... of the West and of the East at the same time. It owes its unique location at the mystical intersection of global cultural and civilizational influences to its historical karma. The city is advantageously and conveniently located at the geopolitical junction of two civilizations, at the tectonic fissure of two different and, at times, hostile cultures. For centuries Lviv has been trying to reconcile the irreconcilable. It was the place where the mysterious, irrational and despotic East merged with the heroic, romantic and pragmatic West. The principles of tolerance and respect to that of foreign origin, which can become factors of establishing the same ideas in the New Europe of the future, have been developing in the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural smelter of Lviv for centuries.
Lviv became the point of contact of two cultural worlds, an equidistant cultural and trading Mecca, which always worked as an invisible magnet attracting extremely talented people: architects, sculptors, artists, craftsmen, merchants, and public figures. They came here not only for innumerable and wondrous riches - majestic temples, luxurious palaces, stores filled with the most diverse goods from all over the world - but for the high level of culture and education, for intensive intellectual life. No matter where you came from - Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Greece or Armenia, - behind the walls of Lviv you would always find safe refuge and the opportunity to do what you liked most, to develop your skills and talents to the fullest...
Facts about Lviv
The first written mention about Lviv dates back to 1256.
The population is around 850 000 citizens.
The total area is 171 square kilometres.
Since 1998, L'viv is a World UNESCO Heritage site.
It encompasses 55% of all Ukrainian monuments of cultural significance and 1.5 million museum artefacts.
13 official and honorary consulates of foreign states are situated in Lviv.
More than 160 000 students study here.
The city contains 60 establishments for higher education.
1387-1704 during 317 years, citizens of Lviv stood over a hundred enemy sieges and prevented all conquerors from entering the city: an unprecedented indicator as compared to most medieval European cities.
1574 - the first book in Ukraine ("the Apostle") was printed in Lviv by I. Fedorov.
1661 - the first university in Ukraine, the Jesuit Academy, was founded in the city of Lviv.
1776 - Gazette de Leopol weekly, the first newspaper in Ukraine.
1848 - the first newspaper in Ukrainian "Zorya Halytska".
1836 - Leopold Zaher-Mazokh, one of the most prominent European and world writers, was born in Lviv. The onlay of his works published in Europe by the end of the XIX century exceeded those of Shevchenko, Mickiewich, Pushkin, Dostoevskiy and Tolstoy taken together.
1848 - the first politic organization in Ukraine was established in Lviv (Holovna Rus'ka Rada)
1853 - the first oil lamp in the world was invented in Lviv in the pharmacy "Under the Golden Star" ("Pid Zolotoyu Zirkoyu") by chemists Johan Zeg and Ignatsy Lukesevych.
1861 - the first Ukrainian railway Lviv - Przemysl was constructed.
1864 - the first Ukrainian professional theater was founded in Lviv.
1890 - the first Ukrainian legal political party of European type and the first in Europe farmers' party was organized in Lviv - Rus'-Ukrainian Radical Party (RURP)
14 July 1894 - the first ever football match in Ukraine between the teams from Lviv and Krakiw was held in Lviv.
Beginning of the XX century - Lviv hosted the first Ukrainian ball team sports competition in volleyball, handball, basketball, rugby. There also were competitions in roller-skating, cycling, motorcycling and car racing.
60'es - 70'es of the XX century - Lviv produced beer, candies (the Svitoch Confectionary Factory), busses and TV sets of the best quality in the USSR.
June 27, 2001 - the record number of people in the history of Ukraine (approximately 1.5 million visitors) came to the Mess of Byzantine rite said by the Roman Pope John Paul II at the Lviv hippodrome.
June 26, 2008 - the first Lviv Chamber Music Festival "Szymanowski Quartet and Friends"
Evliya Celebi, a Turkish traveller of the 16th century, wrote about the women of Lviv: "In favourable local climate the girls are so beautiful that when you see them dressed in diverse silk clothes, with faces like the sun and eyes like those of roe, of gazelle, of chamois - you can easily lose your mind"
