Lviv is a city located in the western part of Ukraine, whose historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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| The view over the Old Town |
In 1340 Lviv was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland and belonged to the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland until 1772. Due to the Partitions of Poland, the city had been occupied by the Austrian Empire till 1918. After World War I, Lviv belonged to the Second Polish Republic and remained the part of it until 1939 when the World War II broke out. During the war, in July 1944 Lviv was liberated from Nazi occupation by Polish Armia Krajowa after the Lviv Uprising. Then Lviv was captured by the Soviet Red Army and became a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Most of the Polish citizens living in the city were deported from Lviv by the Soviets.
Since 1991 Lviv is a part of the independent Ukraine.
Because of the history, a lot of Polish people have a sentimental attachement to Lviv, which belonged to Poland in the past. There are a lot of Polish people who were born in the city, studied there or their roots are connected with the city. In 1900 almost 50% of the Lviv population was Polish, but in 2001 the Polish population accounted for only 0.9%
I had a chance to go to Lviv on a one-day trip in 2004 as at that time I lived in the south-east of Poland, which is not far away from the Polish-Ukrainian border. It was a bit of a challenge to go there due to the Ukrainian police which could stop you anytime and prove you that there was something wrong with you car, bus or truck. The only way to drive away was to bribe them. We were told by the driver that it was the Ukrainian reality and you could disapprove of it, but at the end of the day you had to do what they wanted you to do. I really felt like Ukraine was a scary country and needed a lot of time to improve and develop not only as a nation, but that it would also require a lot of time to change people's behaviour to make this country a safe place to live without fear.
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| The Lviv Opera and Ballet Theatre |
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| The Mickiewicz Monument |
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| The Cemetery of the Defenders of Lviv |
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| The Lykachiv Cemetery |
Lviv is a city with a beautiful architecture, which reminds me of Polish one. However, we were told that there is no money to save Polish monuments or places of interests as Soviets had not cared about it. I felt quite sad as there were so many beautiful places but they were not in a good condition. I could imagine how amazing they would look like if they were renovated and definitely the city would be more attractive for the tourists.
I reckon that Lviv is constantly developing and I strongly belive the city is a different one that it was in 2004. It is such a beautiful city that it would be a shame to waste the heritage of the previous generations. As Lviv was one of the host cities during EURO 2012 I am sure that it is a different city right now.
Maybe you live in Lviv or have been there recently and can share with me your opinion about the city. I really would like to hear how the city looks like and how it is to live there nowadays.
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