Attractions of Lviv district

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 Hradovskyi, 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 Lviv City 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 of City Hall, providing tourists with information, maps and guidebooks.

There are always many tourists on Rynok Square in Lviv, especially on the days of numerous holidays and festivals.

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.

The Archcathedral of Saint George (Saint Yura)  in Lviv is one of the most beautiful architectural ensembles of the city, a pearl of the Ukrainian Baroque. The main shrine of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, where the residence of the metropolitans of the UGCC was located for a long time.

The first church on Svyatoyurska Hill in Lviv was founded during the times of the Galicia-Volyn principality. The current temple complex was built in 1744-1770 according to the project of Bernard Meretin, who combined the Rococo style with Ukrainian sacred aesthetics. Sculptures by Ivan Pinzel are installed on the main facade of the Church of Saint George. The bell tower houses the oldest bell in Ukraine (1341). The most valuable relic of the temple is the miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary (XVII century).

Metropolitans Andriy Sheptytskyi and Volodymyr Sterniuk, Patriarch Yosyp Slipiy are buried in Saint George's Cathedral.

Next to the cathedral is the Metropolitan Palace, where Pope Ivan Paul II stayed in 2001 during his visit to Ukraine.

Since 1998, Saint George's Cathedral, together with the ensemble of the historical center of Lviv, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The majestic church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of the Dominican monastery was built in Zhovkva in 1655 at the expense of Sofiya Teofila Sobeska, who owned the city at the time - the mother of the future Polish king Yan III Sobeskyi.

The Catholic church in the early baroque style was built on the site of the wooden church of the Virgin Mary. The monastery is surrounded by high defensive walls with a round corner tower, which was part of the system of city fortifications. In the 18th century, the complex was supplemented with monastic cells.

Sofiya Teofila Sobeska is buried in the church, as well as one of her sons, Mark - the brother of King Yan III Sobeskyi, who died near Batoh in 1652. The allegorical tombstones of the work of the German sculptor Andreas Schlueter have been preserved.

During the Austrian rule, part of the premises of the monastery were taken away, and during the Soviet times the temple was closed.

In 1995, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was rededicated as the Greek Catholic Church of the Holy Martyr Josaphat, and the Zhovkva-Sokal diocesan administration of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was located in the monastery.

The Krekhiv Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Basilian Fathers is one of the most important shrines of Greek Catholics in Ukraine, a place of mass pilgrimages.

It was founded at the beginning of the 17th century by the monks of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Yoil and Sylvester, in the caves of Mount Pobiyna among the wooded hills of Roztochchya.

In 1618, Stanislav Zholkevskyi issued a charter for the foundation of the Krekhiv monastery. At that time, the wooden Peter and Paul Church was already standing on the rock, and the Annunciation Chapel was near the cave. Construction of the monastery complex at the foot of the mountain soon began. The monastery was surrounded by defensive walls, the Transfiguration and Trinity wooden churches (later moved), the stone church of Saint Nicholas, a four-tier bell tower, and the monastery building were built on the territory. The walls of the monastery repeatedly served as a refuge for local residents during Tatar attacks. Bohdan Khmelnytskyi and Peter I visited it at different times.

During the Soviet rule, the monastery was closed, and a boarding school for mentally retarded children was placed on the territory.

The revival began in 1990. The Higher Theological Seminary of Basilian was located here.

Mass pilgrimages take place on May 22, the day of the transfer of the relics of Saint Nicholas. Pilgrims climb the "Way of the Cross" to the top of the mountain to the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Krekhiv healing spring is especially popular with tourists.

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.

The Univ Holy Dormition Lavra is one of the oldest monasteries in Ukraine, the central abode of the Galician Diocese of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

The defense-type monastery was founded at the end of the 14th century by Prince Fedir Lyubartovych. Until the middle of the 15th century, the monastery was looked after by the princes of the Hedyminovych family. Subsequently, Univ passed into the hereditary possession of the Lahodovsky nobles.

In 1549, the Univ monastery was destroyed by the Tatars. After that, according to legend, the Virgin appeared in a dream to the noble Oleksandr Lahodovsky, who was seriously ill, and pointed to a healing spring near the ruined monastery, thanks to which the knight was cured. In gratitude, he built a defensive stone church of the Dormition of the Holy Virgin with a bell tower above the spring, as well as defensive walls with four corner towers. Outside, the fortress was surrounded by a moat with water and a high rampart. The preserved tombstone of Lahodovsky is one of the best examples of Western Ukrainian Renaissance sculpture.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, there was a printing house at the monastery that published old books.

After the region joined the Austrian Empire, the monastery was closed and rebuilt as the residence of the metropolitan. Monastic life was revived here by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi, handing over the monastery to the monks of the Studio Statute. In 1919, the monastery acquired the status of a Lavra.

After the decline during the Soviet persecution of Greek Catholics, the monastery was revived again. The main shrine is a copy of the Univ miracle-working icon of the Mother of God

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.

Svobody Avenue in Lviv is 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.

