Lviv (Ukrainian: Image:Ltspkr.png Львів, L’viv [l^jviw], German: Lemberg; Polish: Lwów; Russian: Львов, Lvov; see also other names) is a city in western Ukraine, the administrative center of the Lviv Oblast, and is designated as its own separate raion (district) within the oblast. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine. It has 733,000 <ref>Ukrcensus.gov.ua - Lviv 2001 estimate. URL accessed on June 20, 2006</ref> inhabitants, of which 88% are Ukrainians, 8% Russians and 1% Poles, with an additional 200,000 commuting daily from suburbs.

The city is home to many industries and institutions of higher education such as Lviv University and Lviv Polytechnic. It has a philharmonic orchestra and the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theater. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lviv celebrated its 750th anniversary in September 2006.

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

Lviv is located on the verge of the Roztocze Upland, approximately seventy kilometres from the Polish border. Lviv's altitude averages 289 metres above sea level, although many hills rise up within the confines of the city. Its highest point is Vysokyy Zamok (the High Castle), a hill of 409 metres above sea level.

The old walled city was located at the foothills of the High Castle along the banks of the river Poltva. In the 13th century the river was full of water, and used for commerce and transportation of goods. In the early 20th century, as the river became polluted, it was covered in areas where it flows through the city. The central street of Lviv, Freedom Avenue (Prospect Svobody) is right above the river, as well as the famous Opera House.

[edit] Climate

Lviv's climate is moderate continental. The average temperatures are −4 °C (27 °F) in January and +18 °C (65 °F) in June. Average annual rainfall is 660 mm (26 in), with notable water deficit in the summer months. Cloudy days average 66 per year.

[edit] History

Main article: History of Lviv

Image:Lwów02.jpg

Lviv was founded by King Danylo of the Ruthenian duchy of Halych-Volhynia, and named in honor of his son, Lev. The city is first mentioned in Halych-Volhynian Chronicle from 1256. In 1356, Casimir III of Poland granted the city Magdeburg rights which implied that all city issues were to be solved by a city council, elected by the wealthy citizens. As a part of Poland (and later Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) Lviv became the capital of the Ruthenian Voivodeship.

As it grew, Lviv became religiously and ethnically diverse. The 17th century brought invading armies of Swedes and Cossacks to the city's gates. In 1772, following the First Partition of Poland, the city, thenceforth known as "Lemberg", became the capital of the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. During World War I, the city was captured by the Russian army in September 1914, but was retaken in June of the following year by Austria-Hungary.

With the collapse of the Habsburg Empire at the end of World War I, the city became an arena of conflict between the local Ukrainian and Polish population. Between the World Wars, Lviv was the second biggest Polish city. Lviv and its population suffered greatly from the two world wars, the Holocaust, and the invading armies of the period. Today Lviv remains one of the main centres of Ukrainian culture with much of the nation's political class originating from the area.

[edit] Government

Image:Map of Ukraine political simple Oblast Lemberg.png

[edit] Administrative division

Lviv is divided in 6 distinct entities called raions with their own administrative bodies:

Halyts'ky (Галицький район)
Zaliznychny (Залізничний район)
Lychakivs'ky (Личаківський район)
Sykhivsky (Сихівський район)
Frankivs'ky (Франківський район)
Shevchenkivs'ky (Шевченківський район)

Notable suburbs are:

Vynnyky (місто Винники)
Briukhovychi (селище Брюховичі)
Rudne (селище Рудне)

[edit] Economy

The rapidly growing Lviv economy is an emerging market with relatively large population.

The current city economy is a good example of the post-Soviet era developing city. Lviv has many issues, such as problems with infrastructure, irregularities in water supply and corruption.^{[citation needed]}

According to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the average salary in the Lviv region is a bit smaller than the average Ukrainian salary, which as of September 2006 was about 1004.1 UAH or roughly 200 USD.

In 2006, Ukraine's economic freedom was rated at 3.24, where a rating of one is deemed relatively more free than a rating of five points. According to the World Bank classification, Lviv is a lower middle-income city.

[edit] Public Transportation

[edit] Buses

The public bus network is not well-developed and the number of lines is limited. A cheap alternative to the public transport are the "marshrutky", which are small private-run mini-vans/mini-buses cruising around the city and the suburbs. Marshrutky do not have any fixed stops nor timetables, yet their services are relatively cheap, fast and efficient. The marshrutky also run on suburban lines to most towns of the region including the line to Shehyni (Шегині) at the Polish border.

[edit] Tramways

Main article: Lviv tram

Image:Tramvaj lviv 02.jpg The first tramway lines were opened on May 5, 1880. On May 31, 1894 the last horse-powered line was electrified. In 1922 the tramways were switched to right-hand-side system. After World War II and the annexation of the city by the Soviet Union several lines were closed for service, yet most of the tramway infrastructure was preserved. However, many of the tram stops were cancelled and currently an average distance between them exceeds 2 kilometres.

