Attractions of Lviv

The Lviv Science Museum is an interactive space with an area of more than 2,000 square meters, which helps to learn about the world through experiments and interaction with exhibits.

Each of the museum's nine exposition blocks reveals a separate theme: "Air", "Water", "Acoustics", "Optics", "Electricity", "Science", "Man", "Robots", "Formula-1". More than 100 interactive exhibits provide an opportunity to conduct experiments with pneumatic devices and soap bubbles, create a mini-hurricane or a sea storm, generate electricity at a power station, play musical instruments in a recording studio, communicate with the RoboThespian robot, play poker with the KUKA KR 210 robotic arm, visit different corners of the Earth thanks to VR technologies and even change the wheels of a racing car at the pit stop.

On the first floor there is a recreation area with a coffee shop and a souvenir shop.

The two-story building of the Lviv Science Museum is equipped with accessibility standards in mind, in particular, it is equipped with an elevator.

The interactive museum "D.S. Secret Pharmacy" in Lviv is a magical and mysterious place.

The history of this museum began in May 2012, when in one of the oldest Lviv pharmacies "Under the Hungarian Crown" during construction and restoration work was found a secret entrance to the basement, which found a former pharmaceutical laboratory, which operated in the late XIX - early XX centuries.

The name of the pharmacy is associated with the legend of the nearby Bernardine Monastery, where for some time were the relics of Saint Stephen - King and Patron of Hungary. "Secret Pharmacist" still cooks "soap for bribers" and produces "pills for happiness".

The main secret of the pharmacy is guarded by the world's only apothecary Lion. Visitors discover the history of the "Secret Pharmacy" in a light format video tour with elements of theatrical performance and tasting of the "pharmacy elixir of happiness and longevity."

The Church of Saint Archangel Michael in Lviv was built at one time as a Catholic church of the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites, which was first mentioned in 1634, and has a long history of construction.

It was built, perhaps, according to the project of the architect Ivan Pokorovych, the son of the Lviv architect of Italian origin, Adam de Liarto. The towers of the main facade were designed by the architect Alois Vondrashka in 1835-1839, and completed during the restoration in 1906 by the architect Vladyslav Halytskyi.

The church was painted in 1731-1732 by the Italian artist Giuseppe Carlo Pedretti together with his Lviv student and assistant Benedykt Mazurkevych. The main altar is made of black marble (XVII century). Its authorship is attributed to the sculptor Oleksandr Prokhenkovych.

As one of the defense nodes of Lviv, the Carmelite church was repeatedly attacked, and in 1748 it even served as the arena of the so-called "monachomachy" - a struggle between Carmelite monks and Capuchins.

In 1991, the church and monastery were handed over to the monks of the Studio Statute of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (an order founded in the 1920s by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi) and re-consecrated in honor of Saint Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Ukraine-Rus and the guardian of the Holy Sepulchre.

Hlyniany (Entrance) Gate is the best-preserved part of the city fortifications of medieval Lviv.

The building in the late Renaissance style is part of the fortification complex of the Bernardine Monastery. The gate was built at the beginning of the 17th century under the supervision of engineer Fridrikh Hetkant. In the center of the defensive wall is a square tower with a tented roof and an archway paved with wooden cobblestones.

During the reconstruction of 1976-1977, a defensive moat was restored in front of the wall.

Currently, the "Ukrzakhidproektrestoration and administration of the historical and architectural reserve" institute is located in the Hlyniany Gate complex.

The museum of the famous Ukrainian Baroque sculptor Johann Georg Pinsel (Ivan Heorhiy Pinzel) is located in the former church of the Poor Clares in Lviv, which is an architectural monument of the XVII century.

Modest in architecture, but luxuriously painted from the middle, the church was built in 1607 by Pavlo Rymlyanyn and Bernard Avelides on the site of an old chapel of nuns of the Poor Clares of the Bernardine Order. Since then, the Renaissance elements of the side facade of the church from Lychakivska Street have been preserved. In the 1740s the church underwent a Baroque reconstruction, and during the restoration of 1938-1939 the tower was completed. The interiors of the church are decorated with paintings by Stanislav Stroyinsky made in the XVIII century, some later plots in the southern nave belong to the brush of Tadeush Popel.

