Old Town (Lviv)

Lviv's Old Town (Ukrainian: Старе Місто Львова, romanized: Stare Misto L’vova; Polish: Stare Miasto we Lwowie) is the historic centre of the city of Lviv, within the Lviv Oblast (province) in Ukraine, recognized as the State Historic-Architectural Sanctuary in 1975.[1]

Old City of Lviv
Старе місто Львова
City view from High Castle, the couple of green domes (center) – ensemble of the Assumption Church, tower on the far right – Town Hall on the Market Square
General information
TypeState Historic-Architectural Sanctuary
LocationLviv Oblast
Town or cityLviv
CountryUkraine
Coordinates49°50′30″N 24°01′55″E
OpenedState Sanctuary
Official nameL'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre
Criteriaii, v
Reference865
Inscription1998 (22nd session)

UNESCO

Since 1998, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) lists Lviv's historic center as part of "World Heritage". On 5 December 1998, during the 22nd Session of the World Heritage Committee in Kyoto (Japan), Lviv was included to the UNESCO World Heritage List. UNESCO gave the following reasons[2] 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.

The territory of the Lviv Historic Centre Ensemble covers 120 hectares (300 acres) of the Old Russ and Medieval part of the city, as well as the territory of the St. George’s Cathedral on St. George’s Hill. The buffer area of the Historic Centre, which is defined by the historic area bounds, is approximately 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres).[3]

Streets
The complex of the Dormition Church is dominated by the 400-year-old Korniakt Tower.
A street in the Old Town of Lviv

Beside the listed items of three major areas there are some 2,007 other historical landmarks within the Old City's area, 214 of which are considered national landmarks.

Pidzamche (Sub-castle)
  • High Castle and Sub-castle neighborhood, the original center of the city also containing the neighborhood of Old Market Square, the castle was preserved in ruins, however the general area of the city is better known for its name
  • Church of St.Nicholas, the family church of the Halychyna (Ruthenian) kings
  • Church of St.Paraskeva-Praxedia (Good Friday), contains 1740 inconostasis of the church by Fedor Senkovych
  • Church of St.Onuphrius and Basilian Monastery, contains artworks of Lazar Paslavsky and Modest Sosenko
  • Church of St.John the Baptist (today – Museum of Lviv Ancient relics), the church was dedicated to the Hungarian wife of King Leo, Constance, a daughter of King Béla IV
  • Church of Snowy Mary (today – Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church), the church of German colonists of the city
Seredmistia (Middletown)
Church of St. Yura (St. George), the Dragonfighter
Old Town landmarks that are not part of the World Heritage Site

See also

References
  1. (in Ukrainian) Declaration of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukrainian SSR in creation of the State Historic-Architectural Sanctuary in city of Lviv (official document)
  2. L'viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre, UNESCO – World Heritage. URL Accessed: 30 October 2006
  3. Lviv in UNESCO Archived 2009-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, www.lviv.ua. URL Accessed: 23 December 2008
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