Lviv

Lvov (Ukrainian spelling Lviv) is a city and administrative center of Lvov oblast of Ukraine, on the picturesque Roztochchya Upland on the Poltva River.

There are a lot of spellings of this city: Lvov, Lwow, Lwov, Lvow, Lviv, Lviw, Lwiv, Lwiw. But the most popular are Lviv or Lvov.

Lvov was founded in the mid-13th century by Prince Daniel Romanovich of Galicia, who built the castle on the hill now called Hill of a High Castle.

Lvov settlement was first mentioned in ancient Russian manuscripts in 1256. Lvov was historically the chief center of Galicia, a region now divided between Ukraine and Poland.

Lvov town position controlling east-west routes and passes across the Carpathians was the reason of its stormy history. Polish King Kazimir's III troops invaded Lvov in 1340, but the citizens banished the invaders.

Poland control was established in 1349. In 1356 Magdeburg Law was adopted in Lvov town. In 1370-1387 Lvov town was ruled by Hungary. Lvov was seized by the Cossacks in 1648 and the Swedes in 1704.

Lvov was given to Austria on the first partition of Poland in 1772 and after the fall of Austro-Hungary in 1918 the town was ruled by Ukrainian bourgeoisie who proclaimed a short-live "Western Ukrainian People's Republic".

But the Poles drove Ukrainian troops out of Lvov city and regained control. Lvov was joined to Ukrainian Socialist Republic together with western Ukraine in 1939 and after German occupation annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945. During the German occupation over 200 000 citizens of Lvov were killed in concentration camps.

Lvov city is also a major publishing and cultural center, especially of Ukrainian culture, which flourished there in tsarist times. Lvov University, which was founded in 1661 and named for the Ukrainian poet and journalist Ivan Franko, is one of the institutions of higher education in Lvov.

There are also poly-graphic institute, institute of applied arts, conservatoire. There are also many research establishments in Lvov city of Ukraine.