Since 1996, the Church of the Poor Clares houses the Museum of Baroque Sculpture of Johann Georg Pinsel, which is called "Ukrainian Michelangelo". Here is the richest collection of unique baroque sculptures by master, which were found and saved in the 1970s. The Ivan Heorhiy Pinzel Museum is a department of the Lviv National Art Gallery named after Borys Voznytsky.

After the reconstruction in 2021, the renovated Pinzel Sculpture Museum was given a completely barrier-free space. Tactile strips are laid from the public transport stop and in the middle of the building. Sound beacons are installed at the entrance. The museum has an inclusive box office and a mnemonic at the entrance. Internal stairs are duplicated by a lift. Information plates duplicated in Braille are installed near the exhibits. Tactile copies of the most important exhibits are offered to visually impaired visitors. Audio guides and audio description available. The staff has been trained to work with all categories of visitors.

The Latin Cathedral is the main church of the Roman Catholic Church in Lviv. The official name is the Metropolitan Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Lviv Archdiocese. Unofficially, Lviv residents call it simply the Cathedral.

It was built and rebuilt by Lviv city planners for 400 years. The first stone was laid by the Polish king Kazymyr the Great in 1360. After the restoration of 1760-1778, Gothic forms gave way to the then fashionable Baroque.

In the cathedral there was an icon of the Mother of God the Merciful ("The Beautiful Star of the City of Lviv"), the original of which is now kept in Vavel in Krakow. Its exact copy was made for Lviv and in 2001 Pope Ivan Paul II crowned it.

The main organ, stained glass windows by Yan Mateyko and others have been preserved. In the eastern wall, you can see the cores, reminiscent of the Turkish siege of 1672, as well as a projectile left over from the Ukrainian-Polish war of 1918-1919.

At the end of the 18th century, a cemetery with numerous chapels was located around the church, of which only the most valuable have survived: the Boim chapel (1609-1615) and the Campian chapel (1619).

The Latin Cathedral is the Sanctuary of the Mother of God the Merciful and Divine Mercy.

National University "Lviv Polytechnic" was founded in 1844, it was the first academic technical school in Ukraine.

The building of the Technical Academy was built in 1877 by the architect Yulian Zakhariyevych, who became its rector. The interiors of the magnificent building are richly decorated with sculptures and moldings. Ten paintings of the assembly hall were made based on sketches by Yan Mateyko.

Currently, Lviv Polytechnic has the status of a national university, 30,000 students study here.

Excursions of the Main Building of the University are conducted, during which visitors are introduced to the history of the institution, unique interiors, masterpieces of painting and sculpture, the Machine Hall with mechanisms and equipment from different eras, the 19th century student library, the oldest observatory in Ukraine, and the Museum of the History of the Polytechnic.

The Lychakiv cemetery-museum, located near the center of Lviv, is more like a landscape park.

The cemetery was officially founded in 1784, although it existed on this site as early as the 16th century. The territory of 40 hectares is divided into 86 fields, on which there are almost 3.5 thousand monuments and compositions of the work of famous sculptors and architects. Ivan Franko, Solomiya Krushelnytska, Mariya Konopnytska, Volodymyr Ivasyuk and others are buried here.

In 1991, the Lychakiv cemetery became a historical-memorial museum-reserve.

Many controversies in the 1990s caused the restoration of the "Cemetery of the Eagles" memorial, destroyed during the Soviet era, in honor of Polish soldiers who died in 1918-1920 in the Ukrainian-Polish and Soviet-Polish wars. The memorial was officially opened in 2005 at the same time as the memorial to the fallen soldiers of the Ukrainian Galician Army.

The National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after Solomiya Krushelnytska in Lviv is considered one of the most beautiful theaters in Europe, along with the Odesa and Vienna opera houses.

The facade of the building is decorated with sculptural figures "Life" and "Art", statues "Glory", "Victory", "Love". The theater was designed in such a way that the lobby, corridors and stairs were illuminated with natural light as much as possible. One of the most beautiful interiors is a mirrored hall decorated with paintings depicting the symbolic change of seasons. A large chandelier in the hall made of precious materials is decorated with allegorical figures.

On the second floor, the personal apartments of Emperor Frants Yosyf with a bathroom and access to the imperial (now presidential) box have been preserved.

The aristocratic coffee shop "Komaryk" works.

Excursions are conducted.

The architectural ensemble of Lviv's main shopping square began to take shape in the 14th century in the style of European medieval cities (before that, the Stariy Rynok (Old Market) was the shopping center).

