Путівник Прогулянка Львовом.Touring Lviv.

Take 10 exciting excursions around Lviv's historical places. The guidebook provides in-depth information about museums, parks, unique architecture ensembles and memorials, as well as clues up the reader on local customs and traditions.

Architecture sections of the most interesting constructions allow the reader to imagine the edifice's interiors. The story is illustrated with about 1000 modern, archive and private collection pictures.

Once upon a time, a Paris train and a Moscow train stopped at a railway station in a large and ancient town in the center of Europe.Two travelers were enjoying the view of the town they were passing by. "I am in the East at last", - the French traveler thought. "Here I am, in the West", - the Russian traveler exclaimed. This old tale is about Lviv, the city where the ardors of the mysterious East and the sounds of the romantic West intertwine with the expressiveness of the South and tranquility of the North.

When the Ukrainian King Danylo presented the city to his son Lev, nobody could have imagined how powerful the city would be in the future. During its 750 year-long "official" history Lviv has undergone numerous adventures. Ukrainian, Polish, Austrian, German and Soviet rulers changed the city's appearance, adjusting it to their own needs. Each new governor would give the city a new name: Lviv, Leopolis, Lwow, Lemberg, Lvov. However, the local population always treasured the history of their native town and, regardless of its turbulent past, Lviv managed to preserve its unique identity.

May be it was for St. George's intercession, who had been chosen the city guardian angel, that Lviv escaped many hardships. Today Lviv is one of the most important political, economic and cultural centers of Ukraine and Central-Eastern Europe. In 1999 UNESCO proclaimed Lviv part of the world cultural heritage.

The history of the ancient and at the same time modern Lviv abounds in legends. Each day, each minute it is waiting for an eager listener to open up its mysteries. Having visited the city once, you will always want to visit it again and again, to stay there just for one day, to plunge into the streams of a spring or autumn rain, to marvel at the whirlwind of falling leaves in Stryisky park, or to find oneself in a winter fairy-tale in the High Castle Mountain.

Once again the clock on the City Hall tower would chime for you only. For more than 150 years it has been guarding the peace and quiet of the city. Having learned yet another of its legends, you may try and lose your way in the narrow intertwining streets of the old town. Stop by one of the numerous cozy coffee shops and have a cup of their famous coffee. Enjoy the aromatic drink and listen to the soft sounds of the city by night.

About half of all the architectural sights in Ukraine are concentrated in Lviv. Only here the Armenian quarter neighbors the Catholic district, and the Ukrainian quarter streets interlace with Jewish locality. Strolling leisurely along the underground river of Poltva you will reach the famous Opera House, and from the Opera House you will climb the top of Visoky Zamok (High Castle) Mountain. And there, enjoying the panoramic view of the city, you will understand why its numerous guests compare it to Paris and Rome, and the locals call it the Great Lviv.

Haven't you ever heard about the giant lion, which lived in a cave in Svia-toyurska (St. George) Mountain? And you don't know anything about the white vampire that terrified the local chimneysweepers? You have never been told the romantic and at the same time tragic story of Galshka from Ostrih?Then a trip to Lviv is a must. It is a unique city and its inhabitants will cordially welcome you.