Currently the Lviv tramway operates approximately 220 cars on 75 kilometres of track. Most of the track is in very poor condition, as are the trams themselves. Most of the trams are of KT4 type, produced by the Czechoslovak ČKD-Works. Newer T4+T4 operate only on line 2. Pre-war Gothaer Waggonfabrik cars (built after 1910) are used for maintenance and utility purposes.

[edit] Trolleybuses

After the war and the expulsion of the majority of the city's inhabitants, the city started to grow rapidly. This was due to an influx of evacuees returning from Russia at the war's war end, and the program of development of heavy industry which was vigorously pursued by the Soviet Government. The latter included, in some cases, transplanting entire factories from the Ural region and other distant places into newly "freed" (acquired) territories of the USSR, including Lviv, the Baltic republics, and other territories.

The cancelled tramway lines in the city centre were replaced with trolleybusses on November 27, 1952. In the later period new lines were opened for communication with the blocks-of-flats areas at the city outskirts. Currently the trolleybus network runs 200, mostly of the 1960s 14Tr type.

[edit] Railway

Image:LwowDworzec.JPG

Modern Lviv retains its nodal position, with nine railways converging on the city. There are many destinations, both within Ukraine and international. Most cities in Ukraine can be reached from the main train station. Due to the proximity of the Polish-Ukrainian border there are several trains going to Poland (mostly via Przemyśl) for example the luxurious Kiev-Kraków link.

[edit] Airports

Aside from extensive railway connections, Lviv can be reached by air. Lviv International Airport (LWO) <ref>See also: Lviv International Airport official website</ref> lies only 6 km from the city center. For travelers, it offers a currency exchange, storage of luggage, ATM machines, telephones, coffee shops, and parking. Hotel Tustan near the airport has one and two-room apartments for rent.

[edit] Culture

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

Image:Lvov Opera.JPG

Since 1998, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) lists Lviv's historic center as part of "World Heritage." The UNESCO gave the following reasons<ref>L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre, UNESCO - World Heritage. URL Accessed: 30 October 2006</ref> for its selection:

Criterion ii: In its urban fabric and its architecture, Lviv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany.

Criterion v: The political and commercial role of Lviv attracted to it a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions, who established separate yet interdependent communities within the city, evidence for which is still discernible in the modern townscape.

[edit] Architecture

Lviv's historic churches, buildings and relics date back to the 13th century. Over the last few centuries, the city was spared much of the invasion and war that destroyed many Ukrainian cities. Its architecture reflects various European styles and directions from different historical periods. After the fires of 1527 and 1556, Lviv lost most of its gothic style buildings. It however retains a rich representation of structures built in the renaissance, baroque, and classic styles. Also represented are works by artists of the Vienna Secession, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco.

There has been some concern about preservation of the city's architecture. For example, architectural sculptures are looted and resold, residents cut new doorways into historic facades, historic architectural monuments are allowed to crumble due to effects of climate and human neglect. Weakening from the layers of impurities deposited on the facades of buildings and the runoff that seeps into their stonework from the marshy subsoil below, the city faces a literal erosion of its history.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Museums and art galleries

There are many museums and art galleries in Lviv, most notable are the National Gallery, Museum of Religion (formerly Museum of Atheism) and National Museum (formerly Museum of Industry).

[edit] Sport

Historically Lviv was one of the most important centres of sports in Central Europe. The first professional football club, Czarni Lwów, was opened in 1903, and the first stadium was opened in 1913. Currently Lviv is home to several major professional football clubs and a number of smaller clubs. FC Karpaty Lviv plays in the first division of Ukrainian Premier League; it was founded in 1963.

[edit] Films and books featuring Lviv

Portions of Schindler's List were shot in the Lviv city center, as it was less expensive to do so than in Krakow. Parts of the Austrian road-movie Blue Moon were shot in various parts of Lviv.

[edit] Education

Main article: List of universities in Ukraine

Lviv is one of the most important education centres of Ukraine. It is home to three major universities and a number of smaller schools of higher education. There are 8 institutes of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, more than 40 research institutes, 3 academies and 11 state-owned colleges.

The universities are:

Lviv University – (Львівський національний університет імені Івана Франка)
Lviv Polytechnic – (Національний університет "Львівська політехніка")
Ukrainian Catholic University – (Український Католицький Університет )

[edit] Tourist attractions

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

Image:Lvivcity.jpg

the Old Town
- Ploscha Rynok Market Square; 185,000 square metres.
  - Black House
- Armenian Cathedral
- Orthodox Cathedral
- Latin Cathedral
- St. Yura church
- Dominican Abbey
- Boim Chapel
Vysoky Zamok hill overlooking the historical centre
- Union of Lublin mound
Lychakivskiy Cemetery

[edit] 750th Anniversary

In September 2006, Lviv celebrated 750 years of history. One of the largest events was a light show around the Lviv Opera House.

