Lviv is a very pleasant surprise after the border crossing into Ukraine. It is a beautiful city, with a sprawling old town, and it is well deserving of it's status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was the fourth city with that designation that we visited on our recent swing through Eastern Europe and it was very charming, second only to Krakow in my eyes.
Lviv has been continually occupied since the 5th century, and we know that as far back as the Monguls, in the 13th century, it has been invaded on a regular basis.
The location apparently is too tempting for those around it to resist. Like many countries in Eastern Europe, it is a place which has had many masters. The upside of that is that there is a cosmopolitan flavor to Lviv that developed literally over the centuries. It was a trade center, and home to Poles, Germans, Jews, and Armenians. All of that ended with WWII. In 1939, while Poland was being invaded from the west by Germany, Russia invaded from the east. Poland was diminished in size and it's multicultural past was reduced to rubble. After Ukraine's independence, Lviv has emerged as the most livable city in Ukraine, and certainly a must visit one. The traditional embroidered goods and the vodka are just two of the highlights beyond the stunning architecture.
Lviv is a very pleasant surprise after the border crossing into Ukraine. It is a beautiful city, with a sprawling old town, and it is well deserving of it's status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was the fourth city with that designation that we visited on our recent swing through Eastern Europe and it was very charming, second only to Krakow in my eyes.
Lviv has been continually occupied since the 5th century, and we know that as far back as the Monguls, in the 13th century, it has been invaded on a regular basis.
The location apparently is too tempting for those around it to resist. Like many countries in Eastern Europe, it is a place which has had many masters. The upside of that is that there is a cosmopolitan flavor to Lviv that developed literally over the centuries. It was a trade center, and home to Poles, Germans, Jews, and Armenians. All of that ended with WWII. In 1939, while Poland was being invaded from the west by Germany, Russia invaded from the east. Poland was diminished in size and it's multicultural past was reduced to rubble. After Ukraine's independence, Lviv has emerged as the most livable city in Ukraine, and certainly a must visit one. The traditional embroidered goods and the vodka are just two of the highlights beyond the stunning architecture.
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