Attractions of Lviv

The exhibition of rare models of transport "Retro Garage" has been on display since 2018 in the premises of the Museum of the History of Science and Technology, which is a department of the Lviv Historical Museum.

The exhibition of retro cars is set up in the oldest hangar from the complex of the first tram depot in Lviv, built in 1894 by the Lviv architect Alfred Kamenobrodsky. The rectangular brick structure has a gable roof supported on wooden trusses supported by side walls and wooden posts.

On an area of more than 500 square meters, Andriy Hladun's private collection of bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles from the first half of the 20th century and a number of examples of the American automobile industry of the 1970s and 1980s from the collection of collector Taras Mayba are presented.

The Chevrolet Caprice Classic 1986 police car attracts the most attention of visitors. In addition, the museum presents the first city taxi of pre-war Lviv Citroen AC4 Berline Lux and a real fiakr (horse taxi). You can familiarize yourself with the samples of the products of the Lviv Motorcycle Plant from the years 1950–1970 from the funds of the Lviv Historical Museum.

Private collections of car models and American license plates are also exhibited at the exhibition.

The Museum of the History of Ukraine of the Lviv Historical Museum is housed in a four-story building on Rynok Square in Lviv, known as the "Massarivska Kamyanytsia" (Massari House). Built in the XV century in the Gothic style, later rebuilt in the style of the Renaissance.

For some time the house belonged to the family of the Venetian consul Antonio Massari. In the middle of the XIX century there was a delicacy shop Henneman. At the beginning of the XX century the facade was decorated with a triangular pediment, decorated with an allegorical relief by the sculptor Kurchynsky. Late Gothic vaults and windows on the first floor, elements of Renaissance interior decoration have been preserved.

Now in "Massarivska kamyanitsa" there is a historical exposition, which presents more than 2100 monuments of Ukrainian history from ancient times to the early twentieth century: Neolithic instruments and musical instruments, Trypillia ceramics, golden Scythian treasure, ancient Rus crosses, encolpions, medieval Lviv executioner swords, magnate women's and men's clothing, Cossack weapons, astronomical table clock of the XVIII century, collections of old prints and paintings. The portrait of young Roksolana, a girl Nastya Lisovska from Rohatyn, a Turkish prisoner who became the wife of Sultan Suleiman II, is still a secret.

The Peter and Paul Church in Lviv was built in 1668 as a Catholic church of Saints Peter and Paul.

In 1750, the temple was handed over to the monastic order of the Paulines, who rebuilt the building in the Baroque style and placed their monastery in it. In 1784-1786, the Austrian authorities handed over the shrine to the Greek Catholics. In 1798, the architect Klemens Ksaveriy Fesenher built a vestibule with a tower in the style of classicism.

Since 1989, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul belonged to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Since December 15, 2018, it has been under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin was built in Lviv in 1745 in the late Baroque style.

At one time, it served as the second temple of the Catholic Trinitarian monastery, then it was a parish and Jesuit church.

Today it is the Holy Intercession Cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

The Ivan Trush Art Memorial Museum in Lviv was opened in 1989, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the artist's birth.

It is a two-storey building built in 1910 by order of the artist designed by the famous Ukrainian architect Oleksandr Lushpynsky in the style of the late Art Nouveau. He lived here with his family until the end of his life.

The museum exposition presents the main pages of the painter's life and work, presents him as a prominent Ukrainian impressionist, landscape master, portraitist, author of genre compositions, as well as popularizer of Ukrainian culture, editor and publisher of Ukrainian magazines, active public figure of the early twentieth century.

Portraits of prominent Ukrainian figures, paintings with views of Lviv and Kyiv, landscapes of the Crimea and the Carpathians, Italian and Egyptian landscapes, as well as family photos and memorials are presented.

The Ivan Trush Museum is a branch of the Lviv National Museum named after Andrey Sheptytsky.

The three-story building of the Jesuit Collegium in Lviv was built in 1839-1842 in the style of classicism according to the project of the architect Fidelis Shtadler. After the banning of the Jesuit order, barracks were located in the premises for a certain time. In 1851, the building was transferred to Lviv University.

Currently, in the premises of the former Jesuit collegium, the biological and geological faculties of LNU, as well as the Museum complex of the university, which includes the Zoological Museum, the Paleontological Museum, the Mineralogical Museum and the Museum of Ore Formations.

The Zoological Museum of LNU is one of the oldest university museums in Europe - it was founded back in 1784 as the Cabinet of Natural History. About 10,000 exhibits in four halls represent the animal world of all continents and all water areas of the globe. The halls are equipped with multimedia panels that allow you to hear the songs of birds and see the life of animals in their natural environment.

The Paleontological Museum of LNU exhibits plant and animal remains in the form of fossils, which tell about the development of life on the planet. The museum funds include more than 18,000 paleontological and geological specimens discovered in deposits of different ages on all continents.

