Lviv and vicinities

Lviv is one of the most remarkable cities in Eastern Europe. It is often called the western gateway to Ukraine. Its architecture reflects various European styles and periods. The Lviv’s historic center has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998. There are not many Gothic-style structures left in the city, but buildings in Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical styles are quite numerous. Vienna Secession, Art Deco and Art Nouveau houses are well presented here too.

The Opera House

The Lviv Opera House is, perhaps, the most recognizable landmark in the city. It was designed by Zygmunt Gorgolewski, a graduate of the Berlin Building Academy, and built between 1897 and 1900 in the so-called Viennese neo-Renaissance style. The impressive façade is decorated with numerous niches, columns, pilasters, statues and reliefs. Lavishly gilded interior decorations are said to be one of the best of all opera houses in Europe.

The Lviv Opera House

 The Rynok Square

Five hundred centuries of the city’s history have left their imprint on this small square in the center of Lviv. The architectural ensemble of the Rynok (Market) square developed in the 16^th and the 17^th centuries, the time when the aesthetic ideals of the Renaissance were taking shape. Among the best examples of the Lviv civic architecture of that period are the so-called Black and Kornyakt Houses, which are located on the eastern side of the square, the most interesting side from the architectural point of view.

The Dominican Church

The Church of the Dominicans was built in the middle of the 18^th century according to the design of Jan de Witte, a talented engineer and architect of Dutch descent, who was also a military commandant of the Kamyanets-Podilsky fort. The Church contains a wealth of sculpture. Some works are as old as the structure, others even older. Of the later sculptures one should note the splendid marble tomb of countess Dunin-Borkovska, created by the world-famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

The Dominican Church

The Armenian Church

Remodeled and reconstructed throughout centuries (from the 14^th to the beginning of the 20^th century), the Armenian Virgin Mary’s Dormition Church has retained its essential features. The structure is a fusion of Byzantine and old-Ruthenian traditions with the Armenian architectural style. The Church’s dome is quite interesting in shape. It is supported by hollow pillars made of crocks. In the courtyard an old Armenian graveyard is located. Some of the tombstones are more than 600 years old.

The Armenian Church

The Assumption Church Ensemble

The Church of the Assumption (Ruthenian Church) is the embodiment of the best features of Renaissance architecture organically blended with national Ukrainian traditions. It was designed by Paolo Dominici Romano, who also started its construction. The lofty belfry, otherwise known as the Kornyakt tower, which was built between 1572 and 1578 by architect Pietro di Barbona, is a pleasing addition to the Church. The Chapel of Three Prelates is well-hidden, but is worth finding.

The Assumption Church

The Latin Cathedral and the Boim Chapel

The construction of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is usually called the Latin Cathedral, was started by the Polish king Kasimir III in 1360. Despite numerous alterations, which took place from the 14^th to the 20^th century, the Cathedral still remains a characteristic example of Gothic architecture.

The sublime Boim Chapel, attributed to architect Jan Pfister, was built in the Renaissance style between 1609 and 1617 as a tomb for a wealthy merchant of the Hungarian origin, Yuri Boim, and his family. The entire façade of this edifice is covered with sculptures, reliefs and stone carvings. It is the only structure that remains of the old cemetery, which was removed from the center in the second half of the 18^th century, when all burials inside the town were forbidden.

The Boim Chapel

St. George Cathedral

Designed by architect Bernard Meretin and sculptor Johann Georg Pinsel, the Cathedral reflects both the Western influences and the Ukrainian tradition of church construction. The Cathedral was built between 1746 and 1762 in the Baroque-Rococo style. For the past two hundred years, excluding the period of Soviet domination of the city, it served as a mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The interior of the Cathedral is amazing in its richness and variety of icons.

St. George Cathedral

The Lychakivsky Cemetery

The Lychakivsky Cemetery is often called the Père Lachaise of Eastern Europe. It’s a final resting place for more than 350,000 people. Although the oldest tombstone is dated 1675, the Cemetery was officially opened in 1786. Among those buried here are many world-famous Ukrainians and Poles, including Maria Konopnicka, poet and novelist (1842-1910), Ivan Franko, writer, philosopher and economist (1856-1916), Vasyl Barvinsky, impressionist composer (1888-1963, Stefan Banach, mathematician (1892-1945), and Jacque Hnizdovsky, painter, printmaker and book illustrator (1915-1985).

The Markiyan Shashkevych Grave

There are plenty of possibilities for day trips from Lviv. Krekhiv and Univ monasteries are not far and can be reached either by a car or by a local bus. The town of Zhovkva, rich both in history and old architecture, is also worth visiting. And Olesko, Pidhirtsi and Zolochiv castles (or what remains of them) can be easily covered in one day, provided that you have the right escort.

The Krekhiv Monastery

All photos are the original work of
Jonathan Halcovage and Oleksandr Olesnevych