Market Square (Rynok square) is surrounded on four sides by 44 houses (apartments), different in time of construction and style (Renaissance, Baroque, Empire). Architects Petro Krasovskyi, Martyn Gradovskyi, Petro Barbon, Pavlo Rimlyanin, Bernard Meretyn, Sebastian Fesinger and others worked on the building.

Elements of Gothic architecture of the XV-XVI centuries have been preserved in the basements and first floors of many buildings. They are home to museums, shops and popular cafes. The Lviv Historical Museum occupies the most interesting buildings ("Black Stone House", "Royal Stone House" and others).

The Town Hall (1381-1827) in the center of the square is a symbol of the city. The building is used for its intended purpose - it houses the city government. The Lviv Information and Tourist Center is located on the first floor, providing tourists with information, maps and guidebooks.

There are always many tourists here, especially on the days of numerous holidays and festivals.

A monument to the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) Stepan Bandera was opened in Lviv in 2007 for the anniversary of the Ukrainization of the Insurgent Army (UPA).

It was in Lviv that Stepan Bandera began his political activity after entering the agronomic department of the Lviv Polytechnic in 1928.

The figure of the ideologue of Ukrainian nationalism is made full-length, more than 7 meters tall. In the background - the Stele of Ukrainian statehood - a 30-meter triumphal arch.

Svobody Avenue (Liberty Avenue) is the city's central street, the most elegant and prestigious in Lviv.

It arose in the 18th century on the site of the lower city rampart. Old names: Nizhnyi Valy, Nimetskyi Valy, Lenin Avenue. Architectural eclecticism with features of classicism, neo-renaissance and baroque.

Svobody Avenue with an avenue in the middle starts from the Opera House. In the center is a monument to Taras Shevchenko and a sculptural composition dedicated to the poet's works. It ends at Mitskevych Square. Two tributaries of the Poltva River once converged here. In the middle is the figure of the Virgin Mary. The marble statue was erected at the expense of Countess Severina Badeni in 1861, moved to its current location in 1904, restored in 1997. In 1905, a monument to Adam Mitskevych - a Polish poetic luminary - was erected. The historic building of the George Hotel is also located on the square.

The tourist center of the city (the so-called "Stometrivka"), the main epicenter of political life (the so-called "Klumba"), a permanent meeting place for informal youth (the so-called "Frog").

Lviv Aquapark "Plyazh" is one of the largest indoor water recreation complexes in Ukraine, capable of receiving 1,000 visitors at the same time.

On an area of 14,000 square meters, there is a 50-meter sports pool, an entertainment area with 9 water slides of different lengths and levels of difficulty, a children's area with a small pool and small slides.

Recreational and game lessons on the water, children's fitness and therapeutic gymnastics classes are held for children.

In the recreation area there is a Turkish bath and a jacuzzi, and two bars. Aerobics, fitness, dance and other classes are held. The complex also includes a solarium, a fitness center, a bistro, and an Internet cafe.

There is convenient parking.

The Boim Chapel near the walls of the Latin Cathedral is one of the most remarkable architectural buildings of Lviv in the Renaissance style, an architectural monument of national importance.

The chapel was built at the beginning of the 17th century over the family crypt of the Lviv patricians Boim (the city cemetery was located next to the cathedral). Presumably, the construction was carried out by the team of architect Andriy Bemer.

Experts call this building in the style of the mature Renaissance with a transition to Baroque a vivid example of southern mannerism in Ukraine. The western facade of the chapel impresses with the wealth of decorative decoration. The author of the sculptural composition is considered to be the master from Wroclaw, Hanush Sholts. The dome is crowned by an unusual sculpture of a seated Christ. The interior is also filled with many sculptural images, most of which are by Yan Pfister.

The Boim Chapel Museum is a subdivision of the Lviv National Art Gallery.

The Museum of Jewish Culture and History of Lviv Jews "In the Footsteps of Galician Jews" operates in Lviv under the All-Ukrainian Jewish Charitable Foundation "Hesed-Aryeh".

Initially, the museum was founded in only one room on the first floor of the foundation, and on the eve of 2020 it expanded to several new exhibition spaces. Enthusiasts have been collecting exhibits for it for 20 years of the museum's existence.

In particular, today the museum presents the following exhibitions: "Department of Victims of the NKVD and Nazism", "History of Lviv Synagogues and Rabbis", "Bankers and Artisans of the Pre-War Period", "Jewish Hospitals", etc.