The 11 Best Attractions in Lviv

The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet is a bright example of the Neo-Renaissance style in architecture. It is often compared with the Vienna State Opera for its grand façade and décor. Being built in 1900 as the project of Polish architect Zygmunt Gorgolewski, the building holds a lot of secrets inside. One of the legends says that the architect attempted suicide the following year, because he had realized that the underground waters of the river Plotva were washing away the foundation of the theatre. Despite that, the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet is still functioning and holds new performances every season.

Svobody Ave, 28, L’viv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, +380 32 235 65 86

Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet at night | © Pavlofox/Pixabay

A 19th-century architectural monument has been built in the style of French Classicism for the influential family of Polish tycoons – the Potocki. The massive gates and moulded balconies emphasize the majesty of the palace. The exterior and interior décor was provided to arrange chamber concerts and to organize important political meetings. In Soviet times, the building served as a Registry Office, and in the beginning of the 21st century, the Potocki Palace was transferred to the Lviv Art Gallery.

Mykoly Kopernyka Street, 15, Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, +380 322 614 145

Potocki Palace | © Joey Marasek/Flickr

One of the oldest neighbourhoods in the city is the Armenian Quarter. The northern part of the city became a haven for Armenians in the 13th century. They founded their church, school, library, hospital, and theatre here. The vast majority of buildings date from the 16th century, which includes the famous Armenian cathedral. Although the exterior, whose walls reach a thickness of 1.5 meters (5 feet), is not particularly impressive, the interior is incredible. The walls hold stunning paintings, some of which are 600 years old, and the dome of the temple is decorated with mosaics.

Virmens’ka St, 7, L’viv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine

Armenian cathedral | © qqq qqq/Flickr

Lychakiv Cemetery is an integral part of the city’s architecture and one of the most magnificent necropolises in Europe, dating from the 18th century. The place is known not only for its beautiful crypts and gravestone monuments, but also for the many hidden tales and legends associated with outstanding people of art. It has about 500 sculptures of completely different architectural styles and over 2,000 crypts. The inscriptions on tombstones are written in Ukrainian, Polish, German, Serbian, Italian, Armenian, Latin, Hebrew, and Russian.

The Italian courtyard reflects the architectural monuments of the Renaissance. The most romantic and cosy corner in nearby Market Square, since the noise from the city center does not get there. It should be noted that according to the laws of that time, all the stone houses of the Square could have no more than three windows on the façade. It was a rule of equal opportunities and even the richest citizen of Lviv, the wine merchant Konstantin Kornyakt, had to follow it. But 100 years ago, the city authorities bought the building and placed a museum named after King Jana III there. Now in the Italian courtyard, jazz and classical concerts are often held, during which you can drink a cup of refined Lviv coffee.

Rynok Square, 6, L’viv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, +380 67 917 0562

Italian Courtyards panorama | © Bo&Ko/Flickr

Lviv National Ivan Franko University is one of the oldest in the whole of Eastern Europe. It exists since 1608. Up to 1773, the main disciplines of the university were philosophy, Latin and theology. But as soon as the Kingdom of Galicia entered the Habsburg Empire, the education became more secular, and teaching began in the Ukrainian language. All the professors were supposed to have the title of Doctor of Sciences, and each candidate was personally approved by the commission of the Ministry of Education in Vienna. Studying and working there was and still is considered to be prestigious.

This museum was opened in Lviv in the 1960s in the space of an old pharmacy. The museum’s display is set out over 16 halls, where more than 3,000 exhibits are shown. Visitors can carefully consider the collection of utensils for storing medicines, along with real pharmaceutical scales and equipment. In one of the halls, a pharmacy laboratory has been perfectly reconstructed. It was reproduced according to engravings and old books. Additionally, in one of the halls of the museum, there is a library with unique pharmaceutical books and documents.

Stavropihiiska Street, 3, L’viv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine

Pharmacy Museum |© Vimoculars/WikiCommons

Lviv Arsenal (Museum of Arms) is the only museum of this type in Ukraine. Its collection impresses with its diversity and uniqueness. It features bronze cannons, axes, utensils with weapons, military orders, and many other objects collected in 30 countries of the world. One of the most interesting exhibits of the museum is the unique German sword of the 16th century. The second such sword is stored in the London Wallace Collection.

Pidvalna St, 5, L’viv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, +380 322 358 661

Arsenal |© RolandSD/Flickr