The mineralogical museum of LNU named after academician Yevhen Lazarenko was founded in 1852. His collection includes giant crystals of apatite from Transbaikalia, giant crystals of morion and feldspar from chamber pegmatites of Volyn, pyrites from the Berezivka gold ore deposit in the Urals, unique drusen aggregates of smoky quartz from the Urals, native sulfur from the Shor-Su deposit in Central Asia, samples meteorites

The Museum of Ore Formations of LNU exhibits various ores from more than 500 deposits of Ukraine and the world.

The very ancient church of John the Baptist is one of the few buildings preserved in Lviv from princely times. It is located in the Old Market (Stary rynok) area at the foot of the High Castle (Vysoky zamok).

According to legend, the Hungarian princess Constantia, the wife of Galicia-Volyn prince Lev Danylovych, king of Rus, is buried here.

The first written mention of the Church of John the Baptist in Lviv dates back to 1371. The building was rebuilt in the 19th century in the pseudo-Romanesque style, but some fragments of the original architecture have survived to this day.

Currently, the premises are occupied by the Museum of the Oldest Lviv Monuments (a branch of the Lviv National Art Gallery). The exhibition tells about culture, crafts and life in the times that belong to the founding of the city. The most valuable exhibit is the "Lviv Mother of God" icon (XIV century). A plastic panorama of Lviv from the 18th century is also exhibited.

Since 2009, UGCC services have been held in the church every Sunday and on holidays.

The Leopold Levytsky Art Memorial Museum was established in the artist's former home in Lviv. Located in a house built in 1891 by Hustav Bizants.

Prominent Ukrainian graphic artist of the twentieth century Leopold Levytsky is considered one of the pioneers of Ukrainian graphic design and advertising. His museum was founded in 1984 on the initiative of the artist's wife Henya Levytska.

The exposition in three rooms highlights the artist's creative achievements in graphics and painting, but also recreates the special environment of the Lviv intelligentsia in which he lived and worked.

The Leopold Levytsky Museum is a branch of the Lviv National Museum named after Andrey Sheptytsky.

The exhibition complex "Lviv Art Palace" is the largest exhibition and cultural and artistic center of Western Ukraine.

The building in the Art Nouveau style was built in 1996 according to the project of the architect Vasyl Kamenshchyk. The facades are decorated with classicist arcaded loggias and a sculpture of Saint Luke, the patron of artists.

With a total area of 8.7 thousand square meters, the area of 12 exhibition halls is 3.6 thousand square meters. The palace has a 200-seat conference hall with a stage and an art lounge.

Such regular events as the International Forum of Publishers, the Lviv Autumn Salon "High Castle", the All-Ukrainian Children's Drawing Competition "Spring Moods", the annual Shevchenko Days art exhibition "Love Your Ukraine..." are held here.

On the basis of donated works and documents, the room-museum of Taras Shevchenko is constantly functioning here. The Palace of Arts also houses the Factory of Saint Nicholas' Assistants and hosts the National Chocolate Day.

The museum-cultural complex of the history of brewing "Lvivarnya" was opened in Lviv in 2016 on the territory of "Lviv Brewery", which is considered the oldest in Ukraine.

The first written mention of Lviv beer dates back to 1384, when a certain Hanko Kleper bought a brewery in the Krakiv suburb, which is still called Klepariv. The year 1715 is considered the official opening date of the Lviv Brewery.

The first brewing museum was opened at the brewery in 2005. After reconstruction, it turned into a modern art center "Lvivarnya".

In the beer museum, you can familiarize yourself with the ancient technology of production. A brewing furnace, a fermentation vat, barrels for beer maturation, etc. are presented. Interesting collections of beer kegs and bottles, beer mugs, advertising samples, technology book and other unique documents. A special exhibit is the legendary 10-liter glass of brewery shareholder Robert Doms.

Thanks to the museum's interactive exhibits, every visitor can feel like a real brewer, touch the history of beer and take a look at the brewing process.

At the end of the tour, there is a tasting of 12 types of keg beer in the restaurant "Hop House of Robert Doms", located in the former beer cellars. There is a souvenir shop.

"Lvivarnya" also functions as a modern art center, where exhibitions, concerts, cultural events, conferences and corporate events take place.

Lviv Children's Railway is located in Stryisky Park.

It was opened in 1951 on the basis of a narrow-gauge railway that connected the station "Persenkivka" with the station "Skhidni Torhy" since 1922.

The road, 1.2 kilometers long, runs along the outer perimeter of Stryisky Park in its southern part. TU2 and TU3 locomotives, as well as 4 Pafawag cars, run on the route between Parkova and Sonyachna stations, and the TU3 diesel locomotive is considered the last locomotive of this series.

The Lviv Citadel is a complex of Austrian-era fortifications that has survived almost unchanged since the 19th century.