[edit] Sister Cities

City	Country	Year of Signing
Corning, New York	Image:Flag of the United States.svg United States	1987
Kraków	Image:Flag of Poland.svg Poland	--
Winnipeg	Image:Flag of Canada.svg Canada	1973
Wrocław	Image:Flag of Poland.svg Poland	--
Banja Luka	Image:Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina	--
Novi Sad	Image:Flag of Serbia (state) (bordered).svg Serbia	1999
Freiburg	Image:Flag of Germany.svg Germany	1989
Saint Petersburg	Image:Flag of Russia (bordered).svg Russia	2006

[edit] References

Inline

[edit] See also

List of famous Leopolitans
Polish football clubs in Lviv (pl.): Pogoń Lwów, Czarni Lwów, Lechia Lwów

[edit] External links

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Image:Lwiw-oblast-COA.PNG	Subdivisions of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine	Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg

	Raions: Brodivskyi \| Buskyi \| Drohobytskyi \| Horodotskyi \| Kamianka-Buzkyi \| Mostyskyi \| Mykolaivskyi \| Peremyshlianskyi \| Pustomytivskyi \| Radekhivskyi \| Sambirskyi \| Skolivskyi \| Sokalskyi \| Starosambirskyi \| Stryiskyi \| Turkivskyi \| Yavorivskyi \| Zhovkivskyi \| Zhydachivskyi \| Zolochivskyi
	Cities: Belz \| Bibrka \| Boryslav \| Brody \| Busk \| Chervonohrad \| Dobromyl \| Drohobych \| Dubliany \| Hlyniany \| Horodok \| Kamianka-Buzka \| Khodoriv \| Khyriv \| Komarno \| Lviv \| Morshyn \| Mostyska \| Mykolaiv \| Novoiavorivske \| Novyi Kalyniv \| Novyi Rozdil \| Peremyshliany \| Pustomyty \| Radekhiv \| Rava-Ruska \| Rudky \| Sambir \| Skole \| Sokal \| Sosnivka \| Staryi Sambir \| Stebnyk \| Stryi \| Sudova Vyshnia \| Truskavets \| Turka \| Uhniv \| Velyki Mosty \| Vynnyky \| Yavoriv \| Zhovkva \| Zhydachiv \| Zolochiv
	Urban-type settlements: more...
	Villages: Hai \| Rykhtychi \| Sianky \| more...

Image:Coat of arms of Ukraine.svg	Ukraine	Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg
	Subdivisions of Ukraine: Cherkasy Oblast \| Chernihiv Oblast \| Chernivtsi Oblast \| Autonomous Republic of Crimea \| Dnipropetrovsk Oblast \| Donetsk Oblast \| Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast \| Kharkiv Oblast \| Kherson Oblast \| Khmelnytskyi Oblast \| Kiev City \| Kiev Oblast \| Kirovohrad Oblast \| Luhansk Oblast \| Lviv Oblast \| Mykolaiv Oblast \| Odessa Oblast \| Poltava Oblast \| Rivne Oblast \| Sevastopol City \| Sumy Oblast \| Ternopil Oblast \| Vinnytsia Oblast \| Volyn Oblast \| Zakarpattia Oblast \| Zaporizhia Oblast \| Zhytomyr Oblast
	Administrative centers of subdivision units: Cherkasy \| Chernihiv \| Chernivtsi \| Dnipropetrovsk \| Donetsk \| Ivano-Frankivsk \| Kharkiv \| Kherson \| Khmelnytskyi \| Kiev \| Kirovohrad \| Luhansk \| Lutsk \| Lviv \| Mykolaiv \| Odessa \| Poltava \| Rivne \| Sevastopol \| Simferopol \| Sumy \| Ternopil \| Uzhhorod \| Vinnytsia \| Zaporizhia \| Zhytomyr

hsb:Lwiw

bs:Lavov bg:Лвов cv:Львов cs:Lvov da:Lviv de:Lemberg et:Lviv es:Lviv eo:Lvovo fr:Lviv gl:Lviv ko:리비우 hr:Lavov id:Lviv it:Leopoli he:לבוב la:Leopolis lv:Ļviva lt:Lvovas hu:Lviv nl:Lviv ja:リヴィフ no:Lviv pl:Lwów pt:Lviv ro:Lviv ru:Львов sk:Ľvov sr:Lavov fi:Lviv sv:Lviv vi:Lviv uk:Львів yi:לעמבערג zh:利沃夫

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Lviv

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