Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 kmincluding Crimea, which is claimed and controlled by neighboring Russiamaking it the largest country entirely within Europe. Ukraine borders Russia to the east and northeast, Belarus to the northwest, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south and southeast, respectively.

LVIV
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine, that was once a major population center of the Halych -Volyn Principality, the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, the Habsburg Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, and later the capital of Lww Voivodeship during the Second Polish Republic.

Month Record high C (F) Average high C (F) Daily mean C (F) Average low C (F) Record low C (F) Precipitation mm (inches)
Avg. rainy days Avg. snowy days

Jan

Feb

Climate data for Lviv Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Year
36.3 (97.3) 12.3 (54.1) 7.8 (46) 3.6 (38.5) 29.5 (21.1) 748 (29.45) 158 72 78 1,808.5

13.8 17.7 22.4 28.9 32.2 33.4 36.3 35.6 31.0 25.3 21.6 16.5 (56.8) (63.9) (72.3) (84) (90) (92.1) (97.3) (96.1) (87.8) (77.5) (70.9) (61.7) 0.1 1.3 6.3 13.6 19.4 22.0 23.9 23.5 18.3 12.9 6.0 0.9 (31.8) (34.3) (43.3) (56.5) (66.9) (71.6) (75) (74.3) (64.9) (55.2) (42.8) (33.6) 3.1 (26.4) 6.1 (21) 2.2 (28) 1.9 8.3 13.8 16.4 18.3 17.7 13.0 8.1 2.6 1.8 (35.4) (46.9) (56.8) (61.5) (64.9) (63.9) (55.4) (46.6) (36.7) (28.8)

5.5 1.7 3.6 8.4 11.3 13.2 12.5 8.4 4.1 0.3 4.6 (22.1) (28.9) (38.5) (47.1) (52.3) (55.8) (54.5) (47.1) (39.4) (31.5) (23.7)

28.5 29.5 24.8 12.1 5.0 0.5 4.5 2.6 3.0 13.2 17.6 25.6 (19.3) (21.1) (12.6) (10.2) (23) (32.9) (40.1) (36.7) (26.6) (8.2) (0.3) (14.1) 40 44 45 52 89 89 96 77 67 52 49 48 (1.57) (1.73) (1.77) (2.05) (3.5) (3.5) (3.78) (3.03) (2.64) (2.05) (1.93) (1.89) 9 17 83 65.1 9 17 81 79.1 11 11 77 14 3 69 16 0.1 71 17 0 74 16 0 75 14 0 76 14 0 79 14 1 80 13 8 84 11 15 85 37.2

% humidity
Mean monthly sunshine hours

111.6 189.0 226.3 237.0 254.2 223.2 180.0 148.8 57.0 Source #1: Pogoda.ru.net[5]

Source #2: Hong Kong Observatory (sun only 1961-1990).[6]

Things to Do
1. Lviv's Old Town
Is the historic center of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, is recognized as the State Historic-Architectural Sanctuary in 1971. 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. 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.

2.The Lviv High Castle & Lviv Castle Hill

Is a historic castle located on the top of the Castle Hill of the city of Lviv. It is currently the highest point in the city. The castle currently stands in ruins. The High Castle is located in close proximity of the historic center of Lviv formerly being surrounded by a fortification wall. The Castle Hill took its name from the High Castle, which used to be located on the hill from the 13th century to the late 19th century. The castle was a main defensive fort of the city during its existence. Lviv a historical place with storing memories about military battles has amazing panorama of night.

Is a small shrine in Lviv, Ukraine, located just outside the Latin Cathedral, in what used to be known as the Chapter Square. Built between 1609 and 1615, the chapel was originally located in what used to be the city's main cemetery. Founded by merchants Jerzy Boim and his wife Jadwiga Niniowska, the Boim chapel was finished by their son, Pawe Jerzy Boim. Most family members are buried in the chapel. Attributed to Andrzej Bemer, the chapel is among the prime examples of mannerist architecture in Central Europe. It bears strong resemblance to the Sigismund's Chapel at the Wawel Cathedral in Krakw.

4. The Potocki Palace

Was built in the 1880s as an urban seat for the Minister-President of Austria. No cost was spared to make it the grandest nobleman's residence in the city. An open, park like setting was scored to give the mansion a sense of depth. At the start of the 20th century, the parkland gave way to a network of apartment buildings. It was confiscated by the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1940. The palace itself was adapted for holding wedding ceremonies in 1972 and subsequently underwent restoration. In the 2000s the President of Ukraine appropriated the palace as one of his residences.

