Lviv — festivals, museums, excursions
Lviv is the pearl that opens the world
Lviv is the wonderful and unexpected city imbued with heady aroma of coffee, the aristocratic spirit of ancient architecture and diverse combination of cultures. It is as if created for romantics and poets, musicians and gourmands, and especially for those who likes this beautiful and wonderful world – for tourists.
For centuries, the best architects from all over Europe gave the city a special appearance. That is why today many different styles and eras are combined harmoniously here. And despite the heavy historical events that happened in Lviv, it retains almost all its monuments in an authentic way. So, now you can see the original architectural monuments built back in 14-17 centuries. Now the whole central part of Lviv is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
What are the attractions in Lviv
Wandering through the narrow streets paved with the cobblestones you can see «medieval», «Austrian», «Polish» and «Ukrainian» Lviv. You will be certainly impressed by the main city square – Market Square, where each of 45 buildings located on it have its own history. You will be also fascinated diversity of different churches (Dominican Cathedral, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Latin Cathedral, Boim Chapel, Armenian Church, St. Andrew’s Church, Jesuit Catholic Church where on wall murals can be seen Lviv in 17 century), heroic places – fortifications of Lviv (arsenal, the Powder Tower, the walls of the old city), cultural heritage (Opera House, Maria Zankovetska Theater, art gallery).
You will get a lot of pleasure from the panorama of the city after overcoming many steps of the City Hall. The Pharmacy Museum discovers pharmaceutical atmosphere of 18 century. Visiting Lviv High Castle, you will see amazing view of the whole city and the surrounding area. But visiting «The House of Scientists» or Gentry Casino, you will recognize the interiors of the film «d'Artagnan and Three Musketeers».
Lviv and coffee
In Lviv «everything starts with coffee: morning, business, love ...». Ability to drink coffee is a real art that requires special atmosphere. Small cozy coffee houses and pothouses of Lviv, aroma of coffee – this is the real trade mark of Lviv.
It is in Lviv there is the only one in the world so called «Coffee Mine», flavor of which is so expanded around the city that it is unlikely not to look into the coffee house to enjoy a cup of fresh milled coffee.
It is also interesting to visit coffee houses like «Under the blue bottle», «Whirligig», «Legends’ House», «Kerosene Lamp», «Golden Ducat» etc.
You will be impressed by the originality of stylized bunker UIA (The Ukrainian Insurgent Army) known as «Kryivka», where you can try half a meter of sausage and many other interesting dishes both interesting as to its names and cooking. There is a place in Lviv where the menu does not have prices and you have to bargain with the waiter as to the price of dishes; this is so called Jewish tavern (or pothouse) «Under the Golden Rose».
If you enjoy chocolate, in Lviv you will have a unique opportunity not only to try it, but also make for yourself any chocolates in so called «Lviv Chocolate Workshop», where, by the way, you can taste coffee as well.
Lviv has special relationships with chocolate. Citizens eat and drink it, enjoy and proud of it, pay visits and make a declaration of love with it. That is why every year stages the huge and awaited festivals of the year – «Chocolate festival». So Lviv citizens express their love for this sweet gift of nature. And it is not accidental celebration takes place on February 14 – Valentine’s Day.
Lviv and festivals
Lviv is not only cultural, but also a festival capital of Ukraine. During the year, over 100 festivals for every taste hold in the city. These are music festivals with different ways and styles of music, colorful ethnic festivals, theatrical performances, handicraft exhibitions and days of contemporary art. It is worth visiting Lviv each season to see at least one of these festivals.
In winter, from the beginning of the year, Lviv will surprise you by sounding of jazz, diversity of ice sculptures that decorates winter panorama of the city. The New Year and Christmas inhabitants of Lviv celebrate with ancient Ukrainian traditions and Christians motifs. One of the huge and most awaited festivals of the city is «Chocolate Festival»: there is a huge chocolate cake, chocolate rivers and fountains, variety of chocolate sweets which can eat, drink, make a present, enjoy, you might dream up and pay visits, make important decisions and make a declaration of love… Chocolate Festival this is for what is worth visiting Lviv even in the most severe frosts. Chocolate, is like love, has an ability to warm every soul. It is no accident that this Festival takes place on February 14, Valentine’s Day.
Spring in Lviv is full of music and film festivals where you can watch films both domestic and foreign artists, for instance, the festival «Evenings» of French and Irish films, etc. In spring there is also vast celebration of the City Day, Easter holidays, «Puppet Festival», Easter Egg Festival, folk festivals. On May holidays an extraordinary festival «Batiar Day» takes place, «Beer Day» etc.
In summer citizens of Lviv offer to spend holidays in its city too special: from June 4 till August 28 lasts the longest holiday in Lviv: this is so called «summer in the market». It is worth visiting of organ music festival «Diapason» for fans of this kind of music, in August there are festivals «KinoLev» and «Etnovr» who adores this type of folk films.
In autumn inhabitants of Lviv welcome you for festivals «For coffee to Lviv» which takes place in September and «Cheese Festival» in October. Lovers of theater arts can visit festival «Night in Lviv» in November.
Lviv and museums
Lviv has large variety of museums; it would be interesting to visit the following ones:
- Museum of brewing, where you can partake of the sacrament the birth of the famous Lviv beer;
- The Brewery Museum, where you can see the birth of the famous Lviv beer;
- The Museum of ancient weapons «Arsenal»;
- The Pharmacy Museum «Under the Black Eagle»;
- The Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life in the open air «Shevchenko Gai (in English is Grove)»;
- Lychakivskyi Pantheon.
How to get to this place
From Kyiv to Lviv not a little, but 9 – 12 hours you will spend in the way, if you decide to travel by train. So you have to buy tickets in advance for having better seats in the train. The most convenient time for journey is usually at night, time flies by imperceptibly. Here is a list of trains that are perfect for this journey: train №49 Kyiv-Truskavets, it departs from the Central Railway Station in Kyiv at 20:18 p.m. and arrives to Lviv at 5:27 a.m. Another train is №91 Kyiv-Lviv, which departs at 22:40 p.m. and arrives at 6:26 a.m.
If you can not stand long trips, you can take the train №169О Darnytsia-Lviv, which departs from the Kyiv Railway Station at 17:26 and at 22:20 you already find yourself in the western capital of Ukraine.
You can also travel to Lviv by bus or by car.
Enjoy your trip!
Photo: Vitaliy Raskalov http://raskalov-vit.livejournal.com/117996.html