It was built on a hill on the southwestern approaches to Lviv to control the city and the Stryi road.

Fortification work was started here by the Poles back in 1635 under the leadership of the royal engineer Friedrich Gaetkant. In 1672, during the siege of Lviv, the fortifications were used by the troops of the Turkish Sultan Muhammed IV. In 1852-1854, the Austrian authorities reconstructed and expanded the fortress, building a barracks building, two square and four round towers.

The complex did not play a significant role during the world wars, thanks to which it was perfectly preserved. In Soviet times, the "Citadel" park was demolished on the territory, the premises were used as warehouses. Now a bank is located in the barracks. One of the round towers has been transformed into a luxury hotel.

The Lviv City Hall is the dominant feature of Rynok Square, one of the most famous symbols of Lviv. The main entrance to the building is guarded by two symbolic lions holding shields with the city's coat of arms.

The first wooden building of the city hall was built in 1381, later it was rebuilt several times. In the Middle Ages, a punishment pole was located in front of it (in 1564, the Moldavian master Tomsha was executed here, in 1578 - the leader of the Cossack uprising, Ivan Pidkova).

In its current classical form, the city hall building was rebuilt at the beginning of the 19th century (architects Yozef Markl, Frants Tresher, Yosyf Vandrushka). Since 1939, the Lviv City Council has been located here.

There are tours of the building with a visit to the 65-meter clock tower. One of the best panoramas of Lviv opens from the observation deck on the city hall tower (climb 408 steps). Here you can get acquainted with the mechanism of the clock, made in 1852 at the factory of Vilhelm Shtil near Vienna.

Recently, the ancient tradition has been restored - every day at noon, the melody of the city's national anthem is played from the tower of the city hall. On weekends, a trumpeter blows every two hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The palace of Lviv patrician, rich merchant of Greek origin Kostyantyn Kornyakt on Rynok Square is a pearl of residential Renaissance architecture of Lviv, an architectural monument of national importance.

The house was built in 1580 by architect Petro Barbon with the participation of his student Pavlo Rymlianyn. For some time it was owned by the Sobieski royal family, receiving the second name "Royal Townhouse".

It is in the Kornyakt Palace is the famous Italian (Venetian) courtyard on the model of the Renaissance Italian cortile, which surrounds the inner perimeter with open galleries under the arcades. The gallery presents an exhibition of sculptures, in particular "Justice and Justice" - a shameful pillar (pranger), which stood on the front in front of Lviv City Hall.

Now the administration of the Lviv Historical Museum is located in the palace. The permanent exposition of the department "Kornyakt Palace" presents the history of the house through the fate of its inhabitants in the context of the history of the city, region, Europe.

The "Royal Chambers" are traditionally called the four former ceremonial halls of the royal residence, located on the second floor of the building. Today, the preserved interiors of the early 19th century feature paintings, sculptures, samples of salon furniture, clocks, porcelain, musical instruments, ancient European orders, and rare memorials. One of the most popular exhibits is a mysterious black chair in the form of a winged dragon. Usually, at the end of the tour you can hear the live sound of the music box Symphonion.

There is a café with outdoor tables and an antique shop in the Italian courtyard.

The departments of the Lviv Historical Museum are:
- Arsenal Museum;
- Lviv History Museum;
- History of Ukraine Museum;
- Palazzo Bandinelli;
- Ukraine Liberation Struggle Museum;
- History of Science and Technology Museum;
- Literary Lviv Museum;
- Roman Shukhevych Museum;
- Yevhen Konovalets Museum.

One of the most interesting examples of Lviv Renaissance architecture in the ensemble of Rynok Square is the Lorentsovych house, better known as the "Black House" (Chorna Kamyanytsia). The black color sharply distinguishes this building from the other buildings of the square and creates a sharp contrast with it.

The "Black House" was built in 1589 in the style of the late Renaissance by the architect Petro Krasovsky on the order of Sofia Ganel.

During the XVI-XIX centuries, the house changed owners many times, as well as completed and rebuilt. Initially, the building was not black, but under the influence of precipitation, the sandstone masonry was greatly darkened, and now it is specially painted black.

Back in 1926, the city bought the "Black House" from the last owner and opened the Lviv History Museum, which is now a department of the Lviv Historical Museum. The almost 800-year history of the city is represented on three floors by authentic objects of XIV-XX centuries: symbolic keys to the city, seals of the magistrate, inaugural chains of the president and mayor, benches from the conference hall, portraits of city leaders, coats of arms of Lviv in different historical periods. You can see a model of princely Lviv of the XIII-XIV centuries and a model of the Renaissance town hall.

In the courtyard and the first floor there is a Lapidarium - an exposition of stone monuments of Lviv: carved from stone architectural and sculptural fragments, parts of old monuments, epitaphs, etc. In total, about 50 samples of stone sculpture from ancient, mostly non-existent, buildings in Lviv.