"Ancient Zvenyhorod" Historical and Cultural Reserve was created in 2020 on the territory of an national importance archeological monument - the hillfort of the historic city of Zvenyhorod in the Lviv region. In the 11th-12th centuries, it was the capital of the Zvenyhorod principality, an important cultural, artistic and educational center. This is where the three oldest documents of the archival fund of Ukraine come from - birch certificates.

The prosperity of Zvenyhorod Halytskyi is connected with the stay on the throne of Volodymyrko Volodarevych, the great-grandson of Yaroslav the Wise. The ramparts of an ancient Rus settlement with a cubit, the remains of a princely palace, a stone church, boyar and artisan quarters have been preserved.

After the Mongol-Tatar invasion in 1241, Zvenyhorod fell into a long decline. At the beginning of the 18th century, the hetman of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Adam Senyavskyi, began to build the Zvenyhorod Castle on the hillfort, but the construction was never completed. Four pentagonal corner earthen bastions and the remains of the system of earthen fortifications remain of its fortifications.

You can learn more about the history of the historic city in the museum of the historical and cultural reserve "Ancient Zvenyhorod". Archaeological finds from the territory of the settlement, graphic materials, interactive exhibits based on augmented reality are presented here. You can take a virtual tour of the streets of the medieval city, see the hypothetical interiors of churches and palaces.

The reserve also includes the "Prosvita" building of 1926, which is planned for restoration and placement of additional exhibits.

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.

The column of Adam Mitskevych is one of two monuments to the outstanding Polish poet created in Ukraine for his centenary (the other is in Ivano-Frankivsk).

The idea of the monument project as a column was proposed by the writer Adam Krekhovetskyi. The ceremonial laying of the first stone in the pedestal on Mariatska Square (now Adam Mitskevych Square) took place on the day of Mitskevych's century in 1898.

The construction of the monument lasted five years, it was opened on October 30, 1904. It is considered one of the best monuments to Mitskevych in the world.

The Church of All Saints in the village of Hodovytsia was built in 1751-1758 by the prominent Lviv architect of Italian origin, Bernard Meretyn.

Lviv Archdeacon Stefan Mikulsky provided the funds for the construction. This is one of the projects on which Meretyn worked together with the famous sculptor Ivan Pinzel. The sculptor made an altar, some sculptures of which are now on display in the Pinzel Museum in Lviv and in the Olesko Castle. Paintings by the artist Oleksandr Rolinsky have been preserved in the interior. The baroque pediment of the church is decorated with characteristic decorative stone vases.

Later, the church in Hodovytsia served as prototypes for several more churches in the "Meretyn" style, which were created according to the architect's typical projects. The crucifix and the miraculous image of Mary with the baby were exported to Poland.

Meanwhile, the Church of All Saints in Hodovytsia has been abandoned since Soviet times and is gradually falling into disrepair.

National Museum in Lviv named after Andrey Sheptytsky presents an outstanding collection of works of Ukrainian national culture and art.

More than 175,000 exhibits reflect the evolution of Ukrainian art culture over nine centuries. Of particular value is the collection of sacred art of the XII-XVIII centuries.

The institution was founded in 1905 by the Greek Catholic Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky as the "Church Museum", in 1913 it was solemnly donated to the Ukrainian people. The work on the organization of the museum was headed by Professor Ilarion Svyentsitsky, Ivan Franko, Mykhaylo Hrushevsky and others took an active part in its development.

In the spacious exhibition halls of the main museum building there is a permanent exhibition of "Ukrainian art of the XII - early XX centuries", presenting the pearls of the national and world art treasury. Among the works of Ukrainian medieval sacred art there are ancient icons: "Yuriy Zmiyeborets" (XIV century), "Archangel Michael with deeds" (XIV century), "Saint Paraskeva Friday" (XIV century), "Virgin Hodegetria" (XV century) and others. The book collections include the Buchach Gospel (13th century), the Pandects of Antiochus (1307), the editions of the first printers Shvaypolt Fiol, Frantsysk Skoryna, Ivan Fedorov, and others. Graphics, sculpture, folk art are also presented.

The departments of the Sheptytsky National Museum are the exposition "Ukrainian Art of the Twentieth Century" in the historical building of the museum, art and memorial museums of Ivan Trush, Oleksa Novakivsky, Olena Kulchytska, Leopold Levytsky, arranged in the former homes and creative workshops of these outstanding Ukrainian artists.

The Church of the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin in Horodok was built in 1633 on the site of a wooden church that was moved here in 1547 from the suburbs.

In 1869, the perimeter walls were strengthened with an inclined stone plinth, and powerful buttresses were installed on the northern side. In the 1880s, wooden baths were replaced by stone ones. Later, a chapel was added to the northern wall. In the 1950s, an iconostasis was built in the church.

The Church of the Annunciation got its modern appearance as a result of numerous reconstructions. The last restoration was carried out in 1938.

As an architectural monument, the Church of the Annunciation in Horodok is an excellent example of Renaissance architecture in Ukraine.

Belongs to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.