 unemployed people were registered, and in April 1937, 10,789 people were registered.

Various public committees were not able to provide significant assistance to the unemployed. The Additional Help Committee at St. Martin's Church wrote to the District Episcopal Committee in November 1931: “There are about a thousand families in the parish who, without any doubt, need help. Their registration, which had begun, was stopped because the influx of those who volunteered was so crowded that registering them further would be an unnecessary confusion for poor people, since we are not able to reach such a number with the necessary help.” Many unemployed families had large families. In one of the lists compiled in the parish of the Church of St. Martin, there were 171 families, of which 46 had three or more children, including 35 with three or four children, 7 with five children, 3 with six, and one - seven.

In the fall of 1931, 3,500 families turned to the Jewish public committee for the care of poor families. Assistance was allocated only for 400.

During the time between the censuses of 1921 and 1931. Part one-room apartments in the city increased from 27 to 32%, and people who lived in such apartments - from 20.1 to 26.5%. Many people lived in office buildings. But as soon as they were released from work, the organizations demanded the release of premises.

Many urban sites and houses were characterized by difficult material and moral conditions dwelling in them. Here are some characteristics of residential buildings, taken from police reports: “the life is old, unrepaired for many years, dirty, inhabited by working people, wretched, unkempt” (Baizer St., 1); “The house is dirty, the people are untidy. The thief Avl Leon lives in the stalls” (Kurkovaya St., 28); “to be... kept well. The apartment thief Mishchishin Maryan lives in the stalls, Pyotr Baranik is also among the pimps (Koptsova St., 2); in the descriptions of many houses the following additions were added: “a pack of thieves and prostitutes” (Peshaya St., 2); “a pack of thieves in production” (Shkarpova St., 2); “holding a home hotel for pickpockets” (Sienkevich St., 12a); “thieves gather and hold prostitutes” (Old Market, 5); “he keeps his prostitute sister, thieves converge” (Streletskaya Square, 2); “the cash thief himself” (Zamkovaya St., 10); “the thief himself and his brother Solomon” (Lva St., 10); “a woman is holding a prostitute” (Old Market, 1), etc.

In the area of ​​Shpytalnaya Street - from Karnoy Street to Kazimirovskaya Street - the so-called prostitute fishery was officially permitted, although they also offered their services on the central streets. A certain imagination about the number of declassed elements in Lviv was presented by the Directory of Arrested Persons imprisoned by the police in 1933. It lists 2,180 persons, of whom 365 were arrested multiple times. Some Mikhail Tchaikovsky as many as 11 times a year, Stuzz Zofia, Andrey Tymoshchuk, Kazimir Shidlovsky - 6 times, many - 4-5 times. Vagrancy and other negative phenomena big city, whose economy was in a state of constant stagnation and decline.

From the mid-30s. In Lvov, as well as throughout Poland, fugitives from Germany began to appear. To take care of them, the “United Jewish Committee for Providing Assistance to Immigrants from Germany” was created.

Despite all the social deformations in the city, which were caused by crisis phenomena in the economy of the Polish state, the bulk of the city's population continued to represent the same social strata that were recorded in the 1931 census. Economic stagnation and deepening internal polarization in the composition of Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish socio-political structures, as well as the general deterioration of relations between the three main national groups, made the socio-political tension in the city increasingly alarming. [Used materials]