A SIGHTSEEING TOUR AROUND L'VIV

1. A SIGHTSEEING TOUR AROUND L'VIV

2. A bit of history L'viv is situated in the western part of Ukraine right on the watershed between the Black and the Baltic seas, in the valley of the Poltva. The highest commanding point of the town is the High Castle Hill, 411 metres above the sea level. The national composition is as follows. 70% of (he population are Ukrainians, the rest are Russians, Jews', Poles, Byeloru­ssians. L'viv had a stormy, dramatic, and glorious history but over the centuries it has retained its traditions of hospi­tality, sincere and warm cordiality. We love our town and we are happy when visitors like it too. L'viv is changing all the time and still preserving its uniqueness. Architects, sculptors, artists of various nationalities worked together with Ukrainian craftsmen to create this wonderful town. Thus, historical eras are intermingled here and at times in the most bizarre manner. The L'viv poet and chrono­graph Josef Bartholomew Zimorovych wrote in the 17th century: "This town was born under such a sky and under such a star that it was bound to strive towards beauty. And there is no craft that L'viv master could not bring to perfection". The history of our town is so long and covered with a veil of mystery and legends live in each stone.

3. In 1349 Lviv was conquered by Polish King Kazimir the Great. In 1356 the city got the Magdebourg Right. In 1772 after the first division of Poland Lviv became the capital of one of 18 Austrian provinces - Halicia and Lodomeria. In 1918 Western Ukrainian Peoples Republic was announced. From the end of 1918 till 1939 Lviv was again a part of Poland. • From 1939 till 1991, except the years of Nazi occupation 1941-1944, Lviv was a part of the Soviet Union. Since 1991 Lviv is one of the cities of Ukraine.

4. THE PLACE WHERE L'VIV WAS FOUNDED Long, long ago, at that time when L'viv hadn't been founded yet, there were several villages scattered round L'viv. The hills were covered with woods and peasants had a perfect hiding place from the enemies. Suddenly people began to disappear. Then it was found out that a terrible lion had been stealing them. He lived in a cave in one of the hills and killed people walking alone by the stroke of his paw. One day an old hunter followed the terrible lion. Hid­ing in the trees he watched the beast for three days and three nights. You could only imagine what the panic was in the villages, because the rumour had been spread very quickly. At last the brave knight who dared to kill the lion ap­peared from the capital town of Kyiv. Everybody came to see him and waited impatiently when he would fight with the beast but the knight wasn't in a hurry. He asked one of the blacksmiths to forge the armour so strong that the lion couldn't break it and ask another blacksmith to forge the sword so sharp that the lion could be cut into two parts. But all in vain. Nobody was able to do what the knight asked to.

5. Once he was sitting in the pub in despair when a her­mit was passing by. He noticed the sad knight and asked about the reason. After he had found out what trouble peasants had the hermit promised to help the knight. The armour and the sword must be splashed by the virgin's blood", said the hermit. • All those in the pub froze thinking over such terrible words. Then they decided to gather all people from the villages and to announce what the hermit had said. • The knight needed much blood so the young girls agreed to prick their little fingers and to drop some blood into a barrel Soon it was full of blood. The knight splashed the armour and the sword and they became sharp and strong. "I'm ready now", he said. • He fought with the lion and won. Since that time the hill where the lion used to live was named "The Lion Hill". Isn't it funny that the town founded on those hills has the similar name?

6. IN THE MOST ANCIENT PART OP THE TOWN • The first reference to L'viv in the old chronicle came in 1256. But the latest excavations indicate that a settlement here existed much earlier. Yet we know that the founder of the town was Prince Danylo Halytskyi. At that time the Mongol invaders descended upon Rus' and in 1241, PrinceDanylo managed to achieve a truce with Khan Batu and turned his attention to town building. L'viv was named after his son Leo. But there exists a version that Leo himself was a founder of the city. On the Halytska Gate (now Halytska Street) in the 17th century there was an inscription in Latin: "Prince Leo founded me. The descendant named it Leopolis". The fortress with the prince's castle was on a lower hill. At the foot of the Castle Hill there was the Nearby Town; craftsmen, tradesmen and the poor lived in a settle­ment situated as far as the valley of the Poltva. Thanks to its advantageous geographical position the town was soon included in the European trading system. Besides Ukrainians, Armenians, Jews, Germans, Italians, Serbians, Tartars, Turks lived here. A number of churches dating back to those an­cient times can be seen within this area.

