Border Art

Border Art

Lvivi, a Multicultural City With Astonishing Arcitechture and a Wealth of Sights to See. Art and Decors are to be Seen Everywhere

Lviv or as russians say it Lvov, is a major city in western Ukraine, the administrative center of Lviv Oblast, and designated as its own raion (district) within that oblast. It is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine. In 2001, it had 725,000 inhabitants, of which 88% were Ukrainians, 9% Russians and 1% Poles, with a further 200,000 commuting daily from suburbs.

The city has many industries and institutions of higher education such as the Lviv University and the Lviv Polytechnic. It has a philharmonic orchestra and The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lviv celebrated its 750th anniversary in September 2006.

The public bus network is not well-developed: it has few lines. A cheap alternative are the marshrutki, small private buses which go where the city buses do not. Marshrutki have no fixed stops or timetable but are cheaper (1 hryvnia ?20US cents) and fast. The marshrutki also run on suburban lines to most nearby towns e.g. to Shehyni at the Polish border.

The city centre tramway lines were replaced with trolleybuses on 27th November 1952. Later, new lines were opened to the blocks of flats at the city outskirts. The network now runs 200 trolleybuses, mostly of the 1960s 14Tr type.

Modern Lviv remains a hub on which nine railways converge, providing local and international services. Several trains cross the nearby Polish-Ukrainian border (mostly via Przemy?l). There are good connections to Slovakia (Košice) and Hungary (Budapest). By western standards, the trains are slow but cheap. A journey to the western border with Hungary or Slovakia (several hundred kilometres) costs a few euros/dollars. Many routes have overnight trains with sleeping compartments.

Lviv's historic churches, buildings and relics date from the 13th century. Its architecture reflects various European styles and periods. After the fires of 1527 and 1556, Lviv lost most of its gothic-style buildings, but it retains many buildings in renaissance, baroque, and classic styles. There are works by artists of the Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco styles.

The buildings have many stone sculptures and carvings, particularly on large doors, hundreds of years old. The remains of old churches dot the central cityscape. Some 3-5 story buildings have hidden inner courtyards and grottos in various states of repair. Some cemeteries are of interest, for example the Lychakivskiy Cemetery. Leaving the central area, the architectural style changes radically as Soviet-era high rises dominate. In the centre, the Soviet era is reflected mainly in a few modern-style national monuments and sculptures.

The most notable of the museums and art galleries are the National Gallery, the Museum of Religion (formerly the Museum of Atheism) and the National Museum (formerly the Museum of Industry).

Lviv was an important centre for sport in Central Europe and it is regarded as the cradle of Polish football. First known official goal in a football match in Poland was scored there on July 14, 1894.

In January of 1905 first Polish ice-hockey match took place here, two years later first ski-jumping competition was organized in nearby Slawsko, in the same year first Polish basketball games were organized in Lviv's gymnasiums.

Lviv is the hometown of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 winner Ruslana, who has since become very popular in Europe.

Lviv has lots to offer the tourists visiting this city, amongst these are; the Old Town and the Ploshcha Rynok Market Square which is about 18,300 square metres.

The old city with its urban fabric and its architecture, makes Lviv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany.

The political and commercial role of Lviv attracted to it a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions, who established separate yet interdependent communities within the city, evidence for which is still discernible in the modern townscape.

The Black House and the Armenian Cathedral together with the Orthodox Cathedral with Korniakt Bell Tower are other sights worth visiting.

The Latin Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary , St. George's Cathedral of the Greek-Catholic Church and the Dominican Church of Corpus Christi are churches and monuments that offer some nice architectural styles.

The Chapel of Boim family together with Lviv High Castle hill overlooking the historical center are really giving something else to the visitor.

Union of Lublin Mound and the Lychakivskiy Cemetery should not be missed either. After World War II the city was annexed by the Soviet Union to the Ukrainian SSR and the majority of the surviving pre-war inhabitants of the city were expelled to former German areas annexed to Poland. This started a period of devastation of historical monuments located at the cemetery. Up to 1971 many of the sculptures were destroyed; the cemetery of Lwów Eagles was completely destroyed and turned into a truck depot. However, in 1975 the cemetery was declared a historical monument and the degradation ended. Since late 1980's the cemetery has seen constant rebuilding and refurbishment and continues to be one of the principal tourist attractions of Lviv.

Restaurants and pubs together with a night life makes this place a nice place to visit for tourists in all ages.

About the Author

Stig-Arne Kristoffersen
A Globetrotter
www.lulu.com/stig
www.travate.com
www.real-bahrain.com

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