5. The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet

Is built in the classical tradition with using forms and details of Renaissance and Baroque architecture, also known as the Viennese neo-Renaissance style. The stucco moldings and oil paintings on the walls and ceilings of the multi-tiered auditorium and foyer give it a richly festive appearance. The Opera's imposing facade is opulently decorated with numerous niches, Corinthian columns, pilasters, balustrades, cornices, statues, reliefs and stucco garlands. Standing in niches on either side of the main entrance are allegorical figures representing Comedy and Tragedy. Figures of muses embellish the top of the cornice. The building is crowned by large bronze statues, symbolizing Glory, Poetry and Music. The theatre, beautifully decorated inside and outside, became a centerfold of the achievements in sculpture and painting of Western Europe at the end of the 19th century. The internal decoration was prepared by some of the most renowned Polish artists of the time. The building was built between 1897 and 1900. The Lviv Opera was originally called the Grand Theatre until it was renamed in 1939 by the Soviet authorities.

6. Lychakiv Cemetery
Is one of Europes oldest cemeteries. It is a very popular tourist attraction. Many of its funeral monuments are works of art. Every year hundreds and thousands of tourists visit Lychakiv Cemetery. A force that overcomes the fear of death, urges you to roam in reverie about the cemeterys alleys examining the gravestones and their Beauty. Only respected citizens were buried here: priests, politicians and military men. This tradition had lasted up to the post-war period (WWII), when the soviet authorities entitled everyone to be buried at the elite cemetery. In earlier times the idea of transforming the Lychakiv Cemetery from the city of dead into a leisure park dates back to 1856.

7. Tshevchenkivskyi Hai, National Architecture and Rural Life Museum

Is an open-air museum of Ukrainian village life and a living reproduction of Western Ukraine from centuries past. Here you can experience Ukrainian village just like it was back then in wooden huts, with no electricity and other modern conveniences. The museum is divided into 6 ethnographic regions of the western part of Ukraine with 124 architectural objects, including wooden village houses, churches and everyday household items preserved in their original look. The Wooden church architecture in Ukraine dates from the beginning of Christianity and comprises a set of unique styles and forms specific to many sub-regions of the country. As a form of vernacular culture, construction of the churches in specific styles is passed on to subsequent generations. The architectural styles may vary from very simple to complicated involving a high degree of carpentry and wood-cutting artistry.

8. Olesky Castle
Is one of Ukraines oldest castles. First mention of it appeared in written sources in 1327. For many years Polish King Jan II I Sobieski
kept a residence at the castle. The king became famous because he managed to stop the advance of the Ottoman Empire in Europe. Over its history, Olesky Castle has undergone many renovations and today the 18th-century design of its interior remains intact. The castle is part of the Lviv Art Gallery and features a rich collection of old furniture, paintings and beautiful grounds and gardens; all of these things make it an interesting and inexpensive day trip for art lovers and schoolchildren alike. The old castle has a lot to tell after almost seven centuries of existence. Its history lives on its premises.

9. Zolochivsky Castle
It was a residence of the Sobieski noble family on a hill at the confluence of two small rivers in the south-eastern section now part of Lviv, Ukraine. The rectangular fort was built in 1634-36, using the labor of enslaved Crimean Tatars. The Sobieski castle comprised solid walls in a then current Dutch style, with four pentagonal towers at each corner, and the so-called "grand palace". The Chinese Palace, a diminutive mauve-colored rotunda flanked by one-story wings. It was sold to the Austrian crown in 1834. In the 19th century, the castle was, adapted for use as a hospital and barracks. It was turned into a prison in 1872 and continued in use after. There's a chapel commemorating the victims of the NKVD on the grounds of the castle. Since 1985 the complex has been supervised by the Lviv Art Gallery and under restoration. Exhibits include more than 25 European coats of arms, dinosaur bone chandeliers, and a replica of a typical royal crown from the 13th century.

10. Pidhirtsi / Pidgoretsky Castle Was a residential castle-fortress located in the village of Pidhirtsi in Lviv. It was constructed between 16351640, on the place of the older fortress. The castle was then part of the Kingdom of Poland and it is regarded as the most valuable of palace-garden complexes in the eastern borderlands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The exterior structure, built with brick and stone. It is located overlooking the Styr River valley. In the 17th century, it was surrounded by vineyards and Italian-style gardens. The castle was guarded by a moat and drawbridge, fortified walls with bastions and a set of iron cannons, some of which have been preserved to this day. In its heyday the castle was richly furnished, with several halls and a library, and with gardens and parks around it. Next to the entrance was the Guardroom / knights room, filled with hussar equipment and numerous kinds of weaponry. The suites of the Crimson Room, a Chinese Room, the Mirror Room, Yellow Room, Green Room and a chapel. These rooms collected the names from the color of a trim or from what was kept in them. Walls of all rooms were covered with paintings, portraits (around 200 of them), wallpapers; floors were made of marble tiles. Each room also had a marble fireplace. Among the stylish furnishings, there were numerous examples from the booty taken during wars with the Turks and Tatars, mostly Persian rugs and Turkish tents. There also was a grange, a private zoo, vineyards, an apiary, a trout pond and a mill.

11. Churches
Lviv is steeped in religious history and tradition. There are almost 100 functional churches and Cathedrals.

12. Museums
Museum goers should consider the Pharmacy Museum, Lviv Art Gallery at Potocki Palace and the icon collection at the National Museum.

Currency o Ukrainian Hryvnia