7. POWDER TOWER • In the middle of the 14th century the town built by Danylo Galytskyi fell into decay. By 1349 after several years of fighting the town was captured by the Polish king Kasymyr the Third. On his order a new town was founded nearby. It was a square 600 x 600 metres, heavily fortified, The internal wall with four corner towers was followed by an outer wall which had seventeen towers and was sur­rounded by a moat filled with water, ramparts, and bas­tions. The town had two gateways — Halych and Krakow and two smaller gates - Jesuit near the Church of Jesuits and Barefooted used for communicating with Monastery of the Barefooted Carmelites. In the late 18th century there appeared a new street -PidvaTna. In 1816, ramparts were leveled and planted by trees, so that a boulevard appeared. This boulevard was called the Governor's Ramparts. The Gun Powder Tower stands there. It was built between 1554-56. This large, monolithic structure of* stone with its loophole windows is impressive. The walls are three metres thick at the base. In peace time it served as a grain store. Since 1956 two marble lions are nodding at its entrance. Nowadays it houses the Club of Architects.

8. THE TOWN ARSENALand ROYAL ARSENAL • Of the same age is Town Arsenal which stands along the opposite site of PidvaTna Street. Yet a part of a wall and the remnants of an octagonal tower date back to the 14th-15th centuries. In older times the tower was defended by the guilds of rope makers and masons. A part of the Tower of Bootmakers was reconstructed some years ago. The Arsenal contained workshops where cannons and bells were cast, there was a prison and torture chamber in the cellars. The dwelling of the town executioner, a "good chap" as the old chronicle put it, was nearby. Now after being restored the Town Arsenal became the Museum of Old Arms. You .may admire here the diversity, beauty, elegance, and superb design of the 14-19 centuries Ukrainian, Russian, West European, and Oriental arms. Nearby there is another arsenal named Royal. It was built in 1630 by the Commandant of the L'viv fortress, Grodzinskyi, a military engineer, and architect, and is an outstanding example of secular Baroque architecture. Arched portal, two stones cannons, arcaded balcony with three bays, slender Tuscan-style semi-columns, a triangu­lar pediment, are typical Baroque. • In front of the Arsenal there is the statue of Ivan Federov, The first printer moved to L'viv at the end of 1572. In 1574, he published his first book The Apostle and Grammar. The Ostrog Bible, The New Testament and Psalter were published later in Ostrog. He returned to LViv where he died in 1583. He is depicted walking through the town in a long leather apron with a book in his hands.

9. THE CHURCH OF ASSUMPTION • Just between the two Arsenals is located the oldest and the best example of LViv Renaissance - the Church of Assumption. It was the fourth church in this place and was raised and ruled by the Stauropegia Fraternity, one of the strongest and most influential Orthodox communities. The name comes from Greek: Stauropegion means the direct submission to the Holy Patriarch in Constantinople and not to the local Bishops. It helped the Fraternity to become the ideological and religious centre of Orthodox L'viv and the entire Western Ukraine. It car­ried on enlightment work: in 1586 it set up a school of "seven free sciences", a hospital, and a printing house. The construction of the church began in 1591 and was completed in 1629. It was subsidised not only by local Ukrainians but also by Moldavian Hospodars, the Ukrai­nian het'man Sahaidachnyi and Moscow Tsar Fedor loannovych. The project was designed and directed by Paolo Domonici Romano, Woiciech Kapinos and Ambrofio Prychylnyi. As you can see the Church has three cupolas which is traditional of Ukrainian ecclesiastical architecture and Renaissance elements such as pilasters, blind arches, a sharply outlined cornice with a frieze above. Scenes from the Bible are depicted there. There is also a portal and the whole structure is constructed of smooth dark gray limestone. The basilica passes into a semicircular apse having a portico on the west.

10. RYNOK SQUARE • One of these legends says that once long ago a poor minstrel-singer arrived in merchant L'viv from far away countries. The inhabitants of the town enjoyed his strange songs, young ladies fell in love with him, and old mer­chants gave him money. But the singer was sad. The haughty beauty, who passed by him in Rynok square and didn't pay attention to him and to his music, was the cause of his sorrow. • The singer followed the young lady to her house. And one autumn evening, when it was raining tenderly, the musician played his tunes near her windows. It was a sad melody of love. It was very cold, but he played the whole night... And only in the morning his strings stopped play­ing and the people saw the dead body of the musician penetrated with love... • Since that time in deep silence of an autumn night you can often hear L'viv rain play sorrowful songs of love and the old city cry with it. • The present down hall, which stands in the middle of the square was built in 1827-1835 in the style of Classicism according to the project of I. Marki and F. Thresher. The old town hall consisted of 3 buildings built in different times. The oldest middle part, dates back to the 14th century. The tower was built in 1619. In the early 19th century it was unstable, and at .; last in 1826 it collapsed. The newly built town hall was considered massive and monumental.